What Went Down During President Trump’s Closing Speech At The RNC

It’s not that weird for Cabinet members to speak at party conventions, though people might have object to it. What is weird — unusual — is to have White House staff like Scavino address the convention. Not necessarily because it’s inherently improper — those positions are as political as they come — but because it wouldn’t normally serve any purpose. These are people whose job it is, generally, to make sure the White House runs smoothly, control the flow of information to the president, and structure negotiations with Congress and other actors. Going on TV isn’t really their role, unless it’s to explain administration policy — but usually the president does that. However, in this case, these distinctions are blurred, and there’s a huge emphasis on the show. And White House people, who serve at the pleasure of the president, can come before the convention to praise him.

Honestly, don’t go after hamburgers in American politics. It legit doesn’t fly. You gotta hide that policy goal in something else.

It’s definitely been a bit harder to remember which Republican speakers are politicians and which are ordinary Americans. They’ve all been presented in the same manner (dressed up, at a podium, in front of flags), while during the DNC we saw those ordinary Americans in their home or work setting in more casual dress.