Takeaways from the 2024 Republican National Convention
After four eventful days, the 2024 Republican National Convention has come to a close with Donald Trump and running mate JD Vance accepting the Republican nomination. The Convention was organized around three themes: “Make America Wealthy Again, Make America Safe Again, and Make America Great Again.” These themes mainly focused on economics, national security and foreign policy, and the last night was meant to show Trump as a fighter for his life and America.
The event featured various members of Congress, celebrities, families of hostages in Israel, Gold Star families who lost loved ones in the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, and several members of Trump’s family, including his grandchildren. The crowd was large and energetic, with many attendees wearing white bandages over their ears in solidarity with the President following an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania last week. The convention marked Trump’s first speech since the attempt on his life.
The convention also introduced the public to Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, the Republican Senator from Ohio. Despite his relatively short political career, Vance has been a strong ally of Trump in the Senate. Vance, best known for his New York Times bestselling memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, was introduced by Donald Trump Jr. on Wednesday night. Although he was not always a Trump supporter, Vance has since become one of his staunchest supporters in and out of Congress.
The most anticipated speaker was former President Trump, who was expected to deliver a somber speech about the assassination attempt and call for unity in America. For the first fifteen minutes, Trump was focused and calm, detailing his experience during the attempt and expressing humility and gratitude to God for sparing his life. He said without the grace of “almighty god” he would not be here today. However, the subsequent hour-and-thirty-two-minute speech (the longest convention acceptance speech on record) was classic Trump rhetoric. He hit hard on immigration, vowing mass deportations, opposed climate change initiatives with chants of “drill baby drill,” and promised to repeal the Biden Administration’s EV program. He claimed he would end international conflicts in Ukraine and Israel with “one phone call,” vowed to cut taxes, levy major tariffs on imports, and reverse inflation. He praised controversial foreign leaders Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin, and Viktor Orbán, vowing to restore US relationships with their countries.
Overall, Trump attempted to take the opportunity to show a different side of himself, but ultimately reverted to his familiar divisive campaign style. CNN reported, “Trump dodged a bullet on Saturday, but the Democrats dodged a bullet on Thursday.” Had Trump delivered the unity-focused speech his team teased, the outlook for the November election might have shifted. However, his rambling speech seemed to restore some confidence to the Democrats. Despite an otherwise strong convention, there was little in terms of specific policy takeaways. The New York Times published their six takeaways from the Convention, none of which were policy-focused. Although many lawmakers were present, they rarely discussed specific policies, sticking instead to the nightly themes. Some referenced Trump's promised tax cuts, investments in coal and oil and gas, and immigration reform but no mention of how they would actually be implemented.
Ultimately, the impression from the convention is that Trump’s already devoted base is excited, unified, and ready for November. While little was done to attract independent voters, this is one of the first times the Republican Party has been largely united around Trump. This unity stands in stark contrast to the discord within the Democratic Party, where increasing numbers of lawmakers are calling for Biden to drop out of the race. The Democratic turmoil served as an ambient backdrop to the boisterous and successful Republican convention. With only two weeks until the DNC in Chicago, these will be crucial moments for both candidates.