Welcome to a special edition From the Policy Deska nightly newsletter that brings you the latest reporting and analysis from the NBC News politics team on the campaign, the White House and Capitol Hill.
Tonight, Henry J. Gomez and Allan Smith report from the Republican Party convention hall on how Donald Trump’s former competitors turned into his supporters. Additionally, chief political analyst Chuck Todd writes that this is the most united Republican convention in 20 years.
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Trump’s former rivals turn into his defenders at the Republican Party convention
By Henry J. Gomez and Allan Smith
MILWAUKEE – Former President donald trump welcomed his defeated rivals to his Republican National Convention here on Tuesday, watching as, one by one, they followed a carefully staged script of party unity.
There was Nikki Haley, who took more than two months to support him after ending his bid for the White House, speaking to “those who have some doubts” about Trump. There was the governor of Florida. Ron DeSantisa Trump ally turned challenger, unleashing a robust attack on President Joe Biden.
And there was the senator. Ted Cruz of Texas, who eight years ago in Cleveland urged convention attendees to “vote their conscience,” thanking “Almighty God” for “turning [Trump’s] head on Saturday when the shot was fired” in an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania.
A torrent of boos chased Cruz from the stage in 2016, but there was nothing but applause for him on Tuesday night. DeSantis also received thunderous applause.
Only Haley, whose resistance to Trump was fresher in delegates’ minds, heard some jeering. But she quickly won over the crowd.
“I’ll start by making one thing perfectly clear,” said Haley, Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations and former governor of South Carolina. “Donald Trump has my strong support, period.”
Trump — who changed his schedule to arrive in time to see the procession of former opponents speak, according to a source familiar with his plans — watched from his private box. His newly named running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio, sat next to him.
Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, who was the runner-up for the No. 2 ticket this year after being one of Trump’s fiercest rivals and critics in 2016, also spoke Tuesday night.
He focused his comments on Corey Compatore, the former fire chief killed at Trump rally on Saturday, hailing him as a hero for protecting his wife and daughter from gunfire. Rubio’s speech was one of several that referred to the shooting, even though convention planners did little to change the week’s overall themes afterward.
Unity may be illusory for the country – but not here
By Chuck Todd
MILWAUKEE — Since Dwight Eisenhower’s nomination in 1952, there’s been a saying about Republicans and their presidential nominees: They align more than they fall in love.
Ike, Richard Nixon, both Bush, Bob Dole, John McCain, Mitt Romney – they all defeated more passionate conservative opponents. And until 2012, there was a mostly unofficial rule that whoever finished second in the previous GOP presidential primary campaign would become the early frontrunner four or eight years later.
The only exceptions to the “aligned” atmosphere of the Republican Party for more than six decades were Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reaganeach of whom led their parties to historic landslide victories – a huge loss and a huge victory.
The orderly succession of these established Republicans was actually a hallmark for some Republican Party supporters, particularly those in the business community or the Chamber of Commerce wing of the Republican Party. Predictability was seen as stabilizing, particularly in economic and foreign policy.
But what the party sometimes lacked was passion and the ability to connect with ordinary Americans. Goldwater and Reagan provided a passion that many of the other Republican leaders lacked.
What’s notable about the atmosphere in Milwaukee is how jubilant it is, despite what happened on Saturday. I didn’t know what to expect from this convention in the first 24 hours after Trump’s assassination attempt, but I didn’t expect his supporters to seemingly get over the weight of that near miss moment as quickly as it appears they have – at least that’s how I feel here in Milwaukee.
This is a very festive atmosphere. These delegates are not angry, worried, or ready to attack. It’s exactly the opposite: they are confident, excited and prepared to win, and win big. Perhaps for some, confidence comes from faith. Many believe there was divine intervention on Saturday, and this has only reinforced their belief that Trump is destined to be president again.
Trying to fully understand his psyche is something I’ll leave to others, but the reality is this: This is the most unified Republican convention I’ve been to since George W. Bush’s second 9/11-themed convention in New York City in 2004 This unity persisted in the post-convention campaign, as House and Senate Republicans had no problem running against Bush. And the result: the Republican Party won the Senate and won the White House and the House, giving them the Washington government trifecta.
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