Trump's disastrous Day One

Source: Politico | July 18, 2016 | Shane Goldmacher, Ben Schreckinger and Katie Glueck

CLEVELAND — Donald Trump’s supporters painted a dark and dystopian portrait of an America in decline on Monday, as a parade of people spoke about a country slipping from their grasp, cops getting gunned down in the streets, and their family members slain by illegal immigrants.

But a self-inflicted scheduling blunder — the Trump campaign put the evening’s headliner, Melania Trump, well before the prime-time hour ended — had the networks turning away before the precious hour of free TV had been used up. Worse, her speech bore a striking resemblance to a Michelle Obama speech from 2008.

People inside the hall streamed for the exits as Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn droned on, and NBC wrapped up its hour, after some banter between its anchors, with a shot of a shockingly empty arena.

It was a rough end to a day that began with Trump’s campaign feuding with the popular Republican governor of Ohio, and that featured shouting and jostling on the convention floor as the party tried to stamp out the last embers of the Never Trump campaign. All day, cable news chyrons spoke of disunity and chaos.

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But MSNBC, CNN and Fox News did not carry those speeches, sharply limiting the audience. It was fallout, in part, of the Trump campaign’s decision to craft a schedule that squeezed six Trumps and the head of Trump’s winery into prime time this week.

Trump himself stepped on one of the early evening’s most moving speakers, Patricia Smith, the mother of one of four Americans killed in Benghazi. As she spoke, holding back tears, the arena was rapt — and roiling with anger. “I blame Hillary Clinton, I blame Hillary Clinton personally for the death of my son,” Smith said.

But Trump was trampling all over the emotional testimony. He had called in live to Fox News, which switched away to hear his thoughts. Among Trump’s urgent messages: “I’m probably the least racist person there is,” he told Bill O’Reilly.

One victim of the schedule malfunction was Sen. Joni Ernst, viewed by many as a rising star in the GOP. She spoke after Flynn, and by the time she was done even Trump’s kids, Bob Dole and Giuliani had vacated their seats in the VIP section. Gov. Scott Walker had abandoned his seat among the Wisconsin delegates, too.

The earlier parts of the first day of the convention in Cleveland did not go much better. Trump’s motorcade got into an accident en route to the city. And Trump’s campaign picked a fight with Republican Gov. John Kasich, who has sky-high approval ratings in the swing state but has declined to endorse Trump or attend the convention.

Paul Manafort, Trump’s top campaign adviser, began the day by saying Kasich was “embarrassing his state” by not attending, appearing on MSNBC and other morning shows.

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