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The Ezra Klein Show

I Watched the Republican Convention. The Democrats Can Still Win.

The Ezra Klein Show

New York Times Opinion

Society & Culture, Government, News

4.611K Ratings

🗓️ 20 July 2024

⏱️ 49 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This year’s Republican National Convention was Donald Trump’s third as the party’s nominee, but it was the first that felt like a full expression of a G.O.P. that has fully fallen in line with Trumpism. And the mood was jubilant. Speakers even made efforts to reach out to unions, Black voters and immigrants — imagining a big-tent Republican Party that could be far more formidable at the ballot box. But if the Democrats were running a strong candidate right now, no Democrat would look at that convention with fear. In this conversation, moderated by the show’s senior editor, Claire Gordon, we dissect the themes and undercurrents of the convention and what they might signal about a Republican Party in the midst of change. We discuss how the party is messaging about race, immigration and populism; what JD Vance believes and represents for the party; what all this means for a Democratic Party that is divided about President Biden’s candidacy; and more. Mentioned: “Bernie Sanders Wants Joe Biden to Stay in the Race” by Isaac Chotiner Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at [email protected]. You can find transcripts (posted midday) and more episodes of “The Ezra Klein Show” at nytimes.com/ezra-klein-podcast. Book recommendations from all our guests are listed at https://www.nytimes.com/article/ezra-klein-show-book-recs. This episode of “The Ezra Klein Show” was produced by Elias Isquith. Fact-checking by Michelle Harris, with Mary Marge Locker, Jack McCordick and Kristin Lin. Our senior engineer is Jeff Geld, with additional mixing by Aman Sahota. Our senior editor is Claire Gordon. The show’s production team also includes Annie Galvin and Rollin Hu. Original music by Isaac Jones. Audience strategy by Kristina Samulewski and Shannon Busta. The executive producer of New York Times Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser.

Transcript

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0:00.0

From New York Times opinion, this is the morning after the final night of the Republican National Convention and

0:28.8

there is a lot to say about who the Republicans are showing themselves to be or showing

0:36.4

themselves to want to be a lot to say about what is about to happen potentially

0:40.8

with the Democrats and Joe Biden.

0:43.2

And so I'm joined by my great showrunner

0:46.6

and senior editor, Claire Gordon,

0:48.4

who is going to turn the tables on me a bit

0:50.5

and ask the questions today.

0:52.3

So Claire, thank you so much for being here.

0:54.0

It is my pleasure and I'll just start right there with what stands out to you

1:01.0

as different about Trump and the Republican Party's sales pitch in

1:05.5

24 compared to last time. What was interesting to me across the Republican

1:11.1

Convention and something I see some of my liberal friends

1:16.0

honestly grappling with and some of them still trying to deny is that the

1:20.1

Republican Party itself is changing. It is coming into line behind the thing that

1:28.1

it thinks Donald Trump is. Whether that's a thing Donald Trump actually is is something we should talk about because I am unconvinced and I think you saw this on the final night of the convention for all the talk in the nights leading up to it of economic populism for all that you had a union president speaking

1:46.1

on the first night for all of J.D. Vance's attacks on Wall Street and in his speech the night of

1:52.1

Donald Trump was not a night of full-throated economic

1:56.0

populism, it was a night of full-throated showmanship and entertainment.

2:01.1

He was introduced by Dana White, the head of the U of C.

2:05.0

Hulk Hogan gave, I think, undoubtedly the night's best speech.

2:09.0

It was campy and it was strange and it was entertaining but it understood that the root of Donald Trump's

...

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