CLEVELAND — “You won’t believe it.”
That was Donald Trump Jr. announcing from the floor of the Quicken Loans Arena that his father had finally, officially won the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.
He was right. Donald Trump! The flashy New York real estate developer. The pouting, squinting reality-television star. The man behind Trump Steaks. It was almost impossible to believe.
Then it was almost easy to forget.
With the notable exception of Don Jr. — whose speech was a polished paean to his father and free-market principles — and a few other nonpoliticians, the speakers Tuesday rarely touched on the theme of the night (“Make America Work Again”), and most of them barely mentioned Trump.
They did, however, talk about some woman named Hillary Clinton. A lot.
Some of the evening’s monomaniacal Hillary focus was strategic on Trump’s part. Some of it was politicians — like House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell — sticking to a subject that’s still more comfortable for them to talk about than their party’s controversial nominee.
Still, the ratio was remarkably skewed.
Unconventional did the math. Based on prepared remarks, Trump — ostensibly the man of the hour — was mentioned by name 73 times Tuesday night.
Clinton was mentioned 107 times.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Trump’s brokenhearted VP also-ran, was a perfect example. He started his speech with 60 words — three sentences — about how Trump has been “a caring, genuine and decent” friend of his “for the last 14 years.”
Then Christie pivoted. “But this election is not just about Donald Trump,” he said, as if he had already exhausted the topic. “It is also about his Democratic opponent, Hillary Rodham Clinton.” The governor then spent the next 1,200 words excoriating Clinton “for her performance and her character.”
Benghazi, the emails, Monica Lewinsky, even Satan — it was all there, in speech after speech after speech.
“As first lady, you viciously attacked the character of women who were victims of sexual abuse at the hands of your husband,” said RNC Co-Chair Sharon Day.
“Friends, not since Baghdad Bob has there been a public figure with such a tortured relationship with the truth,” added McConnell.
“Are we willing to elect as president someone who has as their role model somebody who acknowledges Lucifer?” wondered retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, veering off-script to connect Clinton — via the subject of her senior thesis, community organizer Saul Alinsky — to the Prince of Darkness.
“Lock her up!” yelled the delegates.
Trump — who appeared via satellite hookup — will return to Cleveland tomorrow. He will accept the nomination on Thursday. Whether anyone other than his employees, friends or family members manages to sound half as passionate about his candidacy as they do about, say, Benghazi — that remains to be seen.
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