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G.O.P. Convention Day 2 Takeaways: A Party Unites, at Least for a Night Republican Convention Day 3: What to Watch For
(about 2 hours later)
The second night of the Republican National Convention was a whipsaw of conflicting themes and messages. The printed schedule suggested a focus on jobs and economic policy. The reality: A party learning to acclimate itself to Donald J. Trump, figure out if he can win a national election, and help him (if possible). Our takeaways: CLEVELAND — The Republican National Convention is halfway done, and Donald J. Trump is officially the party’s nominee. As the Trump team forges on, bleary-eyed and ever boastful, here are a few things to look for on Wednesday:
They didn’t want him. They fought against him. Privately, they still resent him. But in the early minutes of the evening, as the party’s senior leadership executed a final quashing of lingering anti-Trump efforts on the convention floor, they presided over Mr. Trump’s installation as the duly chosen Republican Party presidential nominee. They did it because the rules obligated them to, but also because it was politically necessary. If Trump loses the White House, it is imperative to the party’s establishment that he do so convincingly, undeniably, without sabotage, so that they cannot be blamed for the defeat. Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana does not excite Mr. Trump. The candidate seemed to prefer other prospective running mates, even after it first appeared he had settled on the governor. Last weekend, their first joint appearance devolved quickly into a vintage Trump soliloquy.
Ten minutes of Paul D. Ryan made that clear. In many respects, Mr. Ryan, the House speaker, delivered the classic speech of a major party nominee: papering over the nastiness of the primary, providing a positive vision of governing, and giving the party’s disparate factions a narrative they could all get behind. It was not the most original or soaring speech in convention history. But it was utterly different from virtually any Trump speech, or from most of the speeches by Mr. Trump’s surrogates on the convention stage so far. Mr. Ryan’s speech was a reminder of how unconventional Mr. Trump is — the quality that got him this far, but may now limit him. In his big address on Wednesday evening, Mr. Pence appears to have dual tasks: First, he must remind Mr. Trump why he made this choice, brandishing the conservative credentials and suspense-free speechifying that Indianans have come to know. And, if possible, Mr. Pence could strain to summon just enough dynamism to convince Mr. Trump that he can be relied on for at least a measure of Trumpian pizazz.
For all the controversy unfolding over the borrowed lines in Melania Trump’s remarks on Monday, two of Mr. Trump’s children gave the most effective and heartfelt speeches on Tuesday. Tiffany Trump, his 22-year-old daughter with his second wife, sprinkled her speech with anecdotes about him making notes on her report cards and being the first to call her after the death of a good friend — the kind of softening material unexpectedly missing from his wife’s speech. Donald Trump Jr., an executive at the family business, gave a longer biographical tale of his father, told with sincerity and affection, dusted with a sprinkle of a Trumpian economic policy. (But just a sprinkle.) In either case, it is too late for Mr. Trump to turn back. Probably.
Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey is famously competitive, so it was no surprise that he was let down when Mr. Trump passed him over for the ticket. But Mr. Christie’s speech seemed designed to make the nominee wonder if he had made a mistake. In contrast to the mild-mannered Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana, Mr. Christie, a former federal prosecutor, laid out a case against Hillary Clinton as though he were in a courtroom. It was hard not to remember that Mr. Trump once said he wanted an “attack dog” for his running mate, something that Mr. Pence, who has previously denounced negative campaigning, has not yet proved skilled at. Mr. Christie, in what may be the last major speech of his political career, reminded the hall — and maybe the nominee — that it is what he does best. Newt Gingrich will also speak on Wednesday.
If the Republican Party were a construction warehouse, its “Days Since Last Accident” sign would appear to be frozen at zero.
There has been a plagiarism charge and a confusing scramble to defend it. (Sorry, Melania Trump.) There was the attempted convention-floor revolt by anti-Trump forces and the specter of a state openly contesting how its votes were recorded during Mr. Trump’s televised coronation. (Hello, Alaska.) Then came the zealous boos for select party leaders striding onstage. (How do you do, Mitch McConnell?)
As Republicans’ four-day showcase reaches the stretch run, the successful completion of a single day without unwanted distraction or unforced errors would seem paramount.
The proceedings on Tuesday evening were generally smooth, comparatively. The Trump campaign is eager to make the momentum last.
Senator Ted Cruz of Texas was the Republican primary contest’s silver medalist, the only candidate who seemed to make Mr. Trump sweat.
On Wednesday evening, the sensation might return. Mr. Cruz secured a prime speaking slot despite declining to give full-throated support to Mr. Trump. And the senator and his allies have signaled that he plans to present a vision for the party’s future that bears little resemblance to Mr. Trump’s, with a likely focus on conservative orthodoxy and constitutional principles.
As he casts an eye toward future aspirations, including another potential White House run, Mr. Cruz seems inclined to maximize the moment. Earlier in the day, he plans to thank delegates (in the company of reporters) at a separate event.
Will there be smoke? Dry ice? A classic rock score?
It is no secret that Mr. Trump cannot resist a microphone. In the convention’s opening days, though, this truth has held despite Mr. Trump’s absence from the speaking roster.
On Monday, Mr. Trump’s professional wrestling-style entrance — set to “We Are the Champions” — encapsulated a surreal evening. (“We’re going to win so big,” he said, though his introduction of his wife, Melania, was uncharacteristically brief.)
On Tuesday, he appeared in a live video feed from Trump Tower in Manhattan, hailing his “movement” and promising to “restore law and order.”
On Wednesday, he said, he will be back in Cleveland to appear with Mr. Pence.
It’s going to be so big.
The seemingly plagiarized portions of Ms. Trump’s speech on Monday night continued to dominate the story line as attention turned to how and when the speech veered off course.
Black Republicans, and there are not a lot of them at the convention, see a presentation here that is more than largely white and heavy on lectures.
The second day of the convention was intended to focus on the economy, but Hillary Clinton was the target again, as Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, Ben Carson and several other speakers warned that the country might not survive another Clinton presidency.
The festivities spilled outside the convention walls as protests, parties and an illness suspected to be norovirus filled out the landscape.
As for Mrs. Clinton, she showed signs of narrowing her focus on her potential vice president, while the Upshot released an election model that put her chances of winning the election at 76 percent.