Political party conventions are truly the best forecast for a party’s direction, or at least its vision, at that moment. The speakers chosen, the content they cover and the nominees elevated in each convention paint the clearest picture of that direction.
This is especially true for the 2024 Republican National Convention, as we watched the party fully embrace former President Donald Trump’s vision. But what I watched unfold over that week wasn’t conservative. It was the embrace of populism in the interest of winning elections, even at the cost of our principles. It was sad to see.
I watched conservatives sacrifice meaningful stances, such as being anti-abortion, opposing sexual promiscuity and opposing union strangleholds on our economy in the name of winning the election.
The GOP is willing to abandon stances that matter if it means votes
The Republican Party has been toying with abandoning Reagan conservatism for some time now. The embrace of Trump in the 2016 presidential election was the beginning, but the party at the time struck a balance, highlighting Trump as a vessel through which conservative ideas could resonate with Americans whom he appeals to.
From President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s until 2016, the GOP was the party of limited government, free markets and hawkish foreign policy. Now, that’s all in the past. The latest platform abandons all of that in exchange for an outlook where breaches of conservative principles are justified if they favor the “common good” of winning control.
The party is building an entirely new coalition behind Trump. This coalition doesn’t care if you’re a conservative. All they care about is what will get you to vote for Trump.
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In his vice presidential nomination acceptance speech Wednesday, JD Vance said, “We have a big tent in this party on everything from national security to economic policy.”
While that may have been true in the 2010s, the Republican Party has made it clear that it wishes to move away from that era and into a new one shaped by a populist vision.
Just look at who Republicans invited to speak at the RNC
The GOP’s new strategy, trading firm stances on abortion and other issues for votes, can be seen through the people they chose to speak at their convention.
First up, and most egregiously, we have Amber Rose, an OnlyFans model and pro-abortion activist. Rose presented herself as a misguided woman who was led by the media to believe lies about Trump. Regardless, she lives a life that is antithetical to that of conservative values. She hasn’t exactly hidden it.
“I’m not a Satanist. … Satanists are just atheists as well, but they’re just more political,” Rose said in an interview this year in which she defends Satanists. “They help a lot of people, a lot of women, to get abortions in Southern states that, you know, where they’re illegal.”
Call me closed-minded, but I have no interest in rebranding America’s supposedly conservative party to include people like this. There is no form of conservative ideals compatible with someone who defends Satanists for helping women get abortions. Full stop.
Next up, we have Teamsters President Sean O’Brien. Having a union boss speak at the RNC is a complete reversal for the GOP that, as recently as 2021, introduced the National Right To Work Act into Congress. This act would outlaw forcing workers to join unions and pay dues against their will.
Embracing such an anti-worker and historically corrupt organization as the Teamsters, a group that has actively fought against right-to-work laws, is a complete reversal from the GOP. Allowing unions to keep a stranglehold on the economy and extort workers goes against principles the Republican Party has held for decades.
This particular change is an outright embrace of populism, looking to appeal to the one-fifth of voters nationwide who belong to union households. Joe Biden won this demographic nationally in 2020 and by slightly more in Midwest swing states.
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Trump’s own speech shows GOP’s changing message includes making him God’s chosen leader
Trump’s speech Thursday night at the RNC was shockingly free of divisiveness (relative to his status quo). However, he did take the time to highlight his position as the Republican Party’s figurehead.
“I’m not supposed to be here tonight,” Trump said, reflecting on the assassination attempt. “I stand before you in this arena only by the grace of almighty God.”
A common theme throughout the convention was speakers suggesting that divine intervention was responsible for Trump surviving the attempt on his life.
“God spared President Trump from that assassin,” said Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders in her Tuesday speech, “because God is not finished with him yet.”
Portraying Trump as God’s chosen leader for the future of the party and the country is a dangerous line to walk, and deifying politicians is a dangerous game.
Trump loyalists would rather embrace nonconservatives than work with Reagan Republicans
Trump also took time during his speech to speak directly to Vance, his pick for vice presidential nominee.
“You’re going to be doing this a long time. Enjoy the ride,” Trump said.
Trump’s words to Vance highlight exactly his vision in selecting him: a successor who will take over the future of the MAGA movement.
After the events at the RNC, it is clear that the GOP is actively pursuing a new coalition without real conservatives in it. This shift is particularly disheartening to me, a Gen Z voter. I missed out on candidates like Mitt Romney, John McCain and George W. Bush and instead got Trump again.
I had hoped this phase for the GOP would work itself out, and we might return to some semblance of conservative candidates in the future. But it is now clear to me that this will not happen anytime soon.
America now lacks a truly conservative political party. Voters like me have nowhere to go unless we follow suit, sacrificing our principles as the GOP has.
Dace Potas is an opinion columnist for USA TODAY and a graduate of DePaul University with a degree in political science.