This week, the 2024 Republican National Convention, held amidst a politically charged atmosphere, offered a window into the GOP’s strategy and vision for the upcoming election in November. This year’s convention, which took place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was marked by a mix of attempts to win over Black voters, reinforce the party’s core conservative values, and showcase rising stars within the GOP. Here are the top five takeaways from this year’s RNC.
Donald Trump Is The Same As He Ever Was
After surviving an assassination attempt that Trump credited to divine intervention, pundits were expecting a kinder, gentler, more spiritual Trump that could unite the country. Those expectations were dashed less than 30 minutes into his prepared remarks. He started out subdued and reflective as he recalled the moment an assassin began shooting at him at last Saturday’s rally and said even while bullets were flying across the stage, he felt safe because he “had God on his side.” Trump then honored Corey Comperatore, a rally attendee and volunteer firefighter who was killed by the shooter. He kissed Comperatore’s firefighter uniform (which had been brought on stage earlier) and led the crowd in a moment of silence. After this somber act, Trump continued the unifying theme with the line “discord and division in our country must be healed,” but quickly pivoted towards his familiar divisive, controversial rhetoric in a long, rambling speech–at one hour 32 seconds, the longest convention acceptance speech ever.
He restated the lie that the 2020 election was stolen, he attacked the former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, he repeatedly demonized undocumented immigrants calling them “illegal aliens” and “the greatest invasion in history.” He called for closing the U.S. border (although Trump’s opposition to a historic bipartisan border security bill earlier this year was why Republican legislators killed the bill.) he made false claims about his accomplishments in office. Those who were hoping for a Trump different from the one who descended the gold escalator in Trump Tower nine years ago and called Mexicans” rapists” will find that history is instead repeating itself.
Republicans Attempt To Win Over Black Voters With A Series Of Black Speakers
It’s no secret that the Republican party is largely white. However, on day one, the RNC saw the GOP try to alter the perception of the party by putting forth multiple Black and Hispanic speakers, including Senator Tim Scott. The Senate’s only Black Republican senator had long been floated as a possible VP pick but was passed over for Ohio Senator JD Vance. Scott parroted the common GOP belief that “America isn’t a racist country” even though Black people lag behind white people across multiple measures. He continued, “But if you are looking for racism today, you’d find it in cities run by Democrats. Look on the South Side of Chicago. Poor Black kids, trapped in failing schools.” He then claimed that “conservative values would restore hope.” It’s a refrain echoed by fellow Black conservative Rep. Byron Donalds.
In his RNC speech, Donalds decried public schools and touted school choice and private school attendance as the key to quality education. However, private school vouchers have racist origins, as reported by the Center for American Progress. During Jim Crow, white officials opposed to desegregation promoted private school vouchers and attendance so white children wouldn’t be forced to attend schools with Black children, while public schools, which largely served Black children, were starved of funding.
Amber Rose Embraces Trump In Surprising Appearance
Hollywood has a liberal reputation, so the RNC doesn’t usually have much star power, particularly in the Trump era (remember Chrisette Michelle?) Perhaps this explains why Amber Rose, a model and reality TV star best known for her former relationship with Kanye West, was celebrated as the figure who would draw Black people to the party (although she identifies as biracial, not Black). In her speech, Rose described her evolution from anti-Trump to pro after initially thinking he was a racist: “I realized Donald Trump and his supporters don’t care if you’re Black, white, gay or straight, it’s all love… and that’s when it hit me: These are my people. This is where I belong,” Rose said. She capped off her sense of belonging with a rap video called “Trump Trump Baby,” which she recorded last month with pro-Trump rapper Forgiato Blow.
The Hill reported that Democratic strategist and CNN commentator Van Jones was highly impressed with Rose and believed that her alignment with the GOP might prove dangerous for Democrats: “That was probably the most dangerous speech for the Democratic coalition,” Jones continued. “She’s way more famous than any of us up here — I’m going to tell you that — way more famous. And so to the extent that these guys are trying to bust up our coalition, that was a bunker buster right there.”It’s unclear that Rose will have any effect on large numbers of Black voters but it is clear the MAGA movement is trying to appeal to people far outside of the traditional Republican base.
MAGA Movement Dominates The Republican Party
Nikki Haley, former governor of South Carolina who challenged Donald Trump for the Republican presidential nomination after serving as his UN Ambassador, offered her “strong endorsement” of Trump in her RNC speech. This comes after she called him “unhinged” and “diminished” during the campaign. Haley had already announced that she planned on voting for Trump in May but stopped short of an endorsement. But for someone who once said, as reported by Politico, “I feel no need to kiss the ring,” Haley did just that. She painted Biden as a failure and called on all Republicans to unite behind Trump. “You don’t have to agree with Trump 100 percent of the time to vote for him. Take it from me,” Haley said.
But the fact that Haley felt the need to endorse Trump after being so opposed to him is an indication that having a place in the Republican party requires allegiance to Trump and his MAGA movement. Further evidence is that Trump critics like Mitt Romney and Trump’s former vice president, Mike Pence, didn’t attend the RNC at all.
From Never Trump To Loyalist: JD Vance Is The Future Of The MAGA Movement
Up until the very moment Donald Trump announced his pick for VP, there was speculation that he could go with someone like Doug Burgum, North Dakota governor and a more traditional Republican, to expand his base. But in selecting JD Vance, a once never-Trumper turned Trump loyalist, Trump double-downed on his base. Vance is an Ohio senator and the author of the book Hillbilly Elegy, in which he described his hardscrabble childhood growing up in Ohio with a drug-addicted mother and finding solace with his grandparents who raised him. His relationship with his grandmother figured prominently in his RNC speech. With 19 handguns scattered throughout her home, he said she represented the “American spirit” he was fighting for.
Vance is to the right of Trump on specific issues; for example, while Trump has shied away from a nationwide abortion ban, Vance supports a 15-week abortion ban with exceptions for rape, incest, and threats to the life of the mother. He introduced a Senate bill criminalizing gender-affirming care for transgender children, a ban on federal mask mandates, and a crack-down on affirmative action policies at colleges and universities, reports Politico. At 39 years old, Vance is the first millennial VP pick and would be the third youngest vice president if elected. In choosing him, Trump ensures that the MAGA movement continues long after his presidency if he’s re-elected.