There’s no avoiding Donald Trump.
He is the elephant in the room — not at all what we, or almost anyone, expected when Cleveland won the bid to host the Republican National Convention. Yet after two years of renovations, additions and general primping around town, here we are as hosts to our first political convention in 80 years.
Back then, Cleveland was the sixth largest city in the country, a city of importance. The Terminal Tower and Cleveland Municipal Stadium had both been built in the 12 years between hosting our first convention in 1924 and our second in 1936. That same summer, Cleveland was about to throw open the doors to the Great Lakes Exposition and 7 million visitors over two years.
This convention will be another pivotal moment, one that could redefine the city, the Republican Party and our country. That’s why Trump appears alone on our cover with just a “RNC in CLE” headline. The strikingly simple illustration by Rob Dobi allows you to see in him what you will.
“If you love him, then he’s been this fiery disrupter who is going to change things in Washington,” says NBC News correspondent Katy Tur, who has been covering Trump’s campaign. “And if you don’t love him, then I think he’s been this divisive, angry, violence-fueling, whatever adjective you want to use for him.”
That deep division makes the Cuyahoga River valley look like a crack in the sidewalk. It also means everything surrounding our role for this convention will be a challenge and an opportunity.
Can we be a host that is welcoming, gracious and accommodating? Will we be prepared for all the security and diligence required of us? Can we be a city of tolerance, healthy debate and peace? Are we willing to stand up for free speech in all its forms? And when the unexpected happens, how will we react?
So much of what will take place here July 18-21 is left to be written. We explore that and more in our “Trump Takes Cleveland” guide to the RNC, which begins on pg. 106.
“Cleveland is in the wonderful position of being the first convention in living memory that will be unpredictable,” says Scott Pelley, anchor of CBS Evening News. “People are going to be talking about and writing about this convention 100 years from now.”
History is indeed upon us. But this city is up to all of it, and we should not shy away.