The signs and audience chants at the DNC were all about America. At the RNC, it was a Trump show.

A political analyst told Business Insider that the platform and audience participation at the rallies revealed a big difference between the voters and the candidates themselves.

“Harris’ character was the icon of American culture while Trump was the icon of Trump,” Christian Grose, a professor of political science and public policy at the University of Southern California, told BI. “That’s an important distinction.”

Audience members at the RNC wore earplugs as a sign of support for Trump, who survived an assassination attempt days ago. His defiant, fist-pumping look after being shot was seen on posters and T-shirts around the convention hall.

Perhaps the most striking difference was the design of each candidate’s platform. Harris, at the DNC on August 22, stood in front of a line of American flags. When Trump took the stage at the RNC on July 18, he stood in front of a Broadway-style display of his name in lights.

“There were definitely American flags and images of this kind of Republican convention, but there was a lot about Trump himself,” Grose said.

Grose noted that this appeared to be based on Trump’s name in general and was reminiscent of his first presidential run when he said he was the only candidate who could save America and “drain the swamp” in Washington, DC .

On the other hand, the DNC’s style leaned heavily on American exclusivity, and Grose said the party seems to be “bringing back” the flag images that were historically popular at Republican events.

“I mean freedom and flags 20 years ago it would have been the 2004 Republican convention, and it wouldn’t be surprising if you knew that word and language would be there in a symbolic way, ” Grose said. “I thought the Democrats did very well on that proposal.”

The demonstrations held by audience members at each convention were also very different, garnering viral attention on social media and coverage from the Los Angeles Times and Washington Post.

Members of the RNC audience held signs with slogans such as “Make America Strong Again!” and “America’s Oil from America’s Soil,” as well as many alarmist messages, including “Mass Deportation Now!” and “Stop the bleeding of the Biden border.”

In general, while the message was respected on issues that energize Republican voters — like immigration and America’s first jobs — “whether people believe it or not, it was worse. ,” Grose told BI.

“The theme that came out of the Democratic Convention was one of happiness or hope or the future,” Grose said. “And you saw that whenever the show was on, it was usually that way – even when they tried to talk about politics.”

DNC demonstrations held by delegates and party loyalists included slogans such as “Union E!” and “We Love Joe Biden.” Most simply read, “USA.”

Harris’ face was much weaker at the DNC than Trump’s was at the RNC. However, it was not completely absent – where he appeared on the posters, he was often shown with the words “Forward” or in the same colors as the image of “Hope” of Barack Obama.

Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, also had posters of himself with phrases such as “Doug for First Mensch,” although BI did not find any examples of Melania Trump presented alone in pictures or symbols.

While voters respond to both negative and positive signs and messages, Grose said, audiences generally want a positive message at rallies. While this year’s RNC has emphasized themes of unity more than previous conventions, Democrats relied on positive messages this year overall.

“Good signs and a good message can make voters feel better and more motivated,” Grose said. “When you think about the number of undecided voters, or maybe people who are not interested in either candidate, good pictures and good signs can move people in that direction.”