While the platform declares war on “woke” identity politics, it departs from some of the other commitments to social conservatism that used to characterise the GOP. It says little about gun rights, a major change from the 2016 platform. In a disappointment to many pro-life activists, the platform recasts abortion policies as an issue for the states. Many in Trump’s circle have blamed abortion for the party’s electoral disappointment in the 2022 midterms, so this attempt to deflect abortion policies to the state level can be seen as part of an outreach to some suburban and swing voters who remain concerned about sweeping limits on abortion.

The speakers at the convention are a public face for this rebrand. Of course, there is a gamut of Republican politicians, from Texas Senator Ted Cruz to West Virginia Senate candidate Jim Justice and his mascot Babydog. But speakers will also include media personality Amber Rose, UFC head Dana White, journalist Tucker Carlson and Teamsters union president Sean O’Brien. If the 2012 RNC was stocked with paeans to “job creators”, this RNC line-up seems distinctly more blue-collar, with a hearty dose of the politics of suspicion that characterises the world of the Very Online.

Republicans have a political opportunity. Voters — especially those without a college degree — remain deeply dissatisfied with Joe Biden, whose approval rating lingers somewhere in the upper-30s. Working-class voters from a range of ethnic backgrounds may be more open to the GOP than they’ve been in years, and national Democrats still seem divided over Biden. While he promised a return to normal in 2020, the President has stoked the flames of political conflict by continually calling Trump and his supporters an existential threat to American democracy. But Republicans still need to show that they can deliver for working families, and they cannot afford to ignore those broader policy themes.

Republicans face another challenge, too: they need to combine populism with a sense of responsibility. Voters seem open to a populist correction, but they are also sceptical of a more “burn it all down” kind of radicalism or sweeping domestic regime change. So the party has a careful political balance to strike. This week, Republicans may have to aim at both the “forgotten man” and the soccer mom — needing both populist and “normie” support to win in November.

The attempt on Trump’s life provides a stark representation of the growing political tensions in the United States. Polls show that less than a quarter of the electorate is happy with the direction of national affairs. Their convention this year is a chance for Republicans to persuade voters that they can lead the nation beyond bloody conflict.

---

Fred Bauer is a writer from New England.

fredbauerblog

---