“The first night of the RNC was supposed to be about the economy, with the goal of uniting voters of all ideological persuasions who are frustrated by high prices. But some of the biggest applause lines came from harsh criticisms of transgender people.
“It’s a reminder that cultural issues motivate the GOP base as much as financial ones. A trio of speakers unabashedly went after Democrats who have sought greater acceptance for transgender people. Of particular outrage to Republicans this year was Biden marking Transgender Day of Visibility. It happened to overlap with Easter in 2024, a byproduct of the Christian holiday being based off the lunar calendar.
“To many in the LGBTQ+ community, it was a coincidence. But to many Republicans, it was an insult.
“They promised normalcy and gave us Transgender Visibility Day on Easter Sunday,” said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.”
Some snippets from an article that discusses GOP messaging about violence and fascism.
“The GOP elite has rallied around a new messaging strategy: emotionally blackmailing Democratic politicians, journalists, Hollywood celebs, and numerous other Trump critics into shutting up about the former president’s openly authoritarian vows and his extreme policy agenda.”
“Two of the finalists on Trump’s vice presidential shortlist quickly blamed the assassination attempt on talk about his authoritarian plans. ‘The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs,’ Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) wrote Saturday night. ‘That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.’ Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) said the attack on Trump was ‘aided and abetted by the radical Left and corporate media incessantly calling Trump a threat to democracy, fascists, or worse.’ These messages are all part of a deliberate strategy.”
“The attempt on Trump’s life does nothing to change the reality that he is – in fact – running on an openly authoritarian platform. Trump and his closest allies are pledging to punish President Joe Biden and other top Democrats and jail his political opponents; unleash the National Guard and active-duty troops on Democratic-controlled cities whenever he wishes; end the Justice Department’s independence so he can use it to crush his foes, shut down his criminal cases, and erase any hope of accountability for his alleged crimes; retaliate against media outlets that cover him negatively; deport pro-Palestine protesters; oversee an unprecedented crackdown on immigrants, potentially erecting a vast network of camps on U.S. soil; further institutionalize his anti-democratic lies and conspiracy theories that led directly to the Jan. 6 attack; and even invade and bomb Mexico if he feels like it.”
“On the campaign trail, the former president has evoked the rhetoric of Adolf Hitler, accusing immigrants of ‘poisoning the blood of our country.’
“Saturday’s assassination attempt also does not change the fact that Trump has repeatedly and very publicly endorsed political violence over the years. Trump is calling now for ‘peace’ and ‘unity,’ but he has a lengthy track record of downplaying or excusing the harm done to the victims of pro-Trump violence.”
“Trump has campaigned as a populist strongman – that didn’t change overnight.”
