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

It’s really interesting to me that Trump reels off many of the same employment statistics now that he did before the virus hit, particularly as they relate to people of color. But so much momentum of has been completely wiped out.

Another theme of the night has been Trump’s combativeness. Ivanka talked about criticism and how the president used that criticism as proof he was doing something right. Trump’s also suggested that he took on big pharma — another classic populist rhetorical move. But this conflicts with the expectation that the president will represent all the people and unify the nation — an area where Trump has consistently struggled.

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?