The Republican Party wrapped up its national convention in Milwaukee on Thursday evening, officially crowning Donald Trump as their nominee for president. In this Q&A, Thomas Gift discusses what the two big speeches of the event — from Trump and from his vice-presidential pick J.D. Vance — say about the GOP ticket, and whether President Joe Biden can stay in the race as calls for him to drop out become louder. 

What were your thoughts on Trump’s nomination speech at the RNC last night?

Trump’s speech was essentially two in one. The first part recounted his assassination attempt. The second was basically his standard stump material, where he often veered off-course and ruthlessly attacked opponents. For example, Trump called former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “crazy,” accused adversaries of “cheating on elections,” and called a Democratic Congress member a “lightweight.” When Trump said he’d rewritten his speech after the assassination attempt, many thought he’d strike a tone of unity. But no one should be surprised that he didn’t. Trump is antagonistic. He wants to be the attack. In the past, Trump promised that his second term would be a “retribution tour.”  That’s not consistent with lowering the temperature of politics. Plus, it’s not even obvious that a unifying approach would help Trump widen his circle of support. On both sides, Americans say that they want politicians to dial back the vitriol, but their voting patterns often suggest otherwise. 

What did you make of what, J.D. Vance, Trump’s pick for vice-president, said in his speech on Wednesday?

Set aside policy for the moment. If you haven’t heard J.D. Vance speak before, it would be hard to find fault too much fault in what he said at the convention. His speech was almost an abridged version of his book, Hillbilly Elegy. It was biographic, weaving the story of his own life into his vision of American politics. Vance grew up in poverty in Appalachia. He comes from a broken home. He attended Yale Law School, then was elected to the Senate in 2022. It’s easy to see how that story resonates with a large section of Americans. But as impressive as Vance’s life narrative is, it could ironically be his Achilles heel. Vance was critical of Trump back in 2016, even asking whether he was “America’s Hitler.” Since then, he’s pivoted to become one of Trump’s most strident defenders. Critics will say that’s reflective of a politician who is disingenuous and driven by raw professional ambition. That casts his life story through a much more negative lens.

“Milwaukee 2024 RNC” (Public Domain) by photos_by_jw

Do you see Vance as Trump’s heir apparent?

With Vance’s speech, we got a glimpse into what the future of Trumpism looks like. And it looks like a young, intellectual, well-spoken, less charismatic, but arguably more ideological version of Trump, who’s fluent in populist nationalism. Trump didn’t choose Vance because he balanced out the ticket demographically. He didn’t choose him to appease moderates. Trump picked Vance because he’s a reflection of himself, and he’s doubling down on mobilizing the Republican base. Vance’s message was clear: if elected, the next four years will be about enacting right-wing policies. On the domestic front, that means pushing a socially conservative agenda that’s geared toward working-class voters, some of which is laid out in Project 2025. On foreign policy, it means advocating a more isolationist America that’s skeptical of foreign interventionism, including in Ukraine. While we’re still a long way out, Vance will almost certainly have his eyes set on the White House in 2028.

How has Biden fared of late amid all the focus on Republicans?

The walls are starting to close in on Biden, and for the first time, reports are credibly suggesting that he could be convinced to bow out of the race, perhaps as early as this weekend. In some ways, what’s remarkable is that Biden has held on for as long as he has. Biden is 81. He had a catastrophic debate performance, and his post-debate excuses only made things worse. Prominent donors have turned against Biden. The New York Times editorial board said he should leave the presidential race. His own party leadership on Capitol Hill thinks he should exit. Roughly three in four Americans believe that Biden lacks the cognitive acuity to fulfill his job as president. COVID-19 recently stopped him in his tracks. Meanwhile, Trump survived an attempted assassination, and in the process, created one of the most iconic images in modern American political history. Biden’s path to the Democratic nomination has looked narrower and narrower in recent days. The flood of criticism from within his own party may be too much for him to continue to ignore.

• These remarks are based in part on interviews by Thomas Gift for CNN “Newsroom” and Al Jazeera English “NEWS 30min” on July 18 2024.
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• Note: This article gives the views of the author, and not the position of USAPP – American Politics and Policy, nor the London School of Economics. 
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