RNC Drama, and 6 More of the Week’s Biggest Election Talking Points
This week, the world watched as the Republicans held their national convention in Cleveland, during which Donald Trump’s presidential nomination was cemented, his wife Melania Trump, um, borrowed words from Michelle Obama’s 2008 speech, and the GOP continued to suffer an identity crisis of sorts.
On Monday, the national spotlight will swivel onto the Democrats, as they hold their national convention in Philadelphia. In the meantime, take a look at a few of last week’s most noteworthy moments.
Trump Officially Accepts Republican Nomination
Yesterday, on the final evening of the RNC, Trump delivered an hour-long speech officially accepting the presidential nomination, prompting cheers of “Trump! Trump! Trump!” in the audience, and backlash from liberals—some of which can be seen in these celebrity tweets. Some media outlets are slamming the speech for being terribly grim, narcissistic and decidedly un-American, since Trump failed to mention the nation’s history, values, or armed forces.
MORE: Why 5 Millennial Women Are Voting for Trump
Ivanka Reaches Out to Women
Trump’s oldest daughter, Ivanka Trump, gave an introduction before his acceptance speech, reaching out to working women and mothers. Ivanka, 34, is a businesswoman and mother who has traditionally been poised and articulate and some say she could be Trump’s most powerful weapon against the women who believe he’s biased against them.
“My father is color blind and gender neutral,” said Ivanka. “When Donald Trump is in charge, all that counts is ability, excellence, and effort. As president, my father will change the labor laws that were put in place at a time when women were not a significant portion of the workforce. And he will focus on making quality child care affordable and accessible for all.” Which sounds nice and all, but is confusingly at odds with the rest of her father’s platform, not to mention the Republican Party’s in general. Though Ivanka says she doesn’t consider herself strictly Republican or Democrat, her speech sounded like it could have just as easily come from Hillary or Bernie—probably not what the GOP is aiming for.
Trump Claims He’ll Protect LGBTQ Citizens
One of Trump’s speech sound bites that is being aggressively dissected by voters and the media is when he said he “will do everything in my power to protect our LGBTQ citizens from the violence and oppression of the hateful, foreign ideology—believe me,” in reference to the Orlando shootings and the fundamentalist Islamic perpetrator.
Though the crowd applauded—to which Trump replied, “as a Republican, it is so nice to hear you cheering for what I just said”—the LGBTQ community itself is largely baffled and unimpressed, due to Trump’s alignment with a party that is largely not in support of gay rights—not to mention Trump’s running mate, Mike Pence, who is anti–gay marriage and has a record of making homophobic comments.
Cruz Refuses to Endorse Trump
Texas Senator Ted Cruz gave an interesting speech during the RNC on Wednesday, pitching conservative GOP values and mentioning Trump only once, to briefly congratulate him on snagging the nomination. At the end of Cruz’s speech, the audience began to boo as they realized no endorsement was coming, while Trump looked pissed off and gave the cameras waves and thumbs-up. The next day, Cruz answered questions from Republican constituents and journalists, and defended his refusal to endorse Trump, saying he’s “not in the habit of supporting people who attack my wife and attack my father.”
Clinton Set to Announce Running Mate
Hillary Clinton is reportedly moments or hours away from announcing whom she’ll select as her vice presidential running mate. Sources speculate that Virginia Senator Tim Kaine is the likely frontrunner; with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack another possible candidate. The Washington Post reports that Clinton has spoken highly of both men in recent days, that she has consulted with President Obama about the candidates, and may make an announcement as soon as today.
Elizabeth Warren and the Obamas to Speak at DNC
The lineup of speakers at next week’s Democratic National Convention continues to grow: Yesterday it was announced that Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren (who was previously considered a possible running mate for Clinton but seems to be largely out of the running now) will join Michelle Obama, Bernie Sanders, Bill Clinton, President Obama, Joe Biden, and Chelsea Clinton, in taking the stage to vocalize support Hillary, among others.
Celebs Get Ready to Attend the DNC
While a few celebrities attended the Republican convention, including Kid Rock, Willie Robertson of “Duck Dynasty,” and Scott Baio of “Happy Days,” it looks like the Democrats’ event will be studded with stars including Chloë Grace Moretz, Demi Lovato, Fergie, Lena Dunham, America Ferrera, Debra Messing, Eva Longoria, Snoop Dogg, Lady Gaga, and Idina Menzel.
