Twitter's Wholesale Rejection of Donald Trump's Speech Was Oddly Comforting

By Dustin Rowles | Politics | July 22, 2016 |

By Dustin Rowles | Politics | July 22, 2016 |

For a few minutes after that nice old man got up and gave a wedding toast about Donald Trump last night, after Peter Thiel preached tolerance, and after Ivanka Trump gave her terrific speech about an amazing Democratic candidate named Donald Trump who doesn’t exist in the real world, there was a small part of me that worried that Trump might pull this off. That he’d go quickly to the center, use his convention speech to preach compassion, and somehow peel off enough independents and Democrats to win in November.

Then Donald Trump got up and spoke. It was a hostile, angry, xenophobic, pandering, racist, fear-mongering diatribe. It was terrifying, and though it seemed like it ran until 3 a.m., I couldn’t make myself go to sleep until I’d watched enough news coverage and read enough Tweets to ensure that I wasn’t crazy: That the speech actually was bad. I needed validation. I needed to read as many Tweets rejecting Donald Trump as I possibly could, because I needed to know that I was not alone.

Twitter did not disappoint.

Here’s some of the most comforting rejections to Donald Trump’s speech last night, starting with Bernie.

Donald Trump's RNC speech attempted to woo Bernie supporters but Bernie wasn't having it https://t.co/4RqIPVR0QQ pic.twitter.com/cEGgeWi6UW

— Mic (@mic) July 22, 2016

ASTONISHING quote on Trump from a Republican strategist. pic.twitter.com/MvKjapzZgr

— Helen O'Hara (@HelenLOHara) July 22, 2016

you look back on it and you see the crazed self-inebriation of Trump's performance overdosing on the fawning hysterical adulation

— Simon Schama (@simon_schama) July 22, 2016

Clinton: Emails, Benghazi
Trump: Will feast on babies while streets run red with blood
Facebook: These are fully equal bad choices!

— Courtney Enlow (@courtenlow) July 22, 2016

At this point, the only song the Trump campaign has permission to use is the Ted Nugent obscurity "Kill All Foreigners"

— Nathan Rabin (@nathanrabin) July 22, 2016

To honor tradition, the UN will hold the war crimes tribunals for the Trump Administration in Cleveland, the place of his first great rally.

— Guy Branum (@guybranum) July 22, 2016

Most fascinating part of Trump speech was way he struggled with saying LGBTQ. I assume he normally just says "the gays". #RNCinCLE

— rabia chaudry (@rabiasquared) July 22, 2016

Our greatest leaders: We have nothing to fear but fear itself
Trump: Be very afraid

— Jay Duplass (@jayduplass) July 22, 2016

Trump did get some rave reviews tonight. https://t.co/Ju5WjbZpAG

— Taniel (@Taniel) July 22, 2016

Please note: Trump's big LGBTQ moment wasn't about equality or rights; it was "They're weak; they need my protection." We're not. We don't.

— Mark Harris (@MarkHarrisNYC) July 22, 2016

If you don't see Trump as this generation's Hitler, it means you need to read more history books.

— Chris Kluwe (@ChrisWarcraft) July 22, 2016

I've worked on War of the Worlds, Terminator and Snowpiercer. But this is some dystopian shit.

— josh friedman (@Josh_Friedman) July 22, 2016

When Trump says he cares for us, I also remember Buffalo Bill caring for that girl in the well. Giving her nice lotions 'n things.

— TODD SPENCE (@Todd_Spence) July 22, 2016

He thinks LGBT is a sandwich

— Alan Cumming (@Alancumming) July 22, 2016

George W. Bush's former speechwriter: https://t.co/zFJ0D1Bj2O

— Aakanksha Tangri (@AakankshaT) July 22, 2016

`The Trump in the primaries was an obnoxious asshole. This guy? This Trump we're seeing tonight? This guy is a terrifying lunatic.

— Wil Wheaton (@wilw) July 22, 2016

what is wrong with this man pic.twitter.com/svd4zLpunk

— Maryellen Stewart (@Maryellen) July 22, 2016

Dear world. Please ignore what the loud guy in the suit is saying. Americans are nothing like him. We love our country and are proud of it

— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) July 22, 2016

The party I was part of is dead.

— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) July 22, 2016