The Democrats’ National Convention Begins… Their Worry is Musk’s Support for Trump

The Democratic National Convention kicked off Monday in Chicago before the echoes of former US President and current candidate Donald Trump’s “chat” with his new billionaire “friend,” X owner Elon Musk, go quiet (will they ever?).
Under ordinary circumstances, the national convention of the president’s party is considered the most significant in the lead-up to the US presidential elections. However, who said that these are ordinary circumstances?
It is not normal for the Democrats to push their presidential candidate and current president (Joe Biden) out of the race, after he had effectively been confirmed as the party’s nominee, due to concerns around his health.
Resolving the issue of Biden’s replacement hastily, with his Vice President Kamala Harris nominated even before the party delegates head to Chicago, is not normal either.
Moreover, it is not normal, at least for the Democrats, to present a unified front despite the presence of several wings, including Bernie Sanders’ “progressive” wing.
Nor is it normal to “postpone” discussing a series of prominent contentious issues, or to “keep the electorate in the dark” with regard to the Democrat’s positions on the war in Ukraine, the "displacement war" on Gaza, and the unrest in US universities. These are all matters that concern Democratic Party activists, especially youths and “minorities.”
With all of that in mind, there can be no doubt about what brings the party together, the situation on the opposite side of the political spectrum... the Republican side!
True, the Republicans have once again placed their trust in Donald Trump, despite all the legal issues that have threatened to derail his campaign. However, some say that the “borderline-consensus” he had enjoyed until very recently cannot be taken for granted any longer.
For the first time in a while, historically significant and influential Republican Party figures are questioning Trump’s “infallibility” and challenging his firm “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) base. Among them are former Vice President Mike Pence, former Republican presidential candidate Senator Mitt Romney, as well as former President George W. Bush, former Vice President Dick Cheney, and his daughter Liz Cheney, who used to be a party leader.
Moreover, some are closely monitoring trends within a prominent and influential voting bloc of the American right, one that the Republicans have heavily relied on since the days of Ronald Reagan, Evangelical Christians. Although the vast majority of Evangelicals remain loyal to Trump, some projections indicate that we will see small shifts within certain conservative circles that are more focused on personal behavior than the theological “dogma” that has historically fueled evangelical votes for the Republican Party.
Despite the media buzz that the Democratic National Convention is expected to generate, which could improve Kamala Harris's standing in the polls, Elon Musk and X’s entry into the ring in support of Trump could cancel all the “points” the Democrats have scored.
The Democrats received a reasonable bump in support, as several swing state polls demonstrate, after Biden withdrew from the race following his disastrous debate with Trump.
These modest gains were reaffirmed after a consensus around naming Harris emerged smoothly. No such consensus emerged around Hillary Clinton, who lost the votes of many Bernie Sanders supporters.
Finally, Harris's choosing Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate was seen as a positive step by voters who consider themselves the "traditional base" of the Democratic Party. This bloc includes low-income rural farmers and small landowners, as well as the unskilled working class in the Rust Belt who have been hit hard as a result of the decline of manufacturing and mining.
In fact, Walz's first speech, in which he proudly highlighted his humble family background and hard work, struck a chord with many poor and lower-middle-class Democratic voters. This bloc had abandoned the Democratic Party during the rise of Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, becoming known as “Reagan Democrats” since then.
Anyone familiar with modern American history knows that this segment of the electorate (Reagan Democrats), along with the evangelical religious right and the economic (fiscal) right, is the Republican base. It has ensured the Republican’s dominance since the eighties, which was only interrupted by the elections of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.
Trump’s current base is also made up of this “trio,” alongside the isolationist and nationalist MAGA movement. However, the decisive factor this November will be the extent to which Trump benefits from Musk’s support and explicit opposition to the Democratic ticket.
Musk’s position and the degree of influence he can exert... are two very important factors in this battle.