On the final night of the Republican National Convention — a convention that has, throughout the week, painted a picture of America as broke, unjust and unsafe — Republicans tried to put the “Party” back in GOP on Thursday.
They were, in a word, vibing.
As Tucker Carlson took the stage, he couldn’t help but yell, “So fun!”
“I have never been to a more fun convention, or a convention with better vibes,” Carlson said.
Carlson didn’t need a teleprompter to lavish praise upon Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. He commended the former president for his reaction to the assassination attempt against him on Saturday while also celebrating a phone call his wife received from Trump after protesters showed up at the Carlson home in 2018.
“He says, ‘You know, there’s a lot of hate out there,’” Carlson recalled. “And she said, ‘You know there is, Mr. President.’ And then he says, ‘But there’s a lot of love.’”
To put it mildly, there was more than a lot of love Thursday night.
The sheer variety — and the sheer obsequiousness — of the compliments showered upon Trump made certain he felt that love as he prepared to formally accept the party’s nomination for the third time. According to the speakers, Trump is the greatest friend, father, grandfather, boss, golfer, golf-course-restorer, saver-of-the-Wollman-skating-rink, defendant, phone caller, music fan, president and possibly person that each one has ever known.
He’s “the funniest person I’ve ever met in my life,” Carlson said.
Real estate investor Steven Witkoff sang praises about how Trump appreciates his friends and treasures the personal gifts he receives.
“A lot of people don’t know this about my dear friend President Trump, but he’s a big music guy,” Witkoff told the crowd. “He’s got a playlist, and he’s the DJ wherever he goes.”
Former Small Business Administration Administrator Linda McMahon wanted to talk about his persona as a grandfather.
“I had a meeting scheduled with him at Mar-a-Lago, and as he welcomed me, his little four-year-old granddaughter ran up to him,” McMahon said. “He scooped her up with delight and asked her, ‘Who’s the most beautiful girl in the world?’ And she said, ‘Me.’ Then he asked, ‘And who do you love the most in the world?’ She said, ‘You, grandpa.’ And he kissed her on both cheeks. Then she whisked off his hat and mussed his hair. And he smiled with the love that only a grandfather could have given.”
Of course, others had a clearer agenda. The chairmen of the House and Senate campaign arms both spoke Thursday night, pleading with voters to donate more cash so Republicans could flip control of the Senate and grow their majority in the House.
But most other people on the convention stage appeared to just be there for fun, or to talk, or to reminisce about the “perfect, 210-yard 4-iron” that Trump hit back in March.
“Donald Trump: 21 club championships,” John Nieporte, the club pro at Trump International Golf Club, dubiously claimed. “Joe Biden: zero.”
Others talked about their personal stories, like billionaire Diane Hendricks, who was described on the convention’s speaking schedule as an “everyday American.”
“I was recently just recognized as the most successful self-made woman in American history,” she told the crowd. “So to all of you aspiring entrepreneurs out there, if I can make it, you can make it too.”
Some of Trump’s employees even spoke, providing their own kind of character references for him — just in case some Americans haven’t made up their minds yet.
“No one can match President Trump’s vision and unrelenting drive to make things better,” said Carrie Ruiz, a general manager at Trump’s Miami resort and golf course.
“He never demands more of us than he is willing to give,” she added. “He is as generous as he is brave.”
Golf was a big theme. Whether it was Nieporte talking about Trump sinking a 10-foot putt to win a club championship, or Alina Habba, one of Trump’s lawyers, claiming he has “one heck of a golf swing.”
Habba also noted that her kids get to ride around in the golf cart with him, “with some of the world’s most famous golfers.”
“By the way,” Habba said, Trump “can kick some of those guys’ butts.”
But nobody — not even Trump — enjoyed the atmosphere quite like Hulk Hogan, who earned uproarious applause as he ripped through one tank top to reveal a different, Trump-branded tank top underneath.
“When I came here tonight, there was so much energy in this room, I felt, maybe, I was in Madison Square Garden gettin’ ready to win another world title,” Hogan said as he took the stage.
“The vibe was so intense, the energy was so crazy, it felt like maybe I was gonna press that no-good stinky Giant over my head and slam him through the mat,” Hogan said. “Brother.”
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Haley Byrd Wilt is a reporter at NOTUS. Ryan Hernández is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow.