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| The Trump convention is a triumph of narcissism | The Trump convention is a triumph of narcissism |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| CLEVELAND | |
| The past several days of the Trump campaign have been described alternately as debacle and farce: the awkward rollout of Mike Pence, chaos at the convention, a muddled message, a plagiarized speech. | The past several days of the Trump campaign have been described alternately as debacle and farce: the awkward rollout of Mike Pence, chaos at the convention, a muddled message, a plagiarized speech. |
| Don’t you believe it. The Republican National Convention of 2016 has been a yuge success: It is a triumph of narcissism. | Don’t you believe it. The Republican National Convention of 2016 has been a yuge success: It is a triumph of narcissism. |
| Midway through the 8 p.m. hour of Monday’s prime-time programming at the convention, Patricia Smith, the mother of one of the Americans killed in the Benghazi terrorist attacks, was speaking emotionally about how “I blame Hillary Clinton personally for the death of my son.” | |
| But her speech was preempted — by Donald Trump. | But her speech was preempted — by Donald Trump. |
| “This is a breaking news situation,” Fox News’s Bill O’Reilly said, cutting off convention coverage to do a phone interview with . . . the candidate. Trump’s “breaking news” turned out to be little more than a denunciation of Ohio Gov. John Kasich for skipping the convention. “Look, I beat him very badly” in the primaries, Trump taunted. “If I were him and gotten beaten that badly, I probably wouldn’t show up either.” | |
| Upstaging his own convention was classic Trump: ego over substance, pride over politics, self-worship over good judgment. And how could anybody have expected otherwise? | |
| For weeks, GOP leaders have pleaded with Trump to build a professional operation, but he argued that he is sui generis and doesn’t need what other politicians do. Now we see the consequences: a convention rally of conspiracy theorists, co-hosted by Trump’s longtime political adviser; a needless floor fight over convention rules in which the hapless presiding officer, a backbench congressman, walked off the stage; and, now, a plagiarized passage in a speech by the would-be first lady that went unvetted by Trump’s thin staff. | For weeks, GOP leaders have pleaded with Trump to build a professional operation, but he argued that he is sui generis and doesn’t need what other politicians do. Now we see the consequences: a convention rally of conspiracy theorists, co-hosted by Trump’s longtime political adviser; a needless floor fight over convention rules in which the hapless presiding officer, a backbench congressman, walked off the stage; and, now, a plagiarized passage in a speech by the would-be first lady that went unvetted by Trump’s thin staff. |
| Trump’s aides and allies had no idea how to explain the theft. Chris Christie argued that “93 percent of the speech is completely different than Michelle Obama’s speech,” while Paul Manafort maintained that “there’s no cribbing,” and Breitbart News published a story alleging the Michelle Obama speech that Trump lifted was itself lifted from leftist radical Saul Alinsky. | |
| Never Trump has given way to Everywhere Trump in Cleveland: a stream of interviews and tweets distracting from proceedings. Trump packed the week’s prime-time speakers list with low-wattage names unlikely to upstage him and his family. There was Scott Baio — Chachi of “Happy Days” fame, who days earlier tweeted a message labeling Hillary Clinton a vulgarity for female genitals. There was also Sean Duffy, reality show participant cum congressman. The real headliners? Two Trumps on Monday, two Trumps on Tuesday, a Trump Wednesday and Trump again Thursday. | |
| The shootings of police in Dallas and Baton Rouge gave Republicans an opening to try to establish themselves as the party that will keep Americans safe. Monday night’s program was, shrewdly, packed with law enforcement and military types and numerous “victims of illegal immigrants.” Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani fired up otherwise lethargic delegates with a speech that warned terrorists: “You know who you are, and we’re coming to get you.” | The shootings of police in Dallas and Baton Rouge gave Republicans an opening to try to establish themselves as the party that will keep Americans safe. Monday night’s program was, shrewdly, packed with law enforcement and military types and numerous “victims of illegal immigrants.” Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani fired up otherwise lethargic delegates with a speech that warned terrorists: “You know who you are, and we’re coming to get you.” |
| But then the sound system blasted Queen’s “We Are the Champions,” and Trump entered the hall, backlit, in silhouette, as Beyoncé might do. “Oh, we’re going to win, we’re going to win so big,” he said. “We’re going to win so big. . . . We’re going to win so big.” | |
| Melania Trump clung to the teleprompter and gave a serviceable speech — the discovery that it was partially purloined came later — but it had only one passing reference to the night’s theme of security. It was about her husband’s manifest greatness. “He will do this better than anyone else can, and it won’t even be close.” | Melania Trump clung to the teleprompter and gave a serviceable speech — the discovery that it was partially purloined came later — but it had only one passing reference to the night’s theme of security. It was about her husband’s manifest greatness. “He will do this better than anyone else can, and it won’t even be close.” |
| Trump’s personal greatness was, likewise, the theme of his Pence rollout on Saturday, when he went on, mostly about himself, for 4,000 words before yielding to his vice-presidential nominee: “I’ve been a very, very, very successful businessperson. . . . I won in landslides. . . . I dominated with the evangelicals.” | Trump’s personal greatness was, likewise, the theme of his Pence rollout on Saturday, when he went on, mostly about himself, for 4,000 words before yielding to his vice-presidential nominee: “I’ve been a very, very, very successful businessperson. . . . I won in landslides. . . . I dominated with the evangelicals.” |
| Pence, finally given the floor, pronounced himself “deeply humbled to be at his side today.” But Trump had already walked off the stage. | Pence, finally given the floor, pronounced himself “deeply humbled to be at his side today.” But Trump had already walked off the stage. |
| The situation was much the same on “60 Minutes” on Sunday: When Lesley Stahl called him “brash,” Trump countered that he’s “religious.” How’s that? “I won the evangelicals.” | |
| Pence tried to praise his boss: “He speaks from his heart.” | Pence tried to praise his boss: “He speaks from his heart.” |
| “Well, I think I speak from my heart and my brain, just so we understand,” Trump revised. | “Well, I think I speak from my heart and my brain, just so we understand,” Trump revised. |
| Stahl observed that “you’re not known to be a humble man.” | Stahl observed that “you’re not known to be a humble man.” |
| Volleyed Trump: “I’m much more humble than you would understand.” Seconds later, he said people tell him, “You’re going to go down in the history books.” | |
| For the GOP, it’s a near-total reversal from eight years ago, when nominee John McCain, a war hero, spoke of serving a cause greater than self. For Trump, this is impossible. For a narcissistic nominee, there is no cause greater than self. | |
| Twitter: @Milbank | Twitter: @Milbank |
| Read more from Dana Milbank’s archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. | Read more from Dana Milbank’s archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. |
| Read more on this topic: | Read more on this topic: |
| The Post’s View: Softening on Trump? Remember this. | The Post’s View: Softening on Trump? Remember this. |
| Dana Milbank: For Trump, it’s (white) America First | Dana Milbank: For Trump, it’s (white) America First |
| Jeb Bush: Trump does not represent the future of the country — or the GOP | Jeb Bush: Trump does not represent the future of the country — or the GOP |