Donald Trump was officially nominated. Protest groups clashed on Public Square. Just another day in Cleveland. Here’s three things you should know from Tuesday’s news, and what we’re looking for this Wednesday.
Nominee, Nominated
After a messy Monday in which his wife Melania was accused of plagiarizing part of her speech, Trump managed to yank his convention back from the brink Tuesday night. This time, his family shined. Donald Trump Jr. officially nominated his father to be the Republican nominee for president, standing beside the other Trump children: Eric, Ivanka and Tiffany. He also delivered an an eloquent speech praising his father — and sparked yet another (smaller) plagiarism controversy. Though the night was supposed to center around economic issues, a great deal of time was spent bashing presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. New Jersey governor Chris Christie put Clinton on rhetorical trial, leading the convention in cheers of “lock her up.” Former presidential candidate Ben Carson went off the teleprompter to draw parallels between Clinton and Lucifer. House Speaker Paul Ryan, also the chairman of the convention, painted the fractures within Republican Party as an asset, then pivoted to an anti-Democrat message.
Getting Physical
Public Square was the site of the first serious physical confrontation between protesters Tuesday. Professional conspiracy theorist, radio host and Pokemon Go question dodger Alex Jones caused a scuffle and police quickly moved in to keep things calm. Opposing protest groups were separated by a sizeable police force that moved into the center of the square, then gradually pushed protesters to the outskirts. Entrants, even media, were briefly barred from coming onto the square from the Ontario Street side. Cleveland police chief Calvin Williams was sighted on the square personally directing the effort. After roughly an hour of tension, the groups gradually dissipated. Some wandered downtown streets, briefly congregating at East 6th Street and Superior Avenue and East 9th Street and Lakeside Avenue. A police cordon at the center of Public Square’s southern half remained into the evening. There have been five RNC-related arrests since Sunday, the city announced in a news release Tuesday night.
Dream On
The American Dream melted to nothing Tuesday in Cleveland. The ice sculpture by artist Marshall Reese — spelling “The American Dream” in stylized script — turned to water as a part of a City Club of Cleveland forum at the Transformer Station gallery in Hingetown. Another installation called the Truth Booth is set to travel to all 50 states. Participants simply walk in and preach your truth. Some artists are sharing their perspectives a little more publicly. At the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Tuesday night, alt-rockers Third Eye Blind managed to piss off a conservative audience at a charity event. The group played a crappy set on purpose, and when the boos started flying, frontman Stephan Jenkins told the crowd, “You can boo all you want, but I’m the motherf—king artist up here.”
What we’re looking forward to tonight
Inside Quicken Loans Arena tonight, the theme is “Make America First Again.” Speakers include former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Florida Governor Rick Scott, Eric Trump, Wisconsin Governor and former presidential candidate Scott Walker, U.S. Senator and former presidential candidate Ted Cruz and Trump’s choice for vice president, Indiana Governor Mike Pence.
Link Soup
There’s a million pieces of news flying around during the RNC. Filter out the noise. Here’s what you need to know.
A report in the New York Times Magazine insinuates that Trump might delegate daily governance to his vice president.
Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson would very much like your attention.
We had a chat with Jim Obergefell, the plaintiff in the case that legalized gay marriage, yesterday. He had some choice words on the Republican party platform.
The Washington Post was impressed with how Cleveland’s transit system is performing during the RNC, but notes that traffic is actually down in some areas.
Utah Senator Mike Lee can’t stop Trump, so he’s sounding off on Pokemon Go. Though some folks in the crowd at Tuesday’s protests seem to be down with the cell phone game.
A longer read: Donald Trump’s ghostwriter on “The Art of the Deal” speaks to The New Yorker.
Waldo is wandering the streets of Cleveland.
Our correspondents will be covering proceedings both inside and outside The Q. Follow along on social media.
Twitter: @clevelandmag
Instagram: @clevelandmagazine
Reporting via Twitter
Sheehan Hannan: @sheehanhannan
James Bigley II: @jc_bigz
Steve Gleydura: @cle_steve
Kim Schneider: @kimberschneider
Jason Brill: @TheBrilla
