But one group seems to have been left out of the show: the once-dominant Republican establishment that ruled before Mr. Trump. The appearances on Thursday evening of some current Republican leaders — in particular, Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, and Kevin McCarthy, the House minority leader — served as a reminder of who had largely not been given a spot on the stage. There were no former Republican presidents or vice presidents, or prominent former cabinet members like Condoleezza Rice, who were part of Republican White Houses over the decades leading to Mr. Trump’s election. Indeed, two names were barely mentioned over roughly 10 hours of convention speeches and video: Bush and Reagan. The old guard — the elected officials, cabinet members and political operatives — has shown little interest in being part of the Trump pageant, and Mr. Trump has had little interest in having it join his show.

Source: New York Times August 27, 2020 21:56 UTC