All progressive Americans, supporters of Sleepy Joe Biden, rejoice: only 15.8 million people watched the prime time of the first day - 3 million less than the audience at the Democratic convention! And almost 5 million less than in 2016, when the legendary convention in Cleveland took place, which nominated Trump as the official candidate of the Republican Party - then the number of viewers was approaching 21 million.
At first glance, everything is obvious: voters are losing interest in what is happening in the Republican camp, because liberal propaganda pouring out of every iron has finally convinced them that everything is a foregone conclusion and Biden will certainly win the elections in November - yes, old, yes, almost insane, yes, sometimes posed as "Joe Biden, Joe Biden's husband." But an ally of Obama himself, and most importantly, an opponent of Trump. But if you dig deeper, it becomes clear that the picture is far from simple.
First, the decline in viewership has affected more than just Republicans. On the one hand, almost 22 million people watched Biden's speech at the Democratic Party convention (some of them, obviously, tuned in to the show - which will still be soaked by a funny grandfather), but in 2016 Hillary Clinton's performance attracted 21% more viewers. And when Trump made his main speech at the Cleveland convention four years ago, a record 35 million viewers flocked to televisions.
Second, the Republican convention was not easy to see! Some cable and internet channels simply ignored the event. For example, Amazon Prime Video, owned by Trump's old foe Jeff Bezos, did not broadcast live for all four days of the Democratic convention on Monday or Tuesday from Charlotte, North Carolina. But what's Amazon! Even Fox News, Trump's favorite channel and one of the few media outlets where the president was allowed not only to scold, but also to objectively evaluate, and he interrupted the broadcast from the Republican convention several times, which is why viewers did not see several speeches in support of the host White House.
And there was so much to see!
The Archbishop of New York, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, lifted a prayer to the Lord for those suffering from the coronavirus and those who are fighting it on the front lines (that is, for doctors). Unafraid to go against the mainstream that only black lives matter, the cardinal prayed for the protection of “all lives” - including police officers holding back rioters across the country, immigrants, refugees and unborn babies. Despite such a wide range of objects, Dolan was immediately pecked at by the liberals for accepting an invitation to pray at a Republican convention. For Democrats, this is a wake-up call: Biden, as you know, is a Catholic, and Dolan - one of the pillars of the Catholic Church in the States - speaks at the congress of his opponent (Trump, I remind you, is an evangelist).
Charlie Kirk, the head of the Trump youth organization Turning Point USA, called Trump "the bodyguard of Western civilization."
West Virginia nurse Amy Ford, who worked in New York and Texas during the first wave of the pandemic, thanked the president for his efforts in the fight against COVID-19, stating that Donald Trump's "swift action and leadership" saved the lives of thousands of Americans.
GOP running for Congress, young black activist Kim Klachik has lashed out at Joe Biden for his recent comments on the African American community.
Indeed, Sleepy Joe recently distinguished himself again by stating that African Americans, unlike Hispanic voters, have little choice over who they vote for: “people who are considering whether to support me or Trump are not black.” Klachik counters: Blacks don't have to vote for Democrats! "Joe Biden believes that we blacks cannot think for ourselves and that the color of people's skin determines their political views."
In general, on the first day of the congress, there were many speeches of black politicians and celebrities: it is vitally important for Trump to enlist the support of at least part of the colored electorate. There were even Democrats among them - and this was a worthy response to the Congress of the Democratic Party, where some republican renegades came to make anti-Trump speeches.
Vernon Jones, a black Democratic politician from Georgia, has lashed out at the Democratic establishment, which treats African Americans as docile. And if Biden and other Democratic leaders believe that blacks are slaves who will work on the "mental plantations" under the leadership of the establishment, Jones added, then “I have news for Joe Biden: we are free, we are free people with free minds! And I am part of a large and growing segment of the black community, we independently think and believe that Donald Trump is the president who must lead America forward. "
But the main stars of the first day were Patricia and Mark McCloskey, a Missouri couple who became famous throughout the country after they went out with weapons in their hands to defend their home from the raging crowd of BLM thugs. For this, the liberal state attorney charged them with illegal use of weapons.
“What you saw, what happened to us, can just as easily happen to any of you who are looking at us now in one of the quiet areas of our country,” the couple said. “Not a single person from the out of control crowd outside our house has been charged with a crime. Do you know who was? We! They (the state attorney's office - KB ) actually charged us with a felony for daring to defend our home. "
McCloskey warned that if the Democrats win, then the fight against pogroms will end nationwide - instead, the new authorities will begin to take weapons from law-abiding citizens, and the United States will turn into "one big Portland."
Donald Trump said back in July that what is happening with McCloskey "is absolutely absurd."
And now the couple returned the debt to him: “You saw us on your TV screens and on Twitter,” said Mark McCloskey. - You know that we are not one of those who retreat. Fortunately, Donald Trump too! "
As for the president himself, on the first day he appeared on the air of the congress several times - and each time it was heralded as an impromptu. First, they showed Trump's meeting with the real heroes of America, with those who are at the forefront of the fight against the pandemic and unrest that gripped the country. Both the President and his guests (the meeting took place in the East Wing of the White House) were without masks and did not observe social distance. “These are my friends,” Trump said. - They are wonderful, wonderful people. Doctors, nurses, firefighters, police. Thank you and all those you represent - and there are millions of them. "
Late at night, the president was shown meeting in a diplomatic reception hall at the White House with six American citizens freed from arrest during his reign in Turkey, Syria, Iran, Venezuela and India. “I am very pleased to announce that we have returned more than 50 hostages from 22 different countries,” Trump said. - We still have a few people who need to be returned, and we will return them. They will be back home very soon! "
Any other president who returned so many American citizens to their homeland would become a hero of the press and receive a huge advantage in the eyes of voters - remember, for example, Reagan, under which Iran released hostages taken at the US Embassy in Tehran. Any other, but not Trump!
The second day of the congress was even more interesting than the first.
On Tuesday, weapons of the main caliber - political heavyweights such as Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, Director of the National Economic Council Larry Kudlow, and in particular Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who contacted the convention from Jerusalem, spoke up.
Former Trump opponent Rand Paul (who in 2016 called the future president an "orange talker", "fake conservative" and "raving narcissist") admitted that he was wrong and praised the efforts of the White House owner, both in taxes and health care. and in foreign policy. The main achievement of Trump, according to Rand Paul, is that he did not allow America to be drawn into a number of military conflicts around the world (the senator from Kentucky has long been known as an opponent of military intervention and an isolationist).
Paul expressed concern that Biden, if elected, would "choose war again" - he had already voted for the war in Iraq, which Trump has long called "the worst geopolitical mistake of our generation", supported the wars in Yugoslavia, Syria, Libya. “Joe Biden will continue to shed our blood and waste our budget. President Trump will bring our heroes home. If you hate war as much as I hate it, if you want us to stop sending $ 50 billion every year to Afghanistan to build roads and bridges there, instead of building them here at home, you need to support President Trump by next time! " - Rand Paul concluded his speech.
Mike Pompeo, who is in Jerusalem, recorded his message in advance. The former CIA chief was generous in praising Trump's foreign policy, saying that the president has consistently pursued his America First agenda.
"It may not have made him the most popular person in every foreign capital, but it worked!" - joked Pompeo.
Especially effective, according to the Secretary of State, was Trump's policy towards China, North Korea, the Middle East, as well as in the area of strengthening the NATO bloc.
It was Pompeo's speech that caused the most violent cramps in the democratic camp. His decision to speak before the convention allegedly contradicts the tradition that secretaries of state did not refer to political conventions and the long-standing protocol according to which US domestic policy is not discussed abroad (and since Pompeo is in Jerusalem, this is a violation of protocol). According to the well-known anti-Trump resource CNN, Pompeo's move drew "close attention and contempt (!) From diplomats."
And the chairman of the subcommittee on international affairs of the House of Representatives, Joaquin Castro, has already managed to initiate an investigation into Pompeo's “controversial decision”.
What is the reason for such a painful reaction? It's simple. Referring to the congress not from anywhere, but from the Promised Land itself, the Secretary of State thereby unequivocally hinted: Israel will support Trump. Moreover, it was Trump, as Pompeo did not fail to emphasize, who finally fulfilled his long-standing promise to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The support of the Jewish community in the United States is one of the key factors in the election race. And although not all American Jews are guided by Israel in this issue, the position of Jerusalem plays a very important role (in 2016, Netanyahu, I recall, supported Trump rather than Clinton). Therefore, the Democrats are so nervous.
However, the most emotional and memorable event of the second day of the Republican convention was the speech of the first lady of the United States, Melania Trump.
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Coming to America from Slovenia, the former top model Melania still hasn't shaken off her Eastern European accent, which is sometimes the subject of ridicule from the anti-Trump media. But this time he perfectly suited her image: Melania was dressed in a khaki dress, which was supposed to emphasize her role as a fighting friend of the leader, fighting a terrible enemy that had already killed almost 180 thousand Americans and caused huge damage to the country's economy.
“No one is better equipped than my husband to help the country through difficult times,” said the first lady. “My husband’s administration will not stop fighting until an effective treatment or vaccine is available for everyone. Donald will not rest until he does everything in his power to take care of all those affected by this terrible pandemic. "
On the first two days of the convention, the president's children also addressed the delegates: on Monday - Donald Jr., on Tuesday - Eric (executive vice president of the Trump Organization) and Tiffany, Trump's daughter by his second wife, Marla Maples, who usually keeps a low profile.
The daughter of the owner of the White House Ivanka has not yet said her word. But it can be assumed that her speech, as in 2016, will be addressed mainly to a female audience, to whom she will try to “sell” the image of the president as a defender of women's rights.
In general, the drama of the congress is built very competently. Religious denominations ranging from Catholics to universalists, opinion leaders of color, middle class, Democratic dissidents, medical professionals, diplomats and, finally, members of the Trump family create a compelling picture of support for the owner of the White House by the entire American society. At least that part of it that is committed to traditional values.
Now it's up to the president himself - his speech should be a kind of icing on the cake, a counterpoint to this well-thought-out and brilliantly directed show. How convincing Trump will be depends on which side the scales of still undecided voters will tip (and there are many). But already now we can state that the retinue, which, as you know, plays the king, coped with their task perfectly well.
The author's point of view may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.