It has been decades since either a Republican or a Democratic national convention was must-watch TV, especially for all four nights.
But the assassination attempt on Donald Trump over the weekend has changed all of that.
As the country continues to process the shooting and its aftermath, volunteers, staffers and delegates are milling around the convention floor in Milwaukee, while politicians and candidates jostle for attention with short speeches. The convention’s very banality is somehow surreal.
It’s still early, but so far we can confidently note a few things. First, this is Trump’s convention, for the first time. In 2016, he was still learning the ropes, and the Never Trump forces were strong enough that Texas Sen. Ted Cruz didn’t actually endorse him in his convention speech. The 2020 convention was truncated by the pandemic.
But everything from the rollout of Ohio Sen. JD Vance as running mate to the abbreviated platform to the chants of “Fight! Fight! Fight!” by conventiongoers has shown that this is Trump’s party, and this convention is his coronation.
On Sunday, Trump told New York Post columnist Michael Goodwin that he planned to rewrite his convention speech on Thursday, saying he wanted to “try to unite our country.” Trump has said similar things in the past. Remember when he said he would be “so presidential” if he won in 2016? But a near-death experience can change your perspective. Will he give a toned-down speech Thursday that might win back some of the independents he lost in 2020? Or will he lean into the rhetoric of fighting? Or something else entirely? Whatever happens, Thursday’s speech will be one to watch.
Susan Del Percio is a Republican strategist and a political analyst for MS NOW. 
