Donald Trump’s promise to usher in “a new era of safety, prosperity and freedom for citizens of every race, religion, color, and creed” would seem fanciful in almost any other moment in American history.
So, too, his vow to “bring back the American dream” and heal “the discord and division in our society” because we “are bound together by a single fate and a shared destiny.”
After all, we hear similar paeans to our better angels on schedule every four years. Like presidential inaugural addresses, acceptances speeches of new nominees routinely soar with grandeur and are just as quickly forgotten as the complex business of governing inevitably turns messy.
And yet, because we are living in extraordinary times and have just witnessed one of the most consequential weeks in political history, we must view Trump’s remarks through a new lens.
A man who came within one-quarter of an inch of having his head blown off by an assassin is giving every indication that survival has given him a new lease on life.
As he told me in an interview the day after the shooting, “I’m not supposed to be here, I’m supposed to be dead.”
That’s a profound feeling, and is possible only to those who have faced sudden death and see their lives as a gift.
Trump said something similar Thursday night, then added a new finish: “I stand before you in this arena only by the grace of almighty God.”
He said Sunday that he had already prepared “an extremely tough speech, really good, all about the corrupt, horrible administration” of Joe Biden. Then suddenly added: “But I threw it away.”
The result was last night’s address. Though he rambled at times and trotted out his claims that the 2020 election was stolen, the former president largely kept to his script and his promise to “try to unite our country.”
The changes in tone and content were numerous, and the inclusion of such lines as “I am running to be president for ALL of America, not half of America, because there is no victory in winning for half of America” were warmly received.
And this one captured the spirit of the convention, which featured a wide array of Americans united by a dreadful sense that their country is sliding downhill.
“To every citizen,” Trump said, “whether you are young or old, man or woman, Democrat, Republican, or Independent, black or white, Asian or Hispanic, I extend to you a hand of loyalty and friendship.”
Other sections were not so encouraging, as when he referred to “crazy Nancy Pelosi.” It’s the sort of insult that repels people who want to fix the country but see Trump’s name calling as juvenile and leads them to ignore everything he says after that.
As such, his speech was a curious end to one of the most enthusiastic party conventions I have ever seen.
The contrast with Democrats and President Biden couldn’t be starker. Growing ranks of Democrats are trying to force him to quit the race and are threatening to use their convention next month to find a replacement.
Some reports say the end could come as soon as Sunday, assuming Biden finally comes to accept the fact that the country no longer has confidence in his leadership.
Republicans, on the other hand, are growing ever more certain of victory in November. The convention was a continuing celebration that happy days would soon be here again.
Even before the assassination attempt, Trump was on a roll, with poll after poll showing him building a commanding lead nationally and especially in the battleground states.
The major shift began with Biden’s debate debacle on June 27th, and has continued so relentlessly that members of the president’s party have pushed him to cede the nomination.
That was an awakening all its own. For more than three years, they had defended evidence of his obvious decline as a right-wing conspiracy.
Suddenly, they admitted he couldn’t win and wasn’t capable of serving a second term. Many of the left-wing media suddenly turned against him, too, after years of covering up his mumbles and stumbles.
Then came the assassination attempt, and Trump’s defiant reaction. When a man who dodges death stands up, blood smeared on his face, and makes a fist and says, “Fight, fight, fight,” politics has entered a new dimension.
The iconic moment revealed that Trump really does have the heart of a lion and supercharged the campaign.
More recent polls show his lead growing, with one released before his speech showing he is ahead in all seven battleground states.
Still, the race is far from over, with some analysts suggesting that the gap is solely owing to Biden’s decline and that Trump might have hit the limit of his appeal.
The point is that a Biden replacement could make the contest competitive again and at least give Dems a chance to win one or both houses of congress, if not the presidency.
That was the state of play as Trump took the stage Thursday. My guess is that he knows he didn’t seal the deal with wavering voters because he couldn’t quite bring himself to express his new hope for national unity.
To be sure, there will be plenty of other opportunities for Trump to adopt a new tone and offer new ideas. And it may be that the Dems will continue to bloody themselves by failing to unite behind a Biden replacement.
Indeed, Biden himself might take heart from Trump’s uneven performance and decide to keep fighting to stay on the ticket, which could become a drawn-out battle that would sap Dem dollars and surely help the GOP.
In any case, Trump still has time to express his new-found vision for a united nation free of rampant hatred and practice what he planned to preach. He got started Thursday and here’s hoping he remains determined to strike a new tone for an America that desperately needs strong but generous leadership.
