Trump takes centre stage at Republican national convention

Trump – Republicans have used the first day of their four-day convention to issue dark warnings about the future of America, arguing that re-electing Donald Trump in November is the only way to save the country from falling into socialism, economic ruin, violence and anarchy.

Monday night’s theme was officially the “land of promise,” but the collection of speeches offered an almost apocalyptic vision of the stakes in the election.

“They’ll disarm you, empty the prisons, lock you in your home, and invite [street gang] MS-13 to live next door,” congressman Matt Gaetz of Florida said of the Democrats, likening the vision to a “horror movie.”

Featured speakers described the incumbent president as a compassionate man who succeeded through his first term in office in the face of “radical” Democrats and the media, which were presented as the president’s coordinated enemies, hellbent on just blocking his initiatives.

“The same socialist policies which destroyed places like Cuba and Venezuela must not take root in our cities and our schools,” Trump campaign senior adviser Kimberly Guilfoyle warned in a loud, inflammatory speech to an empty room.

Directly lifting a line from Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s stump speech, Guilfoyle said: “This election is a battle for the soul of America. Your choice is clear.”

Guilfoyle described Democrats as focused on enslaving Americans to their liberal ideology “to the point that you won’t recognize the country yourself.”

The dark tone was apparent to political operatives.

The “campaign said the convention would be about hope and light but so far most of the speeches are extreme fear porn,” said one veteran Republican presidential campaign operative.

Curiously, multiple times throughout the night the cable news networks cut away from the speeches -including conservative networks like Fox News and One America News Network. The convention had some of the same elements as the Democratic National Convention last week, including a short taped version of the roll call across America, testimonials from average Americans and the president interacting with a people of people affected by the pandemic.

Republicans and convention planners clearly worked to argue that Trump is bookending his first term with a long list of accomplishments.

“President Trump promised to give the forgotten men and women of America a real shot at the American dream, and again he delivered,” said House minority whip Steve Scalise, a congressman from Louisiana.

A video of Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic featured multiple Democratic governors complimenting Trump and the federal government, editing out the fierce criticism of the administration’s response from those same speakers. Trump has been criticized for playing down the pandemic, and saying the coronavirus – which has killed more than 175,000 people in the US, more than any other country by far – will eventually just “disappear.”

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