Perhaps because the expectations were so high, the buildup so great, and the emotional highs from nights 1, 2, and 3, but I found night four of the Republican convention to be an emotional letdown. 

Please don't hate me for saying it, but the buildup to Trump's speech made it almost impossible for the reality to meet the expectations, and for me, they didn't.

It's not that I am unhappy that Trump is the candidate. It sure looks like Trump is the right man at the right time. The convention as a whole created not just a sense of inevitability but also a sense of "rightness" that Trump is the man leading the Republican Party and soon the country if things continue as they are. 

Rather, Trump the man is, after all, only a man, and over the last week, he has grown into a legend in our minds. After the first 20 minutes of his speech, you see him as the man he is again. He's not a bad man; he's a good man. He will be a good president--he sure was the first time around. 

But if you didn't love the Trump style before, you would probably be disappointed that the 78-year-old was not suddenly new and improved. He was Trump, for good and ill. 

Of course, I have never liked Trump's style. I was discussing this with my Dad, who is coming around to the idea that maybe Trump isn't a dictator-in-waiting and may do some good for the country. We both agreed that one of the issues is class prejudice on our part. 

Trump isn't just a man of the people--ironically for a billionaire--but he is the NASCAR/WWE/Reality TV guy. We are overeducated intellectuals who have never watched a professional wrestling match and can't imagine why anybody would watch cars zoom around a track for hours. It's a genuine mystery to us. 

Trumps’s speech is longer than a Joe Biden workday

— Magills (@magills_) July 19, 2024

I have no idea if most people were riveted to the screen for the 18 hours Trump was speaking (it seemed that way to me), but I do know that even people well-disposed to Trump desperately wanted him to STFU after about 50 minutes or so. 

Rather unexpectedly, we're about to begin the fifth day of the Republican National Convention.

— Binyamin Appelbaum (@BCAppelbaum) July 19, 2024

I did enjoy some of the jokes at Trump's expense last night. They were teasing, not angry jokes. 

Trump is gonna talk until that Secret Service agent gets her pistol holstered

— Gretchen Lynn (@Bubola) July 19, 2024

I was roaring with laughter, actually, as Trump-friendly Twitter mutuals took gentle pokes at The Donald. They will fight for him, but were reminded that Trump is a flawed human being as well, not a savior. 

FOUR MORE HOURS

FOUR MORE HOURS

FOUR MORE HOURS

— Aelfred The Great (@aelfred_D) July 19, 2024

The convention as a whole was a triumph--no political convention in my lifetime came close. The emotional height was the Gold Star families--the video brought everybody to tears, and their appearance on stage was riveting, emotional, and a reminder of why this election is so important. 

The Gold Star Families were remarkable. This is one of the most powerful moments of the entire RNC Convention. Honoring the fallen and their families. Incredible bravery. A searing indictment of Joe Biden. Say their names! Wow. MUST WATCH! pic.twitter.com/Yhu5Xa5OKl

— Jeff Hunt (@jeffhunt) July 18, 2024

It was the ordinary Americans who gave us the most extraordinary messages from the convention. And that, to me, was the ultimate statement I took from the convention. 

This election isn't about Donald Trump, or J.D. Vance, or any other politician. 

It's about the ordinary Americans who are hurting and who need a leader to bring us out of the wilderness and back to civilization. 

And that leader is Donald Trump, with all his warts, flaws, and virtues.