Media outlets covering the RNC convention should not buy the MAGA narrative that messaging has “softened” or that there is any sort of “unity” pivot.
Donald Trump, the former president and Republican nominee for president, reportedly reframed the Republican National Convention on the fly around the theme of “unity” after a shooter targeted him during a rally a few days previously, grazing his ear and killing a bystander. But many of the featured RNC speakers, including Trump himself, have a history of encouraging political violence or downplaying it when it happens to Democrats.
Key among these speakers is former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who is currently scheduled for a prime-time speaking slot before Trump’s speech and has a long history of encouraging conspiracy theories that reportedly inspired multiple mass shootings throughout the country. He was also a primary validator of the lies that led to the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol as Trump supporters sought to prevent Congress from confirming Joe Biden’s victory, and also aired a campaign of lies about its aftermath.
But Carlson is far from the only scheduled convention speaker who has validated political violence. Many others, including Republican elected officials and candidates, downplayed the violence of the January 6 insurrection, called for violence against protesters, and in at least one case called for violence against Democrats.
Case in point, during his speech during the first night of the convention, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) strayed from the supposedly unifying themes by directly accosting the Democratic Party, whose policies he labeled "a clear and present danger to America, to our institutions, our values and our people.”
This post has been updated with additional information.