Donald Trump’s running mate JD Vance hailed the former president’s defiant response to his assassination attempt in a fiery speech at the Republican National Convention, portraying Trump as a tough fighter who also cares deeply about the United States and the United States. your people.
Accepting the RNC vice-chairman nomination in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Wednesday, the Ohio senator largely eschewed aggressive rhetoric in favor of an upbeat message, invoking Trump’s reaction moments after he was shot during a rally. campaign on Saturday as a testament to his leadership and love of country.
“What did he ask us to do with our country? To fight, to fight for America. Even at his most dangerous moment, we were on his mind,” Vance said.
“His instinct was for us, for our country, to call us to something higher, to something greater, to be once again citizens who ask what our country needs from us.”
Vance, who described Trump as an “idiot” and “reprehensible” before the 2016 election, said the tycoon-turned-politician suffered “abuse, slander and persecution” to serve his country.
“Now consider what they said: They said he was a tyrant, they said he must be stopped at all costs,” Vance said.
“But how did he respond? He called for national unity, for national calm, literally right after a murderer almost took his life.”
Seeking to portray a softer side of Trump, who is known for his bitter rhetoric and scathing attacks on critics, Vance said the Republican was also a devoted father and grandfather, as well as a successful businessman and politician.
“He is the man feared by America’s adversaries, but two nights ago – and I’m going to share a moment – he said goodnight to his two sons, told them he loved them and made a point of giving each of them a kiss on the cheek, Vance said.
“And I will say that Don and Eric squirmed the same way my four-year-old son does when his dad tries to give him a kiss on the cheek.”
Vance, who rose to national fame with the 2016 publication of his memoir Hillbilly Elegy, repeatedly appealed to working-class voters in the key swing states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, recalling growing up in a “small town where the people spoke what they thought, built with their hands and loved their God.”
“I will be a vice president who never forgets where he came from,” he said.
The three “Rust Belt” states went from Trump to Biden in 2020 and are considered crucial to the outcome of the November elections.
Vance said President Joe Biden has for half a century been a supporter of “every policy initiative to make America weaker and poorer,” including the free trade agreement, NAFTA and the war in Iraq.
Once a harsh critic of Trump, Vance became one of the former president’s staunchest defenders during his successful bid for a Senate seat in Ohio in 2022.
The former U.S. Marine, who at 39 is the first millennial vice-presidential candidate, is widely seen as a potential future leader of Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement, which has reshaped the Republican Party along populist and nationalist lines. .
During his short political career, Vance has embraced much of Trump’s agenda, including calling for the deportation of undocumented migrants and expressing skepticism toward military intervention and foreign alliances.
On Wednesday morning, Donald Trump Jr, Donald Trump’s eldest son, also invoked the attempt on his father’s life, saying his response embodied the “true spirit of America.”
“What was my father’s instinct when his life was at risk? Not to cower, not to surrender, but to show the whole world that the next American president has the heart of a lion,” he said.
Other speakers on the third day of the convention included Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Florida House Representative Matt Gaetz and former Trump adviser Peter Navarro, who was released from prison hours earlier after serving a sentence four months for refusing to cooperate with a congressional investigation. in the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.
Invoking the familiar theme of political persecution, Navarro, without evidence, accused Biden and “his department of injustice” of putting him in prison.
“I have a very simple message for you: If they can come after me — and if they can come after Donald Trump — watch out, they will come after you,” Navarro said.
The evening also featured several speakers from outside politics, including family members of US officials killed during Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and the parents of Omer Neutra, a US citizen believed to be held captive by Hamas in Gaza .
“He turned 22 on October 14, 2023, and instead of celebrating with us and his friends, he spent his birthday being held hostage by Hamas terrorists,” Omer’s mother, Orna Neutra, told the crowd.
“Imagine, over the course of nine months, not knowing if your child is alive, waking up every morning, praying that he wakes up every morning, that he is strong and survives.”
As he did on the first two days of the convention, Trump, who will deliver his keynote address on Thursday, received enthusiastic applause as he entered the Fiserv Forum as a rendition of the song It’s A Man’s World played.
Trump signaled that unity will be the main theme of his speech, saying his close encounter with death inspired him to rewrite the speech he had originally planned.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
