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

People are commenting on this being a paint-by-numbers political speech. But isn’t that the kind of thing he needs to do? We’ve said time and time again that appeals to the base will not win this election for him. What would be a better option for him in this moment?

The major theme throughout this speech is Trump as an outsider. The fact that he’s not a politician is one of the things his supporters like best about him. They see his abrasive way of speaking as candid and “real,” even when they disagree with what he says. In a Pew poll from the end of July and early August, 11 percent of Trump supporters said “he tells it like it is” was the main reason they support him in 2020.

Maybe I don’t remember prior conventions well enough, but I feel like this RNC has a bit of a throw-everything-at-the-wall feel (yes, pun intended, sorry). It’s got classic, incumbent “things are great” notes alongside classic demonizing of an unacceptable challenger, but also a lot of emphasis on current issues. It’s got dog whistles alongside an insistence on being pro-African American.