Donald Trump proved one thing Tuesday night: the White House makes a great backdrop – and prop – for the first president bold enough to use it so in a re-election campaign.
Other than that, the second night of the Republican National Convention was a lackluster affair, featuring three Trump family members and a passing nod to “ordinary” Americans and their troubles.
If the show had a star, it was the First Lady, Melania Trump, who meandered her way though a relatively short speech in the Rose Garden, with the president and vice president among a few dozen maskless, non-socially-distanced guests who clapped on cue.
Glued to the teleprompter screens on either side for most of her speech, glancing occasionally at the camera when she remembered to do it, Mrs. Trump tried to put her best gloss on her husband’s first term in office. And especially on his frequently off-putting demeanor.
“We all know Donald Trump makes no secrets about how he feels about things,” she said, adding that “Whether you like it or not, you always know what he’s thinking.”
Trump, she said, “is what is best for our country.”
The evening was devoted to women, especially culturally conservative women, and to religion, with a strong emphasis on the evangelical wing of Christianity.
The First Lady said she had “a special message for the mothers of this country,” describing the struggle of talking to children about their changing world.
Even as the U.S. Covid-19 death toll rose past 178,000 on Tuesday — by far the highest in the world — convention speakers rarely noted the pandemic, or the unemployment rate topping 10%, leaving millions of Americans out of work.
But Trump “used glitzy video and misleading testimonials to spin a tale of heroism and resolve far removed from the grim reality of a country in the throes of an uncontrolled public health crisis,” the Post said.
Melania Trump did at least acknowledge “the fact that since March, our lives have changed dramatically,” and “offered her prayers for the sick and thoughts to those who lose loved ones,” reported the New York Times.
The First Lady’s speech “was a stark contrast from the doting addresses by other members of the Trump family who spoke at the convention — and a divergence from the supporting roles that speakers and Biden family members played at the Democratic National Convention,” wrote Politico.
Earlier, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke from Jerusalem in a pre-recorded appearance that some call a violation of the Hatch Act — the law prohibiting employees of the Executive Branch of government from overt political activity.
Vice President Pence appeared in a set piece in his home state of Indiana, using a restored cabin once occupied by Abe Lincoln as a backdrop and prop — a rustic version of the Trumps and the White House.
And Trump siblings Eric and Tiffany delivered prerecorded, fawning comments about their father.
Eric’s short speech was notable for the fact that at the end, he addressed the president directly — and it was difficult not to hear an appeal for more warmth, consideration and mere contact.
“I miss working alongside you every day,” Eric said, “but I’m damn proud to be on the front lines of this fight.”
