The GOP’s Unconventional Convention

The Republican National Convention kicked off yesterday in Dallas, but the opening was anything but smooth. Air Force One sat stranded on the tarmac with an emergency slide billowing out the side — an apparent accidental deployment that forced President Trump to switch to a backup plane. ABC's Rachel Scott, who covers the president, said she has "never seen an emergency slide being deployed as you're sitting on the tarmac, let alone waiting for the president of the United States to board the plane."

A Convention Built Around a Candidate Not on the Ballot

Republicans are calling this their first ever "National Midterm Convention," though some are branding it "Trumpalooza" since the event largely revolves around celebrating the Trump administration — even though the president isn't up for election this November. Democrats see this as politically convenient for them, given that President Trump is facing some of the worst job approval ratings he's ever seen. But with the Republican Party platform so tied to Trumpism, the convention may be the only way to energize conservative voters heading into the fall.