Trump’s acceptance speech sets everything right

MATTHEW WILSON:
jmwilson@smu.edu

Trump kept surprises to a minimum during his acceptance speech, says Wilson, focusing on red meat instead.

“Trump didn’t pivot, he doubled down,” Wilson says. “His most powerful lines were about being a champion for forgotten working people. He is what he is, and the message and tone aren’t changing. We’ll see if it works.”

Wilson added that it was, “Interesting that Trump explicitly reached out to both gays and evangelicals,” but noted most of the speech focused on fear, not hope. 

“Trump is betting that Americans are uneasy and looking for more acknowledgement of their anxieties than soaring, optimistic rhetoric,” Wilson says. “One of the songs playing in the hall after Trump won the nomination was ironic … ‘You can’t always get what you want.’”

Wilson is an SMU associate professor of Political Science. He can discuss:

• religion and politics
• political psychology
• voting behavior of religious voters
• public opinion and politics 

BEN VOTH:
bvoth@smu.edu

Voth gave Trump’s final speech good marks.

“The speech was delivered well,” Voth says. “Delivery got more comfortable as he went along. The speech was unusually long. I think the key was, ‘I will be your voice.’”

Ivanka Trump was quite compelling and will continue to be an asset for the campaign in the future, Voth adds.

Voth is SMU’s director of debate and an associate professor of Corporate Communications and Public affairs. He can discuss:

• debate prep
• debate strategy
• comparisons between this debate season and the 2012 election’s debate season

JEFFREY ENGEL:
jaengel@mail.smu.edu

For the grand finale, Engel says, Trump provided a speech that was long on promises, but short on details.

“Rarely in human history have so many cheered so little, so much,” Engel says.

Engel is director of the SMU Center for Presidential History. He can discuss:           

• comparisons to past presidential races
• foreign policy
• presidential rhetoric