MILWAUKEE — Welcome to The Campaign Moment. This week, we’re running through the big moments and trends from the Republican National Convention.
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The big moment
The 2024 GOP convention came to a close Thursday night, with former president Donald Trump formally accepting his party’s nomination just five days after surviving an assassination attempt.
But even that story wasn’t necessarily the biggest of Thursday, as the potential exit of the opponent Republicans had spent four days attacking — President Biden — loomed larger and larger.
Here’s our final set of takeaways from the convention week that was.
1. A tale of two Trump speeches: powerful and perplexing
The first 15 minutes of Trump’s speech were powerful, as he recounted Saturday’s assassination attempt.
The rest of the more than 90-minute-long speech was thoroughly confusing. It meandered between points, often going off-script with ad-libs that left a standard-issue Trump campaign speech without the kind of coherent, lofty theme that defines traditional presidential convention fare. And Trump’s initially subdued manner and calls for unity didn’t match the content of an often-divisive speech.
Trump grabbed the audience with a promise to discuss what happened Saturday, but qualified it by saying he would only do it once, “because it’s actually too painful to tell.”
He celebrated slain firefighter Corey Comperatore and two others who were shot.
Perhaps the most powerful moment came when Trump said, “I’m not supposed to be here tonight.” The crowd began chanting, “Yes you are!” Trump ultimately responded, “Thank you, but I’m not.”
“Despite such a heinous attack, we unite this evening more determined than ever,” Trump wrapped up that section. “I am more determined than ever. So are you. So is everybody. … Our resolve is unbroken, and our purpose is unchanged.”
Also unchanged: Virtually the rest of his speech, undifferentiated from a normal Trump stump speech.
Despite the call for unity, Trump soon referred to “crazy Nancy Pelosi,” repeatedly cited false allegations of stolen elections, called for the firing of the head of the United Auto Workers, cited the “China virus” and the “invasion” at the Southern border. He called a Democratic senator a “total lightweight.” He even repeated a puzzling allusion to “the late, great Hannibal Lecter,” from “The Silence of the Lambs,” which he’s used before.
All of it was familiar from Trump’s speeches — as was the extensive ad-libbing. But this wasn’t just any Trump speech. This was a different venue, his introduction to many more casual voters who might not eat up his many musings.
The assassination attempt probably drew even more eyeballs to him, and it’s not clear what those new viewers took away, beyond that Trump was nearly killed five days ago.
“So I’d better finish strong,” Trump said at one point. “Otherwise we’ll blow it. And we can’t let that happen.”
2. Republicans trolled Democrats on replacing Biden
As Democrats appeared to inch closer to replacing their 2024 standard-bearer, Republicans decided now would be a good time to stir the pot.
Previously, some high-profile Republicans made clear their preference for facing Biden and began attacking Vice President Harris more. But Wednesday, their move was to try to stoke Democratic divisions, casting any attempt to replace the nominee as a brazen and even undemocratic one.
Top Trump campaign adviser Chris LaCivita, at a CNN/Politico event, called it an attempted “coup” and an effort to “depose” Biden “that’s going to create a whole host of different issues.”
At another event, former Trump acting director of national intelligence Richard Grenell called efforts to switch nominees “outrageous” and urged the media to declare that “you don’t get to dump this [president]. This is what happens in other countries, not in America.”
On X, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) labeled it an “insurrection.”
None of these descriptions actually fit; Democrats are trying to persuade Biden to drop out, not overturn the primary results themselves. But as the Biden loyalists get a little quieter, there’s certainly value for Republicans in framing things this way in hopes of riling them (or perhaps even Biden) up.
At the very least, Republicans seemed to be having some fun trolling Democrats over their discord.
3. They leaned in on the assassination attempt — and maybe God’s favoritism
Trump wasn’t the only one to focus extensively on the assassination attempt.
Speakers repeatedly pitched it and Trump’s response as evidence of Trump’s resolve, courage — and possibly even God’s will that he be president.
Eric Trump focused on it, calling Trump “a man who survived a bullet that was intended to eliminate him permanently from our future and from our family.”
“You wiped the blood off your face,” Eric Trump said. “And you put your fist in the air, in a moment that will be remembered as one of the most courageous acts in the history of American politics.”
Trump lawyer Alina Habba said Trump “did not just take a bullet in Butler, Pennsylvania. He has and will continue to take them for each and every one of us.”
While other Trump supporters have posited that God intervened to save Trump, a couple of speakers seemed to go a little further to suggest it showed God’s favoritism.
Evangelical leader Franklin Graham, unlike many others pointing to possible divine intervention, noted that firefighter Corey Comperatore was not spared.
“I cannot explain why God would save one life and allow another one to be taken,” Graham said. “I don’t have the answer for that.”
Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson suggested that he did have that answer.
“When he stood up after being shot in the face, bloodied, and put his hand up, I thought at that moment that was a transformation. This was no longer a man. Well, I think that I think it was divine intervention,” Carlson said, adding: “This was the leader of a nation.”
Carlson added: “I think a lot of people are wondering, what is this? This doesn’t look like politics. Something bigger is going on here. I think even people who don’t believe in God are beginning to think, well, maybe there’s something to this, actually.”
Take a moment to read:
“What happens if Biden drops out of the presidential race?” (Washington Post)“Pelosi has told House Democrats that Biden may soon be persuaded to exit race” (Washington Post)“Obama tells allies Biden’s path to winning reelection has greatly diminished” (Washington Post)“The right is attacking the Secret Service’s women agents. Trump hasn’t joined in.” (Politico)“Pelosi, Long Fixated on Winning, Is in No Mood to Lose With Biden” (New York Times)