By Gavin Claiborne and Victoria Mejicanos, Aug. 27, 2024
Millions of Americans watched the 2024 National Conventions, which were hours-long displays from presidential nominees Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, their supporters and their goals should they be elected.
With both conventions complete, Cal Poly Pomona students and faculty shared their personal thoughts after watching the events and how each political party’s nationwide presentations will impact their decisions when casting their ballots in November.
The Republican National Convention kicked off in July, and served as former President Donald Trump’s first public appearance just two days after he was the target of an assassination attempt during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump recounted the moment of the assassination attempt then urged for unity amongst Americans.
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley announced her “strong endorsement” for Trump during the event and former first lady Melania Trump also made a rare public appearance on the final night of the RNC.
The Democratic National Convention, held at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, included passionate speeches from celebrities and politicians alike throughout the four-night event.
President Joe Biden was present during the first day to reiterate his ongoing support and endorsement for Harris. Other speakers included Hillary Clinton, who praised Harris and attacked Trump’s criminal record, and Trump’s former press secretary Stephanie Grisham, who addressed the DNC by sharing her experience working for Trump and describing him as a person with “no empathy, no morals, and no fidelity to the truth.”
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz — whom Harris selected as her running mate — showed up to the DNC on the third night alongside his family to accept his vice–presidential nomination and officially introduce himself to viewers across the nation. Gus, Tim Walz’s 17-year-old son, was seen shedding tears during his father’s acceptance speech, which led to many negative comments from Trump supporters on social media.
During the first night of the DNC, abortion rights activist Hadley Duvall, a survivor of sexual assault who had an abortion at age 12, expressed her disapproval of U.S. state abortion bans the Trump administration is seeking to maintain if he’s reelected for a second term.
Political science student Angelina Prieto said reproductive rights is a topic she cares about as a voter. Prieto tuned into both national conventions when the topic of abortion was discussed and resonated much more with the DNC’s speakers, specifically the statements that Duvall made during the event.
“For a really long time, I’ve just felt connected to that issue, and I think that it’s really important for myself as a woman that doesn’t know what my future is going to hold that I have the right to choose what I want to do with my body and with my life,” said Prieto.
Similar to the DNC, the RNC featured several celebrity endorsements — Hulk Hogan, Amber Rose and Russell Brand, among others — all of which expressed their support for the GOP. While celebrity endorsements were a common theme throughout both events, Prieto said she noticed mixed feelings from her peers when it came to celebrity involvement in politics.
Applied mathematics student Ian Farish thinks the addition of celebrities in politics could influence people to vote.
“I don’t think it gets me to change my vote, but it might get me to be more into the political landscape in order to vote,” said Farish.
In the early hours of August 22, Harris’ campaign launched a Twitch account that was later used to stream the final DNC event. Many have speculated this was a method to gain the liking of millions of young Americans, and Prieto agrees.
“I think having (the DNC) streamed on there is going to make a difference just for a lot of younger voters,” Prieto said.
However, Farish was uncertain about the idea of highlighting political content on Twitch considering the platform is intended for video game streaming.
Although both parties have made attempts to reach younger voters, political science department chair and professor Mario Guererro said the power politicians have is in their rhetoric. He explained that in the past, Democratic and Republican politicians were more conventional in their speeches and shared similar themes, which is what contributed to an appeal in Trump.
Guerrero mentioned that Trump — who typically isn’t known to speak in-depth about policies — gets on “the bully pulpit” and attacks people through his speeches and on social media in order to attract voters, like his ongoing attacks on Biden for his cognitive relapse, who he has constantly referred to as “Sleepy Joe.”
“He speaks about politics in a way that’s radically changed how we interact with government and even politicians,” said Guerrero. “Some people really like it, and some people are really threatened by it or afraid of it.”
Guerrero also pointed out a shift in the Democratic party’s rhetoric. As part of the second night of the DNC, both Michelle and Barack Obama made appearances, attacking Trump in their speeches. Guerrero said these attacks from Democrats like the Obamas weren’t common in previous years, referring to Michelle’s famous “When they go low, we go high” catchphrase.
Michelle Obama openly discussed the threat she believes Trump poses for the nation, adding that he continues to use “same old con, doubling down on ugly misogynistic, racist lies as a substitute for real ideas and solutions that will actually make people’s lives better.”
Prieto concluded by expressing her thoughts on the election and encouraged students to vote.
“I would just encourage people to vote and to make informed decisions not just voting based on what you see on the media or voting just based on what you hear in the halls or in your family,” Prieto said.
Students who are interested in voting during the 2024 Presidential Election can register to vote or check their voter registration online using a site created by CPP’s Associated Students Inc.
Featured Image courtesy of Brett Styles via Pexls
