Trump’s final appearance as GOP nominee may just have been his finest – and calmest -- hour yet
Ever been to a concert where 99.9 percent of the music lovers were there to see the
headliner band and there was a tangible feeling of unease among those present while the warm-up groups went through their motions to try and please the crowd before the featured act hit the stage?
If so, you understand just how it felt to be at the fourth and final evening of the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the delegates, dignitaries and guests of President (no “former” here) Donald Trump patiently and anxiously devoted due attention to the convention’s “undercard’ speakers prior to the arrival of Trump himself.
Whereas every Trump speech is greeted with more than its share of anticipation, in the days following the unfathomable assassination attempt that could have taken the Republican nominee’s life but for the Grace of God, the waiting has been, as classic rocker Tom Petty once famously crooned, the hardest part.
Trump has been uncharacteristically (if not understandably) silent since the incident occurred early last Saturday evening, preferring instead to prolong the feeling of unity that’s overcome most of the country, the well-wishes continuing to pour in as details emerge on the Secret Service’s (and by extension, president senile Joe Biden administration’s) blatant incompetence if not outright complicity in allowing the shooter to get off a number of shots directed at Trump.
Again, by the Grace of God, Trump lived to tell the tale and deliver the keynote of all keynote addresses on Thursday evening. One heroic Pennsylvania man wasn’t so fortunate, losing his life to the most un-contemplatable of evil and depraved criminal acts. A worthwhile and valuable life snuffed out in an instant. Life is cruel. And unfair at times.
But Trump continues on, his defiance an open afront to his political enemies, few or none of which were in attendance for his accepting of the Republican Party’s presidential nomination for the third and final time on Thursday in Milwaukee. As far as the eye – or camera – could see, there was Trump/Vance memorabilia. Trump’s last hurrah as the GOP nominee was bound to be special.
And it was. The Republican leader entered the arena to the tune of AC/DC’s “Back in Black” quite a while before his designated speaking time, which set the tone for a raucous evening. Granddaughter Kai Trump had said the night before that Trump likes music and there’s little doubt that’s the truth.
The lineup of pre main event speakers included a few headliner types including former Trump Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who promised if Trump were returned to the White House that America’s status in the world would be restored back to the time when this country had leadership that was capable and admirable.
Conservative talk show host Tucker Carlson also appeared and talked very casually about the situation today and stated plainly that he didn’t like politicians. Tucker said Trump’s anti-establishment bent and threat to the swamp status quo won him over, a feeling that many if not most conservatives share regarding the political outsider from New York City.
Presidential son Eric Trump emerged a little later, and with wife Lara looking on from the presidential suite, paid tribute to his father in a fitting way. In this sense, the convention felt a little like 2016, when the primary winner arranged it that all of the Trumps received primetime speaking slots including daughter Ivanka, wife Melania (who was subsequently criticized for borrowing some of former First Lady Michelle Obama’s words) and daughter Tiffany.
Granted I didn’t catch every speaker, but I don’t believe that Tiffany, Ivanka or Melania addressed the delegates this year.
The convention organizers slotted Trump himself after rocker/rapper and Trump friend Kid Rock presented a rather interesting high volume performance titled “Fight! Fight!” and “Trump! Trump!”, and UFC wrestling executive Dana White was given the honor of introducing the man himself. White elaborated on how Trump convinced him to appear once again at the RNC, as he had in 2016.
This was definitely not your grandfather’s Republican National Convention. The theme of White’s intro was “A Fight for Our Country”. You’d almost expect fighters to come from the wings in gear and shorts at White’s prompts. Thankfully there were no punches thrown.
Trump’s speech itself was noteworthy for its soft tone and utter absence of bitterness. Some might comment that it lacked passion, but this was characteristic of the “new”, post assassination-attempt Republican nominee.
Thanks mostly to numerous applause lines and ovations from the highly motivated delegates, Trump’s time on stage lasted a full hour and a half. As would be expected, Trump
described what happened last Saturday and then launched into a full recitation of elements of the MAGA agenda. To me, the length of the speech and its detail was almost reflective of one of his rallies, where there isn’t a time limit and Trump is free to pretty much say whatever he wants. With the full adoration of the Republican Party behind him, the delegates appeared to consume every second with gusto.
To me, I thought the speech was too long, at least for the TV viewing audience who couldn’t possibly feed off the energy in the room. Trump’s soft speaking voice – I never thought I’d say that – lulled the onlookers to a state of… harmony? It was definitely a different feeling to see Trump like this. Trump said “I hope you support me because I will bring back the American Dream,” and, “I want you to be excited about our country.”
Granted I didn’t pay close attention to every sentence, but I don’t believe Trump uttered the word “Biden” at all in the 90-plus minutes, and he referred to his opponent as “my opponent”. What a difference a week makes. Trump had said that he’d purposely toned down what he’d originally intended to say, and one wonders what he did to edit out and drop the stinging rebuke and critique of the current regime that he’d planned to deliver.
Trump’s tone was a stark contrast to 2016 where the delegates broke into frequent shouts of “Lock her up!” and seemed to crave political blood. Then there was 2020, where then President Trump spoke on the need to avoid “Joe Biden’s America”. Different times. Different man. Different country now.
“I humbly ask for your vote… and I promise that I will never, ever let you down.”
To sum up, Donald Trump’s 2024 Republican convention address was a departure from different versions, signaling a new attitude, a new candidate and a new, more unifying tone to his campaign. His supporters will still love him, for good reason. The question now is whether the country will take to a Trump who isn’t “bombastic” or caustic.
Time will tell. There’s a long way to go in this year’s campaign, and, we still don’t know who the Democrats will settle on for a nominee.
Will a softer, more unity-seeking Donald Trump lose his edge?
One thing that’s been evident the past four days – or ever since the assassination attempt in the Keystone State – has been Donald Trump’s changed outlook on life and perhaps, politics. It would be impossible for anyone, including Donald Trump, to go through what he’s confronted in the interim and not emerge a changed man, at least in certain ways.
It’s no exaggeration to suggest that Trump brushed death last Saturday. The candidate’s unprompted head turn at the moment the assassin pulled the trigger indisputably saved his life. It’s not an either/or situation. As Trump told Byron York the other day, he could’ve/should’ve died right there on the podium in northeastern Pennsylvania. History would’ve had its latest earth-altering tragedy. Trump’s own bio would read a lot differently in decades/centuries to come if he’d actually left the earth prematurely.
And it’s doubtful that the powers-that-be would’ve been as charitable towards Trump than other leaders who were taken before their time. Simply put, Donald Trump has been given a second chance by the higher power. No doubt, he’s devoted a lot of time the past few days to prayer while vowing not to squander the new lease on life.
The new, post-assassination Trump seems calmer, smiles more, appears highly appreciative of friends and allies and, maybe, more tolerant of his enemies. Trump’s speech on Thursday night certainly contained more than its share of critiques for his political opponent’s issues and foul-ups, but it lacked the sharp rhetorical edge of his prior orations. There wasn’t any “meanness” to it. The “old” Trump could bite to the bone with his use of language.
With the “new” Trump, it’s almost as though he’d rather shake hands and tap someone on the shoulder than insult them. A kinder, gentler Trump for sure. The multitude of TV camera shots of him sitting in the nominee’s box at the convention showed him grinning and even chuckling at some of the speakers’ comments, but there was no trace of animosity, angst, blame or resentment there. The characteristic determination and resolve were still in evidence, but the look in his eyes had transformed.
It was as though Trump had evolved, in tone if not in orientation. Was it a historic change?
Lincoln said it at his Second Inaugural Address: “With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”
Of course, Lincoln is credited by most historians as the best president this country has ever had, sometimes sharing the honor with George Washington and sometimes being judged by different criteria than other presidents. One of Lincoln’s greatest strengths was his ability to manage the non-stop threats to his authority by playing his political enemies off each other – and for making quick decisions to replace ineffective leaders.
Is Democrat General George McClellan given any credit for saving the Union? Hardly. The War Between the States’ heroes were Ulysses S. Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman… and Lincoln settled on them through process of elimination. Those who weren’t with Lincoln were dispatched. Produce or lose. Trump can learn the same lesson… but do it tactfully.
Donald Trump has committed many, many political sins in his brief career in politics, making a good number of enemies and stirring up animosity on virtually unprecedented scale. But is he now ready for absolution, contrition and forgiveness? Time will tell. Americans on all points on the political spectrum are still in shock after what happened last weekend, and neither side of the proverbial aisle really knows how to handle the new status quo or where the equilibrium is found.
What could’ve accounted for the change in Trump’s demeanor?
Many things, but one, his own aura of invincibility was shattered, and perhaps he realized on the way to the hospital in that black SUV surrounded by his Secret Service detail that life is short.
Trump has always acted as though he’s as young and vigorous as he was decades ago. From news reports, he still doesn’t sleep much, maintains a pre-dawn to late night schedule and is constantly on the go. By the looks of it, thoughts of mortality haven’t been on his mind. But now, he may have learned to stop and smell the roses a little bit. And treat friends and foes alike with a gentler touch.
Second, as if it were possible, Trump appreciates how he impacts his family. Hearing Lara Trump’s speech on Tuesday night and her telling of how her children almost lost their grandpa puts things in human terms that Trump may not have always thought about prior to last Saturday. Every life impacts someone, and Trump’s role as husband, father, grandfather and friend has a profound effect on those closest to him. The void he would’ve left isn’t just as the Republican nominee. Wife Melania Trump’s post-assassination statement hopefully helped him realize it.
Third – is it real? If this “new” Trump is simply the product of a talented actor putting on the performance of his life, then the 45th president deserves an academy award for the wildly successful ruse. The political left’s “Trump is faking it” detractors must think that Trump magically woke up on Sunday morning and said to himself, “Maybe I’d better start taking the consultants’ advice and be a nice guy now”.
I’ve always thought that someone with Trump’s natural political instincts and willingness to engage on every subject combined with a “presidential” figure would be nearly unbeatable. At least for now, thanks to Donald Trump’s fresh outlook on life, we may very well get to see if that combination of personality attributes produces a winner.
It’s a demonstrable fact that there’s some slice of the American electorate that likes Trump’s policies but couldn’t deal with his personality. It’s said way too frequently, but his Tweets haven’t been well conceived and are quite often seen as cruel or mocking when an olive branch or extended hand would be better. The hard driving, win-at-all-costs Trump has occasionally lost because he unnecessarily bruised egos or cut to the core when he should’ve just sat down and had a civil conversation with some folks.
Trump’s natural reaction to being criticized is to punch back, sometimes without much filter. The “new” Trump may now take things differently. The honeymoon from “fake news” won’t last. But Trump would be wise to keep his post-assassination tone and see where it brings him. One can be principled and tough and still maintain one’s personal dignity.
Will a “nicer” Trump lose his edge? I don’t think so.
Donald Trump has been rebranded through the events of the past week. Gone is the reputation that Trump is only good for mean tweets, bombast and bursts of ego that would make the most obtuse Hollywood celebrity envious. In its place is Donald Trump the uniter. No one would volunteer to have a powerful rifle pointed at your head, but the experience has done for Trump what nothing else probably ever could have -- people see him as a human being as well as a tough, never back down leader.
The 2024 Republican National Convention could be seen as the best one ever
The Republican nominee said it himself, that this year’s Republican convention was the best planned political event of all-time. From the music to the timing to the themes to the tone, Republicans put on a show that was not only worth watching, it was informative and generated the type of enthusiasm the party will need going into the very challenging months to come.
Donald Trump deserves to be the 47th president. Will he have the opportunity to present his case?
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I think Trump has already lost that edge. He just didn't sound like the Donald we elected in 2016 and almost elected in 2020. He also has a horrible veep pick in neocon Vance.