In an intense pledge promising to renew battle in commerce, reduce taxes, and impose restrictions on immigration, Donald Trump has asserted that divine intervention has been his saviour. Promising another term at the White House, he presented these propositions during his speech accepting the Republican presidential candidacy. Simultaneously, he expressed an earnest wish for national reconciliation and the termination of ‘discord and division’. All of this amid an account of a close call with death due to an assassination attempt a few days ago.
Addressing a massive crowd at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, he saw his extensive speech as a chance to reemphasise his ‘America First’ agenda. The agenda was dominated by economic patriotism, with a clear warning to US’s trade allies of probable protectionist actions.
The compelling speech figures as a milestone in American politics and comes less than four months before the election in November. Despite Trump’s recent criminal convictions, he appears to be ahead in the political race, with poll results in his favour. Moreover, his key contender, Democrat Joe Biden, seems to be dealing with an unparalleled rebellion from within his own party, pushing him to forfeit his re-election campaign.
Presently, as most national and swing state opinion polls reveal, Trump is leading over Biden conspicuously, making him the popular choice to resume his term at the White House. The probability of a victory for Biden, recently tested positive for Covid, has reached a historical low, as per the betting markets.
Using his first speech after his brush with death, Trump criticised the inflation hike under Biden. However concurrently warned US’s trade allies of a likely comeback to the tense trade wars that had previously roiled worldwide markets and businesses during his earlier tenure in office. Trump declared, “We were repeatedly exploited by other nations, often believed to be our allies. We lose jobs and profits, whilst they enjoy the spoils and decimate our businesses. I put an end to it four years back, and I promise to do it again.”
Mr Trump explicitly committed to utilising “levies, duties, and rewards” to bolster the American automobile industry, vowing to prohibit the construction of vast auto plants in Mexico, China, or elsewhere. However, he also pledged to abolish regulations promoting the uptake of electric vehicles, a central aspect of Mr Biden’s environmental strategy.
His presentation was comparatively subdued, occasionally proving challenging to decipher, especially when the former president veered from his prepared remarks during the 92-minute address. Nevertheless, the assembly of Republican Party supporters frequently applauded their leader. At one point, he recycled his unfounded allegations of a rigged 2020 election. “We simply cannot let this election outcome recur,” he stated, implying that the Democrats had exploited “the pandemic to deceive.”
In the realm of international politics, Mr Trump depicted his policies as fostering peace, contrasting this with the renewed conflict in the Middle East and Ukraine since he left office. He impulsively praises Viktor Orbán, the Hungarian prime minister known for his fondness for Russian President Vladimir Putin, referring to him as a “formidable ruler.” Of North Korean despot Kim Jong-un, he mused, “I believe he pines for me.”
During a particularly stark segment of his speech, he blamed Latin American nations for promoting the immigration of violent criminals into the US, promising a severe crackdown on the US-Mexico border.
“Criminals from across the globe are migrating here, to a community near you – dispatched by their governments, which are evidently more astute than ours,” he declared. “Tonight, America, I make this pledge: I will deny these murderers and lawbreakers entry into our nation, ensuring the safety of our children.”
However, Mr Trump refrained from echoing some of his most incendiary rhetoric used in prior campaign events, neglecting to warn of a “massacre” if he were to lose an impending election or that immigrants were “contaminating the nation’s genetic pool.” He did not acknowledge the January 6th 2021 assault on the US Capitol by his supporters.
In his address, Mr Trump repeatedly alluded to God, acknowledging his evangelical Christian followers by recounting his attendance at Billy Graham’s gatherings with his father. Notably, the topic of abortion, a subject causing Republican setbacks in prior elections after Supreme Court justices appointed by Mr Trump revoked the constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy, was not touched upon.
The speech served as the apex of a four-day Republican convention, greatly influenced by the aftermath of an assassination attempt on July 13th. Adopting “fight, fight, fight” as a rallying slogan, Mr Trump and his supporters echo the words he yelled as Secret Service agents escorted him away from the stage following the assault in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The final night of the convention bore the theme of contest, as Mr Trump, allies, and guests, including Hulk Hogan, a professional wrestler, and Dana White, director of the mixed martial arts franchise Ultimate Fighting Championship, aimed to project a strong image.
Almost all of Mr Trump’s close relatives, including Melania, his wife, and Ivanka, his daughter, who have previously refrained from overtly supporting his third run for the presidency, stood by him on the concluding day of the convention.
– The Financial Times Limited 2024 copyrighted this material.