Republican National Convention: Donald Trump speaks at the opening day in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Our current president of the United States is not a big “delayed gratification” guy. So the Republican National Convention did not wait until the middle of the week, or even until prime time, to officially renominate Donald Trump and Mike Pence as their candidates for the presidency and vice presidency. The GOP’s roll call of the states, in which state delegations award their bound delegates alphabetically, was one of the very first orders of business on the opening day of the streamlined convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Monday, offering an immediate lightning round of hyperbolic compliments for the president.
Trump was mad that the full cable news universe wasn’t capturing the scene of people from all 50 states, plus territories, speaking to his greatness. It’s a risk you run when you try to counterprogram a House committee’s grilling of the postmaster general. Fox News was showing it, but the commentators kept babbling over the good stuff.
AdvertisementIncredible that @CNN & MSDNC aren’t covering the Roll Call of States. Fake News! This is what the Republican Party is up against. Also, I’d like to hear the remarks of the Delegates from individual States, rather than @FoxNews anchors. Ridiculous!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 24, 2020
Trump and Republicans believed that having some in-person element of the convention—about 360 delegates would attend Charlotte, plus RNC staff—would make for a more vibrant feel than the Democrats’ all-virtual convention. But Republicans’ roll call featured leaders of state delegations against the same bland convention-center backdrop, missing the pastoral, coastal, or calamari-infused settings of the DNC’s virtual roll call. The state delegation leaders tried their best to make up for the weak visuals with thrilling rhetoric. Connecticut, the Nutmeg State, cast all of its “spicy votes” for the president. Louisiana accused Joe Biden of “hiding in the dark, waiting to take the lives of unborn babies.” David Bossie, a Trump campaign aide, described Maryland as “home to two of our greatest segrega—abolitionists.” Corey Lewandowski, another Trump campaign hand, said in presenting New Hampshire that it was “known for our maple syrup, comedian Adam Sandler, poet Robert Frost, and New York Times bestselling author Corey Lewandowski.”
Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement AdvertisementThat Trump tweet complaining about coverage had been sent from aboard Air Force One en route to Charlotte. Though Pence and Trump are scheduled to speak Wednesday night and Thursday night, respectively, to accept their party’s nominations, they both showed up Monday in the middle of the roll call, delaying its conclusion twice.
Pence adequately delivered the speech looking back at past accomplishments (judges, boosting the defense budget, building the roaring economy of February) and ahead to new ideas (whatever they jotted down on scrap paper last night) that staff uploaded into his data stream this morning.
Recently in The Slatest
- Enjoy This Tale of a Low-Stakes Campus Screwup That Has Nothing to Do With the Middle East
- Mitt Romney Has a Wild Theory About the TikTok Ban
- Kathy Hochul Really Outdid Herself With This Gaffe
- Kristi Noem’s Book Has a New, Non-Dog-Killing Scandal
Trump offered a pre-address address clocking in at 50 minutes, twice as long as Joe Biden’s address accepting the Democratic nomination. A breezy 50 minutes, really, with more talking about how Democrats were trying to steal the election through mail voting, and a reiteration of his firm belief that Fox News was doing too much talking over the roll call of states. Once he was done talking, he exited to the Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.,” and the roll call of states resumed with Tennessee.
The prime-time segment of Monday’s opening day will begin around 8:30 with speeches from, among others, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, Reps. Matt Gaetz and Jim Jordan, and gun-pointing barefoot lawyers Mark and Patricia McCloskey.
Tweet Share Share Comment-
DOJ accuses TikTok of collecting and sharing users' personal views, as the app fights a ban内蒙古市场首战告捷!英德红茶呼和浩特茶博会达成意向订单116.5万Leipzig frustrate PSG with lastKorea opens probe into suspicious KFHow do you make safe, cheap nuclear reactors? Bury them a mile deepFacebook has a modular phone patent, but who knows if we'll see oneRussia face Switzerland in Billie Jean King Cup finalPlease stop decorating your lawns with Halloween inflatablesHow much for Oasis tickets? Fans joke about splurging on reunion showsSmokers shun nicotine treatment programs in Korea
- ·AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods 4 may get revealed at the Apple September event
- ·焦点访谈丨护航高考 助力学子圆梦(雅安篇)
- ·N. Korea shows no signs of nuclear test preparations: 38 North
- ·Apple goes country in ad filled with flags, motorcycles, and Brantley Gilbert
- ·I Deleted All My Social Accounts: Three Weeks Without Social Media
- ·Hero pug receives award from mayor after saving family from a fire
- ·内蒙古市场首战告捷!英德红茶呼和浩特茶博会达成意向订单116.5万
- ·'Stranger Things' fans rejoice, this restaurant is feeding Demogorgons to diners
- ·SpaceX Polaris Dawn mission: How to watch the launch
- ·U.N. to take swift action against N. Korean rocket: official
- ·Elon Musk says Mark Zuckerberg has 'limited understanding' of AI
- ·Mom uses Halloween costumes to help 3
- ·热浪来袭 科学应对防中暑
- ·Barcelona hail return of 'legend' Xavi
- ·把握时“机”!广东省现代农业装备研究院加速科研成果转化落地
- ·Android 7.1 Nougat won't bring Assistant to everyone
- ·13 Unbelievable Underwater Wonders in Florida
- ·Almost 700 North Korean defectors' whereabouts unknown
- ·Russia face Switzerland in Billie Jean King Cup final
- ·Russian security chief due in S. Korea
- ·Apple Watch bands: 5 favorites to consider as Apple Watch 10 looms
- ·Verstappen outpaces Hamilton to win Mexico Grand Prix
- ·S. Korea, China to construct joint industrial complex near N. Korea
- ·Illegal trade cases top 9 tln won in 2014: report
- ·Tesla issues recall for 9,100 Model X cars
- ·Park urges nations to do their part in climate deal
- ·Cheap heat
- ·NPAD attacks arts ‘censorship’
- ·It's time for Samsung to explain what the hell is wrong with the Note7
- ·US designates North Korea as state sponsor of terrorism
- ·夏凤俭与四川建安工业有限责任公司董事长耿海波座谈
- ·Nigerian leader vows to address double taxation avoidance issue
- ·Korea opens probe into suspicious KF
- ·开展“扎染”特色课 熏陶学生艺术潜质
- ·Foreign, multicultural students rise amid declining school population
- ·Facebook has a modular phone patent, but who knows if we'll see one