Trump’s speech at the Republican National Convention is suddenly must-watch TV
It has been decades since either a Republican or a Democratic national convention was must-watch TV, especially for all four nights.
But the assassination attempt on Donald Trump over the weekend has changed all of that.
As the country continues to process the shooting and its aftermath, volunteers, staffers and delegates are milling around the convention floor in Milwaukee, while politicians and candidates jostle for attention with short speeches. The convention’s very banality is somehow surreal.
It’s still early, but so far we can confidently note a few things. First, this is Trump’s convention, for the first time. In 2016, he was still learning the ropes, and the Never Trump forces were strong enough that Texas Sen. Ted Cruz didn’t actually endorse him in his convention speech. The 2020 convention was truncated by the pandemic.
But everything from the rollout of Ohio Sen. JD Vance as running mate to the abbreviated platform to the chants of “Fight! Fight! Fight!” by conventiongoers has shown that this is Trump’s party, and this convention is his coronation.
