GOP convention aims to answer Democrats with its virtual 'reality' script
A stage and lighting are set up last week on the White House South Lawn for President Donald Trump's RNC acceptance speech this week. Credit: Bloomberg/Al Drago
The back story of this week's Republican convention reflects the slow pace of President Donald Trump's response to the coronavirus. The realities of the pandemic have overtaken his early denials. Trump's cherished vision of packed and screaming arena crowds fell apart due to infection, just as his mirage of an "Easter reopening" did.
The GOP's Charlotte, North Carolina, nomination will take place with a sharply-reduced group of delegates gathering and voting. Key features will be virtual, similar to the Democrats'. Nominee Joe Biden and his party last week showed how this new ad-hoc form of convention can be more of a four-day infomercial than ever. The format could suit Trump, who plays the role of his party’s boss, and who plans to grab more screen time than Biden did.
The nomination roll call is set for Monday. First lady Melania Trump will speak from the Rose Garden on Tuesday, and Vice President Mike Pence from Fort McHenry in Baltimore on Wednesday. Trump accepts his second nomination on Thursday — on the White House lawn. Exploiting the trappings of the government for a private campaign stage could give it the extra pomp he seems to like.
Much of the rhetoric will be geared toward defending the president's performance. Clearly Trump has written off voters who might support Black Lives Matter demonstrations. To answer Democratic charges of racism and extremism against him, the president likely will play up recent violence in Portland, Oregon, as emblematic of rising crime. Trump can tout nationwide support from police unions, and will assail the way the blue states reacted to disturbances.
As with Biden, the talking points are set in advance. As with Biden, clashes with other party leaders will be glossed over to present a unified front. Expect Trump to answer all the corruption and collusion allegations from Democrats with his familiar contrivances of past Obama administration wrongdoing and "witch hunts."
When it comes to the traditional Republican habit of projecting family values, the Trump show will have a different feel. His sons Eric and Donald Jr. serve as social-media attack dogs for their father-boss. Daughters Ivanka Trump and Tiffany Trump will speak as well.
The theme of familial love and loss in Biden's sentimental messaging likely won't fit the current first family. Also, the religiouis messaging can be expected to carry a stern crusader's edge. As usual, GOP speakers will hold forth about abortion and the courts.
On foreign policy in a dangerous world, Trump will offer a story about having "stood up" to Iran and North Korea, having overseen a deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and having pushed a hard trade line against China.
Trump has a chance to spin and weaponize his delayed, off-the-mark responses to the pandemic, as well as his curtsying to Russia. Certainly he will focus blame again on China. It is his party, so he need not deal with why he said for so long that Beijing was handling the outbreak well.
Keeping a convention's "reality" sealed off from real news can be challenging for either party. New instances of corruption in the Trump circle, operational blunders such as counterproductive changes at the U.S. Postal Service, or more bad economic news, might intrude on the consciousness of the TV audience.
Over the weekend, a secretly recorded audio of the president's sister Maryanne Trump Barry came out in which she called him cruel, phony, unprepared and a liar. That flies in the face of planned remarks by a half-dozen Trump family members featured as key convention speakers.
As with the Democrats, the GOP's congressional caucus leaders, whose futures are also at stake in November, will appear on this multinight presentation. As with Biden, there will be tributes from less-famouse supporters as well to prop up the controlled messaging.
Dan Janison is a member of the Newsday editorial board.
