Key Takeaways From Day 4 of the RNC

Donald Trump made a forceful case for a second term in the White House on the final night of the Republican National Convention, capping a dramatic week that included an assassination attempt and Trump's selection of a running mate amid growing calls for his Democratic rival, President Joe Biden, to drop out of the race.

The convention crowd at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee had been waiting all week to hear from Trump. His 90-minute acceptance speech was at turns somber and combative as Trump made overtures at unifying the country while also attacking Democrats and Biden.

"I am running to be president for all of America, not half of America," Trump said. He soon added that Democrats are "destroying the country."

Trump's third consecutive presidential nomination marked one of the final steps of a comeback several years in the making.

Trump refused to accept his loss to Biden in the 2020 election and officially launched his 2024 campaign last year. Trump then easily swept through the GOP primaries despite mounting legal problems—including one criminal conviction—that would have likely ended the White House dreams of most other candidates.

The past several months led to Thursday night, when Trump appeared as the undisputed leader of the Republican Party. Here are key takeaways from Day 4 of the RNC.

A More Disciplined GOP

In 2016, Democrats dismissed Trump as a bombastic real estate developer-turned-reality TV star who was deeply inexperienced in national politics and foreign affairs. That perception persisted through his presidency, the January 6 insurrection and into the 2024 election.

Trump himself may be largely unchanged from the man who announced his first presidential campaign in a speech calling Mexicans rapists and drug dealers. But the disciplined, well-run Republican National Convention in Milwaukee this week signaled that Trump—and the GOP that's now entirely under his control—may have learned something from the past eight years.

Republicans were wholly united at the RNC, showcasing the party's devotion to a singular political figure in Trump who has dominated conservative politics for nearly a decade. The party's message was clear and consistent: that America was a stronger, safer nation under Trump than it is under Biden. Trump largely stuck to the message in his acceptance speech.

"We will restore peace, stability and harmony throughout the world," Trump said. He promised to "end every single international crisis that the current administration has created" abroad, and said he would lower inflation "immediately" at home.

Trump's subdued tone at times Thursday may have reflected his recent brush with death. Trump opened the speech with his first detailed account of his experience living through the shooting. Perhaps, having just survived an assassination attempt last week, his less combative demeanor will linger.

But Trump's track record suggests otherwise, and even in the speech Thursday night the former president did not hesitate to go after Biden. Trump only mentioned Biden by name once, but he blamed the president for "an invasion" of illegal immigrants at the southern U.S. border and said under Biden that America was "a nation in decline."

Trump also made numerous false claims about his record in office. And in presenting himself rightly as a victim of political violence Trump papered over his own role in inciting the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. He also referred indirectly to his frequent false claims that the 2020 election was rigged, saying that Democrats "used COVID to cheat" in the election.

For all that, Trump still came across as fully in control of the proceedings—and the party. Trump was a political novice in 2016. A lot has changed since then.

The Party of Trump

Establishment Republicans did everything they could to stop Trump from winning the party's presidential nomination in 2016. The result was a messy battle for the soul of the GOP. And while Trump won, the #NeverTrump wing of the party never entirely disappeared.

In Milwaukee, it was nowhere to be found.

If the old guard leaders of the Republican Party were invited to attend the convention, few if any showed up. George W. Bush is the only living former Republican president. Bush did not attend the RNC in 2016, and he stayed away this year as well. So did a host of other, more moderate Republicans who have publicly—or more often privately—criticized Trump over the years.

Vance was the only notable exception. A self-described "Never Trump guy" eight years ago, he is now Trump's highest-profile surrogate. It may have taken a while, but the 2024 RNC made it official: Trump has cowed the Republican Party into submission.

The MAGA Heir Apparent

In picking Sen. JD Vance of Ohio as his running mate, Trump and his political team proved they have a stronger grasp on domestic politics now than they did in 2016. Back then, Trump chose a vice-presidential nominee in Mike Pence, who offered the Republican ticket a potential boost with evangelical Christian voters.

But the Trump-Pence partnership was awkward from the start. It imploded at the end, when Pence refused Trump's demand to decertify the results of the 2020 election. Vance's politics and style are much closer to Trump's. More importantly, Vance can help Trump with white working-class voters in swing states from Pennsylvania to Wisconsin that will determine the outcome of the election.

Vance played his supporting role well at the convention. He promised to promote Trump's agenda, appealed to the party's base, and proved he'd be happy to live in Trump's shadow. Being Trump's vice president is a difficult job—Pence can attest to that. But unlike Pence, who is 65 years old, the 39-year-old Vance can afford to wait for his turn to take over the spotlight.

"We need a leader who fights for the people who built this country," Vance said Wednesday in his acceptance speech. He was referring to Trump. But the 2028 subtext wasn't lost on anyone.

It remains to be seen how Trump and Vance would govern together if they win in November. Vance has a clear set of pet policy issues—the economy and trade, among them—but it is far too early to speculate about the policy portfolio he might get in the White House.

Those are details to be worked out later, in the event of a victory this fall. For now, Vance is Trump's anointed successor to lead the Make America Great Again wing of the Republican Party. Whatever else happens, Vance has a head start for 2028.

Trump's Race To Lose

Trump was already leading Biden in many national and battleground states polls before their debate last month in Atlanta. Trump's chances of winning have only seemingly gone up since then, amid growing concern over Biden's age and an outpouring of support for Trump following the assassination attempt in Pennsylvania.

Trump has many reasons to feel confident about November. Biden, on the other hand, may not even be on the Democratic ticket when voters go to the polls in the fall.

Biden is facing growing pressure from Democrats to drop out of the race before the Democratic National Convention in August. Biden has so far resisted, and the president might still find a way to weather the storm.

But time is running out for Democrats to pick Vice President Kamala Harris or someone else to replace Biden. The DNC kicks off in Chicago in exactly one month. By then, the race against Trump may look very different.