Key takeaways from second night of the Republican convention
That’s it from us tonight. The Guardian team will be back tomorrow for more coverage of the Republican National Convention.
Here are the key takeaways from the night:
- The first lady offered condolences to Americans who had lost loved ones to coronavirus, breaking with other speakers’ efforts to downplay the pandemic. “My deepest sympathy goes out to everyone who has lost a loved one, and my prayers are with those who are ill or suffering,” Melania Trump said. The sentiment, which was frequently expressed during last week’s Democratic National Convention, was noteworthy given Republicans have avoided acknowledging the country’s coronavirus death toll, which is nearing 180,000, far greater than any other country in the world.
- Unlike the first lady, the senior White House adviser Larry Kudlow tried to cast the pandemic as a thing of the past. Kudlow celebrated the pre-pandemic economy before acknowledging coronavirus has upended the country’s job market. “It was awful,” Kudlow said of the pandemic. “Hardship and heartbreak were everywhere, but presidential leadership came swiftly and effectively.” Kudlow’s use of the past tense to describe the pandemic was jarring to many commentators who noted that the country is still losing about 1,000 people a day to the virus. The US unemployment rate also remains above 10%.
- Trump put his presidential powers on display, prompting criticism that he was using the White House as a prop. Over the course of the night, Trump signed a full pardon for Jon Ponder, a convicted bank robber who founded a prisoner re-entry program, and oversaw a naturalization ceremony at the White House. The president’s critics congratulated Ponder and the newly minted US citizens, but they accused Trump of misusing his power for political purposes.
- Some administration officials’ participation in the convention raised ethical concerns. The appearance of Chad Wolf, the acting secretary of homeland security, at the naturalization ceremony sparked accusations that he had violated the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in certain political activities. Earlier today, a senior House Democrat announced an investigation into whether Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, was breaking the law by delivering his convention speech from Jerusalem during an official visit there.
- The Trump campaign made a pitch to women voters, who have been leaning toward Joe Biden. The first lady specifically addressed American mothers during her speech, and Republicans played a video celebrating the women who serve as senior advisers to the president. The messaging appeared to be an effort to chip away at Biden’s double-digit lead among women voters, which could certainly complicate Trump’s path to victory in November’s presidential election.
- The culture wars once again took center stage in Republicans’ denunciation of Democrats and the media. A number of speakers, including Covington Catholic student Nicholas Sandmann, condemned “cancel culture”. Sandmann, who gained national attention last year following his interaction with a Native American activist at the Lincoln Memorial, said, “I learned that what was happening to me had a name. It was called being cancelled.”
- Two more of Trump’s children addressed the convention, as the president’s family continues to play a key role in the event. Eric and Tiffany Trump delivered convention speeches a day after Donald Trump Jr gave his speech, and Ivanka Trump is expected to introduce the president before his Thursday remarks. Amid a convention with no party platform, the president’s children have become some of his most important endorsers.
Thanks for following along with our convention coverage tonight, and remember to tune back in tomorrow.
