'Dystopia and retribution': Ex-RNC chair says Trump’s new 'hope' rhetoric is 'not believable'

Sixteen years after former President Barack Obama's 2008 campaign around the message of "hope," former First Lady Michelle Obama declared on the Democratic National Convention stage Tuesday that "hope is making a comeback."

Following her moving speech, MSNBC reported Wednesday that 2024 GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance is now saying that ex-President Donald Trump represents "hope" for America.

MSNBC The Weekend co-host and former Republican National Convention Chair Michael Steele begs to differ.

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"First of all, pay back is a you-know-what, right?" Steele said. "This is an opportunity for the former First Lady to settle some scores and land a few punches, and she did so very adroitly. She did it at times in your face. And I think it's important to start to set that contrast in place because we know what's to come."

The ex-Republican leader continued, "JD Vance is gaslighting on the 'hope' message because the campaign is not about hope. That campaign is about Project 2025. And what you see leveled up at the DNC convention, not just last night but certainly tonight and going forward, will be a clear delineation between looking forward — hope — and looking backwards — dystopia, and retribution, and wanting to be a dictator."

Steele then emphasized why he's not buying what the 2024 Republican ticket is selling.

"They're now trying to mask their actions and their strategy with the word 'hope,' but it's not believable because Donald Trump has never uttered the word," the MSNBC said. "He has never laid that out as a vision for the country. So, t's going to be kind of hard now after what we saw and heard from Monday night to last night to now on this Wednesday come out and start talking about, 'Donald trump is all about hope.' Well, no, he's not. And it's not believable. It will fall flat."

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Steele added, "And I think the first lady and the former president, Barack Obama, made that conversation much more difficult to have today, and then when Kamala hits the stage on Thursday, it will be all but impossible for Donald Trump to own any piece of the narrative around hope."

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