Woodrow Wilson didn't show up for his party convention in Baltimore.

His sense of dignity kept him away, the economist wrote in 1912.

When reporters rushed to his home to tell him he had won the nomination, they found him reading a biography of the Victorian liberal William Gladstone.

Wilson's modesty was not so exceptional for the time.

It wasn't until 1932 that the actual nominee was undignified enough

to address the party faithful. Franklin Roosevelt gave his acceptance speech on

national radio. President Trump appeared every night of this week's Republican Convention.

He used the White House as a backdrop, another break with President.

Six of this week's prime time speakers shared his surname.

Modesty is over.

With 66 days to go, this is checks and balance. I'm John Prido, the Economist's US editor and this is a podcast about the 2020 elections.

Each week we take a big theme shaping American politics and explore it in depth.

Today, how much has Donald Trump changed the Republican Party?

The running order at the Republican Convention has been dominated by Trump family members

and cameos from ordinary folks caught up in the culture wars.

The President's kicked aside the three-legged stool that propped up Ronald Reagan's Republicans moral global leadership combined

with sound finances. What remains of the party beyond loyalty to Donald Trump. With me to discuss all of this are Charlotte Howard, the economist's New York

Bureau Chief and Idris Kowloon the Public Policy Correspondent who's

standing in for John Fasman this week who joins us from DC.

What have you guys made of the RNC?

I think that generally it's been pretty well done as a contrast to Democrats, Democrats certainly.

It's interesting how light on policy, both the RNC and the DNC have been.

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