Legislative Update: Republican National Convention Concludes

Republicans and President Trump had their time in the spotlight as they hosted the Republican National Convention Monday, Aug. 24 through Thursday, Aug. 27. Republicans’ convention theme portrayed America as a land of heroes, promises, and opportunities, and greatness. The lineup of speakers described President Trump as unconventional but a sharpshooter, a President “that gets things done,” and underlined how his record has bettered the lives of Americans and businesses through trade agreements, tax cuts, or deregulations.

Many speakers shared their views about a country divided while sharing their gratitude that the President has embraced their issues and concerns. There were uplifting moments; however, many of the speakers went on the offense against Vice President Biden and his supporters. Describing some of them as “radical liberals” and “socialists” and emphasizing the need for the president’s tough stance on law and order. Vice President Mike Pence juxtaposed a Trump presidency which “set our nation on a path to freedom and opportunity” with a Biden presidency that would “set America on a path of socialism and decline.”

The goals of a national convention are typically to excite your base of supporters and expand it and the RNC was no exception. While much of the convention was Trump’s staunch supporters, there was also a concerted effort to counter the picture that Democrats have painted of the President.

Convention programming and speakers broke many traditional past patterns.

President Trump’s family took center stage in the speaker lineups providing insightful glimpses of the President that the public often does not get to see. Rather than having traditional Republican Party representatives such as previous presidential candidates or prominent figures from the Bush administration, the speaker lineups included diversity and people of color. They spoke about Trump’s successes for criminal justice reform and criticized Joe Biden’s past comment about the black community despite his apology.

Several women speakers whom have worked with the President testified how he has helped guide them in their careers and treated them with respect. Trump defied several other campaign norms by including a taping of him hosting a naturalization ceremony and announcing a presidential pardon from the White House. Moreover, the RNC pushed campaign customs by  having many White House officials as speakers, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who addressed the convention from Jerusalem while on an official trip.

Accepting the nomination.

In his acceptance speech from the White House lawn, Trump reframed COVID-19 as a success story for his administration and spoke at length about the steps his administration took to fight the virus, including developing a “wide array of effective treatments” and repeatedly promising a vaccine before the end of the year.

The President also promised a return to economic prosperity, reminding viewers of his economic accomplishments pre-pandemic, including his 2017 tax cut laws, his renegotiated trade deals, and low unemployment levels. Ultimately, President Trump reinforced his image as a law and order president, denouncing the recent riots threatening citizens, and blamed Democrat city and state officials in charge as the problem. The President’s speech went directly after Vice President Biden as a “Trojan horse for socialism,” and criticizing his record on supporting free-trade deals and “shipping of American jobs” to foreign countries.