If you’ve taken the time to glance at your Facebook feed this week (or the regular night time news), you’ve had to notice that this week was the Republican National Convention. While keeping up with everything that’s happened during the four days might not be viable for someone who’s busy (or for anyone who doesn’t appreciate listening to yelling), here’s the rundown of what happened by day.
Monday: Make America Safe Again
Each day of the convention had a theme and Monday’s was “Make America Safe Again.” This was announced a few weeks before the convention, and each speaker was supposed to have a speech similar to the theme. The consistency throughout the night was the theme of “law and order” which fits Trump’s projection of himself being the “law and order” candidate for presidency.
#BlueLivesMatter:David Clarke, the African American Sheriff of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, gave a speech the first night in which he stressed that #BlueLivesMatter. He also announced that one of the officers involved in the Freddie Gray shooting was acquitted on all charges, and was received with cheers. This was followed up with later by Rudy Giuliani, the former Mayor of New York City, who thanked every law enforcement agent who was out “tonight protecting us – black, white, Latino; of every race, every color, every creed, every sexual orientation.” He continued to state, “When they come to save your life they don’t ask if you are black or white. They just come to save you.” He continued saying that there was “one America” and not a black America or a white America, referencing a former speech from Obama about there not being a “red America” or a “blue America.”
When Donald Trump called into Fox News during the convention (during the Pat Smith speech, which is covered below), he was quoted saying he believes the #BlackLivesMatter movement should be looked into “very seriously because people get them into big jams for saying a lot less than that.” He continued, saying, “I’ve seen them marching down the street essentially calling death to the police.”
Voice Vote: The tension between the Trump campaigns and RNC leadership against the conservative activists and delegates from the “never Trump” movement came to a boil during the voice vote on the convention rules. These rules essentially guaranteed Trump the party nomination by requiring delegates to vote in accordance with their state’s primary or caucus results. These went in Donald Trump’s favor, with the group of delegates who were against Trump not being able to get enough “No’s.”
#HillaryforPrison: While there seemed to be a large amount of disunity on this first night of the Republican Convention, the one thing that seemed to bring everyone together was their anti-Hillary Clinton sentiment. Pat Smith, the mother of Sean Smith who was killed during the attack in Benghazi in 2012, spoke and blamed her son’s death on Clinton.; “If Hillary Clinton can’t give us the truth, why should we give her the presidency? That’s right, Hillary for Prison.”
Melania Trump: You might have heard about this already but it has been confirmed that parts of Melania Trump’s speech was lifted from Michelle Obama’s speech from the 2008 Democratic National Convention. It’s been revealed that Meredith McIver, a speechwriter with The Trump Organization, wrote the speech with Melania. She supposedly offered her resignation but the offer was declined and she is still with the organization.
Tuesday: Make America Work Again
Official Nomination: The delegates cast their vote on Tuesday during the role call of all the delegates, putting Trump over the required count to receive the nomination. This made him the official nomination for the Republican Party. Trump’s son, Donald Trump Junior, made the announcement.
Hillary Bashing Part Two: The speeches on the second night seemed to center around why Hillary Clinton shouldn’t be elected for president more so than around the theme of “Make America Work Again.” The Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell spoke and was quoted saying, “I’m here to tell you Hillary Clinton will say anything, do anything, and be anything to get elected President. And we can not allow it.” House Speaker Paul Ryan spoke, saying, “From now to November we will hear how many different ways progressives elitists can find to talk down to the rest of America. To tell the voters that the Obama years have been good for you. That you should be grateful and well now it’s Hillary’s turn.”
Paul Ryan: Paul Ryan’s speech also centered on party unison, doing the best he could to show enthusiasm for the ticket (including VP pick Mike Pence). Since he’s been quoted several times on his disapproval of Donald Trump, this is a “big deal” in that he was trying to unify the different ideologies within the party, trying to widen the circle of inclusion. He managed to connection with the audience, getting them cheering and unified. Ryan ended with, “Let’s show America our best and nothing less.”
Chris Christie: Chris Christie presented a speech similar in impact to Rudy Giuliani the night before. He said, “So let’s do something fun tonight. Tonight as a formal federal prosecutor I welcome the opportunity to hold Hillary Rodham Clinton accountable for her performance and her character.” He continued to lay out facts about the case regarding her emails, and asked the audience whether she would be considered “guilty or not guilty.” The convention replied back “guilty” and then proceeded to chant “Lock Her Up.” This chanting happened several times throughout the night.
The Lucifer Connection: In a somewhat bizarre connection, Ben Carson tried to draw a connection between Hillary Clinton and Lucifer. The neurosurgeon who quit the presidential race in March referenced a paper Clinton wrote in college about a man who acknowledged Lucifer in a book. “Now think about that,” he said. “This is our nation where our founding document, the Declaration of Independence, talks about certain inalienable rights that come from our creator; a nation where our Pledge of Allegiance says we are one nation under God. This is a nation where every coin in our pockets and every bill in our wallet says “In God We Trust.” So are we willing to elect someone as president who has as their role model somebody who acknowledges Lucifer?”
I’m confused too, guys, don’t worry.
Wednesday: Make America First Again
Mike Pence: Since Pence isn’t very familiar to people outside Indiana, it’s crucial for him to make people more comfortable with his name on the ticket. Additionally, he tried to humanize Trump, saying, “I’ll grant you he can be a little rough with politicians on the stage. And I’ll bet we see that again. But I’ve seen this good man up close, his utter lack of pretense, his respect for the people who work for him, and his devotion to his family. And if you still doubt what I’m saying, as we say back home, you can’t fake good kids. How about his amazing children?”
He also had an attack on Clinton saying, “People in both parties are restless for change, ready to break free of old patterns in Washington. And democrats are about to anoint someone who represents everything that this country is tired of. Hillary Clinton wants a better title and I would too if I was already America’s Secretary of the Status Quo.”
Ted Cruz: Ted Cruz hadn’t formally endorsed Trump before, and with the past drama between the former candidate and nominee there was bound to be tension. Over the course of his speech, the crowd began to realize Cruz wasn’t going to endorse Trump at the convention. He started to say, “Stand and speak and vote your conscious. Vote for candidates up and down the ticket that you trust to depend our freedom.” Cruz then was starting to get booed while Trump entered, upstaging the rest of Cruz’s speech.
Some are wondering if Cruz’s speech was positioning himself for running for the presidency in 2020 with the prediction that Trump loses, but there are no confirmations about this.
Thursday: Make America One Again
Ivanka Trump: Ivanka introduced her father at the RNC on Thursday. A notable part of her speech was where she seemed to identify herself as an Independent. “Like many of my fellow millennial, I do not consider myself categorically Republican or Democrat. More than party affiliation, I vote on based on what I believe is right, for my family and for my country. Sometimes it’s a tough choice. That is not the case this time,” she said.
Donald Trump’s Speech: CNN’s David Chalian described Trump’s speech as “an hour-plus portrayal of a very dark and scary time.” With a speech that some have called “way too long” the reviews have been mixed. Some saw Trump’s speech as “dictatorial” while others say that is “was the very embodiment of what they’ve been thinking and feeling, but not feeling welcome by society to say.”
“Our convention occurs at a moment of crisis for our nation,” Trump stated. “The attacks on our police and the terrorism in our cities threaten our very way of life. Any politician who does not grasp this danger is not fit to lead our country.” He also vowed, “to do everything in my power to protect our LGBTQ citizens from the violence and oppression of a hateful foreign ideology” which was applauded by the audience. After the applause, he noted, “I have to say, that as a Republican it is so nice to hear you cheering for what I just said.”
