Here’s the convention gimmick Trump needs
Republicans are reportedly still putting the finishing touches on their convention’s agenda. They should do something that’s never been done before: Put President Donald Trump on the road, giving a new speech each night.
Trump and his team have to know they are behind. Simply rallying the base, which Trump excels at, isn’t enough for him to win. The convention is their best early chance at wooing the additional voters they need. To get those voters to tune in, they need a gimmick that will attract media attention and signal that something different is in the offing. Trump on the road can do the trick.
Imagine this scenario. Monday the convention officially nominates Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. Instead of waiting until the last day for their acceptance speeches, the convention hears from each man that night. Trump can address the crowd (and there will be an in-person crowd, no matter how small) from a location that highlights a story he wants to tell. Walking from Trump Tower in Chicago to the looted and boarded up Magnificent Mile, talking about how the Democratic party has ceded control of major U.S. cities and refused to keep people safe, would be riveting television. Having Pence lead into that with a talk from the heavily damaged federal courthouse in Portland would add to the drama. Most Americans haven’t seen these images. Staging two historic speeches on the convention’s first night ensures they will.
Tuesday, Trump could speak from the border, focusing on fighting illegal immigration, while Pence speaks from Ellis Island, highlighting how legal, highly skilled immigrants built this country. As with the Monday talks, both speeches would be live, and the topics would play to each man’s strengths and passions. Pence would display serious, caring authority from a lectern, while Trump, who chafes at standing talks, would be on the move as an active executive.
Wednesday could shift to hope and renewal. Pence could give a talk from a hospital that is helping covid-19 patients recover. He could highlight the dropping number of new cases and the therapies that are being developed. Trump’s talk would be from a city street or mall where most stores are open, providing his audience with a reminder of their pre-pandemic lives. He would talk about the jobs recovery underway - and reiterate that the news would be much better if places like Democratic-run California weren’t closing down again.
Alternatively, the two men could tag team and talk about the nation’s schools. Pence could talk from a school that’s closed and bemoan the fact that Democratic teachers unions and Democratic-run school districts would rather hurt children’s futures than deliver the public services people pay for with their taxes. Trump, on the other hand, could talk from a GOPrun state where schools will be open and show how safety and education can go hand in hand.
Thursday would be the main event, with both men giving their most substantive talks from historic locations. This is when Pence can talk from
Fort McHenry in Baltimore and Trump from the White House lawn. They can give the positive case for an America that has battled before and won, an America that provides the equal dignity for all that Democrats emphasize in a way compatible with the liberty Republicans love.
That message, one that combines both elements of the national creed, is one the GOP has long needed to deliver. It is one that needs to acknowledge past and present injustices - and put the party firmly behind righting them. It is also one that must exalt tolerance for all as an American and a Republican virtue, which necessarily means moving away from some of the extreme rhetoric heard from the right. Crucially, it is one that rejects prejudice, cancel culture and a repudiation of U.S. history. Indeed, it summons the spirit of Abraham Lincoln, the party’s first and greatest president, in a way rarely seen in any modern Republican leader.
The combination of these four speeches by each man could be the game changer the president needs, especially if programming like this crowds out peripheral and potentially distracting figures who sometimes steal the limelight at a convention. Viewers will want to watch these live talks with riveting visuals.