In break from norms, Trump speaks from the White House at RNC
2020 is the year of the unconventional convention.
Both parties' conventions have had to go mostly virtual due to the coronavirus pandemic, and both parties have had to find inventive ways to recreate the hype and pomp of a rowdy convention hall.
But one of the old rules being bent isn't due to the coronavirus pandemic. Interspersed between speakers during the Republican National Convention on Monday, President Donald Trump spoke from the White House to highlight his achievements in office.
Presidents have traditionally steered clear of using the White House grounds for openly partisan events, respecting a barrier between the presidency and electoral politics. But Trump threw those norms out the window when he announced earlier this summer he was considering delivering RNC remarks from the White House.
That decision has raised ethical and legal questions, particularly pertaining to the Hatch Act, which forbids most federal employees from engaging in certain political activities. The Trump administration maintains that the act does not apply to the president, but using the White House for a political event could put staff in a compromised position. That question has led House Democrats to wonder if Trump is violating a separate law forbidding the coercion of federal employees into performing political acts.
In an interview with "Fox & Friends" earlier this month, Trump said speaking from the White House would be the "easiest, least expensive and, I think, very beautiful" option.
Initially, Trump was only expected to deliver his keynote speech from the White House. But Monday night, he also made appearances with health care workers to tout his administration's work during the coronavirus pandemic and with former prisoners and hostages held abroad to present himself as a tough world leader. The panelists sat in chairs flush next to each other without much room for social distancing.
Among his guests was Andrew Brunson, an American pastor was held under house arrest in Turkey on charges of espionage for more than two years. Brunson was released in 2018 after the U.S. imposed sanctions on Turkey and Trump hard-talked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Trump claimed at the time.
The convention was not Trump's first political use of the White House. He often went after political foes at White House press briefings, going off on his challenger Joe Biden and other high-profile Democrats. White House briefings became particularly valuable political tools as the coronavirus forced Trump to cancel his signature campaign rallies.
