This is an adapted excerpt from the July 9 episode of “Andrea Mitchell Reports.”
Unlike the chaos that’s consuming the Democratic Party, Republicans are not divided over the competence of their standard-bearer. Republicans seem all-in on Donald Trump. Next week, at the Republican National Convention, the party will have formalized the elevation of a man convicted on 34 felony counts, a man found liable for sexual abuse, and a fraudster. That’s the nominee of the Republican Party — my party.
I don’t support that individual, nor do I support the direction that this platform purportedly lays out, particularly on immigration. Republicans and Trump are also lying to the country about where the party stands on women’s rights. Despite what you may read Republicans aren’t backing off a national abortion ban. That’s still very much on the table. The best way I can sum up the party’s platform is this: it’s all a lie. That’s my expectation going into the RNC, and you’ll see it play out in full-color next week.
What we should watch is how the American public takes this all in while Democrats engage in a circular firing squad pointed at President Biden. Democrats took what should have been no more than a weekend story on the debate and turned it into a full-throated existential crisis within their own party. It’s an interesting twist going into this convention. What should have been a week focused on the Republican Party’s lies and the threat posed by their nominee will now only play out as a backdrop to what’s happening with the Democrats.