Republicans accidentally condemn 'current president' in GOP platform — because they haven't updated anything from 2016: report

As part of the drawdown of convention activities announced since the dispute between President Donald Trump and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper about how large the gathering can be in Charlotte, the officials have decided to simply forego the platform writing process altogether and simply re-pass the 2016 platform.

And that could be a big problem, because some parts of the 2016 platform are not compatible with the Republican Party of 2020. One of the biggest examples, according to The New York Times on Thursday, is that the platform contains several condemnations of the "current" president — who in 2016 was Barack Obama, but is now Trump.

"When Republicans read the platform their party is using for the 2020 campaign, they may be surprised to see that it is full of condemnations of the sitting president," reported Reid J. Epstein and Annie Karni. "'The survival of the internet as we know it is at risk,' the platform reads. 'Its gravest peril originates in the White House, the current occupant of which has launched a campaign, both at home and internationally, to subjugate it to agents of government.'"

"The warning about speech online is one of more than three dozen unflattering references to either the 'current president,' 'current chief executive,' 'current administration,' people 'currently in control' of policy, or the 'current occupant' of the White House that appear in the Republican platform," said the report. "Adopted at the party’s 2016 convention, it has been carried over through 2024 after the executive committee of the Republican National Committee on Wednesday chose not to adopt a new platform for 2020."

"The platform censures the 'current' president — who in 2016 was, of course, Barack Obama — and his administration for, among other things, imposing 'a social and cultural revolution,' causing a 'huge increase in the national debt' and damaging relationships with international partners," continued the report.

Last month, reports indicated that President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner was leading the effort to update the GOP platform, and wanted to make a number of changes including stripping out anti-LGBTQ language and using less "alienating" language. All of these efforts are apparently moot now that Republicans plan to keep their existing platform.