Trump’s meandering RNC address

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

The Republican National Committee could not have hoped for a better convention. For three days, the party has exhibited a near-faultless display of unity. It is the first convention in twenty years where polls suggest the Republicans are on course to win the White House, producing an air of expectation and excitement. Activists are enthused and candidates are bullish, all the while Democrats tear themselves apart over Joe Biden’s fading re-elections hopes. Less than a week after the assassination attempt which almost took his life, the stage could not have been set for Donald Trump to make his first speech to the Republican faithful.

The tragedy for Trump is that it all started so well

So it was to the chagrin of many in the audience then that Trump produced a meandering and themeless speech that — at ninety-two minutes — takes the record for the the longest given by a nominee of a major party in modern American history. In an address which covered various themes, ranging from the El Salvador crime rate to Alzheimer’s cures, Viktor Orbán to Silence of the Lambs, the Republican nominee gave a performance that commits the ultimate sin in Trumpworld: being boring. Sat in the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, I watched as a sea of diehard Trump fans slowly began to fidget, get restless and even leave the arena. A few looked pleadingly at the teleprompter, wondering when it would end; others scrolled on their phones or murmured as to when it would be over.

The tragedy for Trump is that it all started so well. The former president began his speech with a profound and personal account of the events of Saturday afternoon, talking about the bullet which almost claimed his life. He even produced a moment of surreal comedy when he spoke of his flesh wound and cited a doctor’s claim that ears produce the most blood. “So we learn something,” he said, to laughs from the crowd. Had Trump wound his speech up after twenty minutes, it would have been hailed as a masterstroke: a gripping episode of primetime television and proof of how the man has changed, following his brush with destiny.

Unfortunately for party managers tearing their hair out backstage, it was not the end. Trump thereafter meandered his way through subjects both past and present, veering between Biden’s failings and future promises. After an hour, the Trump box departed the arena, clearly anticipating an imminent climax to the speech. Yet twenty-five minutes later, they were still waiting to make an onstage appearance as Trump suggested several times that he was about to finish before proceeding to move on to yet another subject.

The most charitable explanation is that Trump was affected by the events of Saturday night; that he was genuinely grateful to be alive and wanted to soak up his time with the party faithful. Towards the end, he referenced a previous prayer delivered by Franklin Graham, the son of the legendary evangelist Billy, whom Trump referred to fondly. It was a personal touch and perhaps a sign that the former president was ruminating on his own life and times. But, overall, the final hour of the address came across as even a little too self-indulgent for this lover of the limelight.

The verdict among delegates filtering out of the arena was a mixed one: “boring” was a word used by some, with even those holding placards a little unsure as to when they were supposed to wave them. Unlike 2016, when delegates were divided over Trump’s candidacy, and then 2020 when Covid spoiled the party, this was the first large-scale gathering in which the Republicans are fully united behind Donald Trump. It has gone off with scarcely a hitch; unfortunately for Trump, the biggest fly in the ointment was the speech he himself delivered.

This article was originally published on The Spectator’s UK website.