In Trump world anything is possible
The Republican convention failed to produce a riot, but emotions boiled over and the man himself was as verbally aggressive and shocking as ever, reports
in a middle-class black suburb and took the train in every day to work, passing empty factories and deer chewing grass at the side of the track. The world’s media had congregated downtown, predicting a riot – and the country’s police forces had been called in to help. It resembled a Fellini fashion show: New York troopers in battleship grey, Californians in heavy-duty black, Floridians wearing a one-piece khaki number that, from a distance, made it look like someone had called They patrolled a labyrinth of black metal fences designed to channel protesters away from the convention. But the maze was empty. There were no protests. One afternoon, a fellow tried to burn a US flag but all he set fire to was himself. Why didn’t things kick off in Cleveland? My theory is that the Left rarely targets Right-wing events because they know that they can’t influence them; they’re more likely to show up to Democrat gatherings because they stand a chance of moving hearts and minds. The consequence was that there was a lot more protest inside the convention than outside it. Which is why the second most significant speech of the whole week was when Senator Ted Cruz climbed the stage to offer a painful nonendorsement of Donald J Trump. To witness that event from the floor, one had to climb down some stairs, navigate a series of corridors and then walk out into the pit of the arena – a giant circle painted red, white and blue, stacked with chairs. The delegates sat according to their states and dressed accordingly, too. Wisconsin delegates wore giant cheeses on their heads; folks from Washington state had stapled plastic fir trees to their hats. The business of America is business and no one misses the chance to advertise.
On Tuesday night, the convention held its roll call to nominate Trump: one delegation after another stood up. It was not unusual to mix the endorsement with a pitch for Idaho potatoes or Floridian oranges. Here and there, a rebellion, too. There was scattered support for Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, Trump’s opponents in the primaries. An old-timer in a cowboy hat told me you could spot a Cruz supporter because they were “younger and had more beards”.
The speech by Trump’s wife dominated headlines for the first two days because it contained passages culled from a speech by Michelle Obama. But no worry, Melania – you were quickly eclipsed. On Wednesday, Cruz took to the podium and delivered a long, complex oration that suggested one could be loyal to one’s party without actually mentioning its candidate by name. The innuendo was laden: don’t vote for Trump. Tempers frayed. There were boos, and shouts of “Endorse Trump! Endorse Trump!” Ginny Greiman, a proTrump Massachusetts delegate, told me what happened from the point of view of the floor: “He says vote your conscience. That set everybody off, its lack of humour, its refusal to say anything nice about his opponent at all, and its relentless focus on crime and disorder. Some critics seemed shocked by this. I wasn’t. It’s Trump.
The only way Trump was ever going to win the nomination was to be aggressive and shocking – to demand that the voters pay attention, think, and, in their gut, agree. It’s the only way he’ll win, too. And I believe he can. There are problems. One is the Cruz factor. He represents a large body of conservatives who will never reconcile themselves to a nominee who represents the very populist authoritarianism against which they stand. Another problem is the chaotic nature of Trumpism, its lack of professionalism and its easy descent into mob theatrics. When Hillary Clinton was mentioned in the hall, the delegates often shouted: “Lock her up! Lock her up!”
Yet you have to understand that these delegates were not some 19thcentury lynch party, comprised of wild-eyed rednecks. From speaking to them, I found them to be well educated, articulate and very pleasant. If a riot had occurred in Cleveland then it would’ve been the politest one in history – they’d have said “excuse me” before punching.
There were black delegates; a gay speaker even opened the door to acceptance of sexual minorities. Caitlyn Jenner, a transsexual reality TV star, told a meeting outside the hall that it was easier to come out as trans than it was as a Republican – but her presence spoke of a party itself undergoing a kind of transition.
One effect of Trump’s freewheeling style is that he opens the door to future edits of Republican policy. The next presidential nominee might choose to embrace socialised medicine or completely wind down America’s overseas empire. Anything is possible. In the meantime, the impression the US public gets is anger and anarchy. If you’re as mad as hell then you might see Trump as a champion. But millions of Americans will detect in his words an intolerance either for them or their friends and family.
The country is not on fire; its best days are still ahead of it. The promise of cracking heads together won’t go down well among those who actually think the government does too much of that already. The Democrats will seek to make a strong contrast at their convention in Pennsylvania. Expect Mrs Clinton to be incredibly controlled and the event glitzy yet reassuringly dull. All Trump had was a few businessmen, a soap star, a motivational speaker and his kids. Clinton has booked Lady Gaga.
While Trump talks about law and order, Clinton will make a big show of appearing well ordered. She is, surprisingly, the more conservative choice in 2016.