That’s A Wrap
Night 1 of the RNC is done … and it went off without any technical glitches or glaring mishaps, despite reports that it was still being planned right up until the last minute. There definitely is an argument to be made that Republicans benefitted from exceeding lowered expectations. That doesn’t mean everything went smoothly tonight, though. Republicans tried to cover a lot of ground and some of it was definitely at odds or, at times, even contradictory.
For instance, Republicans tried to make the case that the Black Lives Matter protests were driven by an extreme, left-leaning faction in the Democratic Party, when public opinion shows a broad swath of Americans supported the underlying reasons driving the protests. Similarly, many of tonight’s speakers tried to blame China for the coronavirus, when the U.S. delayed taking proactive actions that would have slowed the spread of the virus earlier. And Republicans also tried to introduce a more empathetic and sympathetic leader in Trump, with many of tonight’s speakers focusing on the kindness he had shown them, while simultaneously taking Democrats to task for promoting a “cancel culture” bent on silencing voices and opinion.
That is, as we said, a lot to get through — and it’s unclear how much of this resonated with those beyond Trump’s base. A lot of public opinion on Trump is pretty baked in at this point. But one thing is clear from tonight: Republicans are going to try and sell Americans on what is already great about America. The question is, how convincing do Americans find that argument?
To relive the live blog in all its chronological glory, scroll back through, but if that’s too much work, here are the team’s headlines from tonight:
- Julia: It's Trump's GOP, But First Night Offers Hints Of The Party's Future
- Amelia: The First Night of the RNC Paints a Picture of a Kinder, Gentler Trump
- Kaleigh: RNC Aims For A More Traditional Style For First Night Of Virtual Convention
- Nathaniel: RNC Night 1 Beats Expectations, Which I Know Were Low But It Still Might Matter
- Galen: After Democrats Make A Pitch To Romney-Clinton Voters, GOP Makes A Pitch To Obama-Trump Voters. The Realignment Is Here To Stay.
- Geoffrey: The First Night Of GOP Convention Offers A Mix Of American Carnage And American Exceptionalism
- Matt: Diverse Cast of Republicans Touts A Culture War for American Exceptionalism
- Emily: A Reality TV Election Star Gets His First Live Reality TV Convention
- Meena: On The First Day Of The RNC, Republicans Sent To Us … A Normal Convention In A Not Too Normal World