Many many comments about Trumps RNC speech on Thursday, accepting his third nomination to become president. He had promised — after his near-death experience the week before — to throw out his earlier combative speech, and instead give one that would be more conciliatory and uniting. The general consensus, even among Republicans, is that his speech began well, for the first 20 minutes, as he recounted that attempted assassination event. And then, for over an hour more, he went off-script to rant about all his usual grievances and false claims, and ruined his opportunity. He just couldn’t help himself. He is who he is.
Response was swift, starting with the CNN fact checker who read back his notes in the minutes following the speech (as we watched the show on TV). He had to rush through them, there were so many to read in his limited time slot. They were online later that evening.
CNN, updated 19 Jul 2024: Fact check: Trump makes more than 20 false claims in RNC acceptance speech
No, there isn’t record inflation under Biden; No, Trump didn’t stop missile launches from North Korea; No, Trump didn’t defeat ISIS in a couple months; No, the Florida judge didn’t rule that the case against him was ‘unconstitutional’; No, Democrats are not going to destroy Social Security and Medicare; No, Trump didn’t cinch a $50 billion trade deal with China; No, gas prices aren’t up 60%; No, the government didn’t recently hire 88,000 IRS agents; No, the Biden administration isn’t going to raise Americans’ taxes by four times; and so on, and on. Right Try, Russian warships, Afghanistan. No, the world was not at peace during his administration; No, Venezuela is not purposely sending their criminals to the US, nor are other countries doing so; and No, the US crime rate is not going up. No great invasion, no 57% rise in grocery prices, no the US wasn’t energy independent under his administration. Trump’s claims about his tax cuts were false. Yes, there was some inflation under Trump. His claim about domestic oil and gas prices is misleading. And on and on, with other false claims from Eric Trump, Mike Pompeo, and Trump’s biographical video.
\
Another list.
Politifact, 19 Jul 2024: Donald Trump fact-check: 2024 RNC speech in Milwaukee full of falsehoods about immigrants, economy
False, false, false, mostly false, mostly true (about ear damage), false, mostly false, mostly false, false, mostly false, false, false, false, half true, pants on fire!, and so on.
\
And this one.
Slate, Fred Kaplan, 19 Jul 2024: Of All the Lies Trump Told at the RNC, These Are Some of the Most Brazen, subtitled “Trump’s view of the world is a fantasy, and his ideas for how to fix its problems are magic.”
With many examples. Homepage title: “Trump’s View of the World Is a Delusional Fantasy”.
\
Salon, Heather Digby Parton, 19 Jul 2024: “We’re never gonna let that happen again”: Trump’s RNC speech confirms plans for a Big Lie 2.0, subtitled “When Trump says ‘we’re never going to let that happen again’ he means we’re never going to let Democrats win again”
\
And my aggregate site JMG has excerpts from Politico, Guardian, and Associated Press. They all say more or less the same thing.
JMG, 19 Jul 2024: “Changed” Trump Issues Divisive, Lie-Filled RNC Speech
Sample from Politico:
It began with as intensely personal an account as any presidential nominee has ever delivered — a step-by-step retelling of his near-death experience. And as soon as that narrative ended, it became… a Trump rally speech, with the prepared text delivered in a monotone worthy of a bus driver’s announcement, interrupted by lengthy ad lib riffs, jokes, shout-outs and a litany of “never seen anything like it” and “like never before.”
\\
The theme here of course is that many many people do not care about facts or reason, but only want someone to lead them through life. This is a fact about humanity, and it’s a recurrent theme here, because it’s about humanity’s potential. (Thinking always, in the context of science fictional speculations.) To understand reality and grow, or to withdraw into tribes and ignore global threats until those tribes die without any idea of what is happening to them.
