Former President Trump’s 2024 rivals were welcomed back on Tuesday, with former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis taking the stage amid a broader push for unity during the Republican Party meeting.
At the same time, the message of unity was often undermined by attacks from speakers such as Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who attacked Democrats.
Still, the event went off virtually without a hitch, as Trump’s Republican Party launches a more positive message to the country following his near-assassination.
Here are five takeaways from day two of the convention:
Republicans work to smooth divisions
Although Trump easily won the presidential nomination, divisions still plagued the Republican Party throughout much of this year’s primaries, with some voters voting in protest against the former president.
But those conflicts have been put aside – at least for now – in the wake of a shooting that nearly claimed Trump’s life. Speakers repeatedly emphasized a message of unity, both for the party and the country as a whole, and the second day of the convention highlighted two of Trump’s main rivals, Haley and DeSantis.
Haley’s appearance, in particular, represented a notable turnaround, as the former South Carolina governor said she was not initially invited to the convention. But that apparently changed after the assassination attempt, and Haley used her speech to offer her first full endorsement of the former president since she dropped her bid for the White House.
“I’m going to start by making one thing perfectly clear,” Haley began. “Donald Trump has my strong support.”
DeSantis, another primary rival, was quicker to fall behind Trump after dropping out of the race. But if there was still any doubt, Tuesday night underlined that the governor of Florida – seen as a potential prospect for 2028 – fully supports Trump.
Their appearances, along with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), announcing Kentucky delegates for Trump on Monday, further illustrate how Republicans are trying to bypass their candidate as President Biden struggles with the turmoil of his own party.
“We’re not all going to agree on everything, and that’s okay,” said Rep. Mike Lawler (RN.Y.), a more moderate Republican in a swing district. “You have to allow for robust debate and discussion. And ultimately, though, you have to find a compromise and find common ground and carve a path forward, and I think that’s what [Haley] I was speaking.”
Still, there were signs of underlying tensions. In one of the most memorable moments of day two, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) taunted former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on the convention floor, highlighting the animosity that exists between the Republicans, even when they make a show of locking arms.
Unity messages were frequently hampered by attacks
Even as some of the night’s key speakers called for unifying the country across party lines in the wake of the shooting, Republicans used their speeches to attack Democrats in charged remarks.
“The problems we face are enormous, the problems caused by the Democratic Party,” said Lake, who is running against Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego for the Grand Canyon State’s Senate seat. She also criticized “fake news” that she said obscures “disastrous Democratic policies.”
Cruz repeated his accusations about Democrats’ actions at the border, arguing that “Democrats cynically decided they wanted votes from illegals more than they wanted to protect our children,” provoking boos from the crowd.
“Today, as a result of Joe Biden’s presidency, your family is less secure,” Cruz said.
The media was another target. Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson accused the free press of “abusing[ing] public trust”, attracting even more boos.
“They divide us,” Carson said. “Our government has not been any better.”
At a normal convention, such red-meat comments would not be surprising. But the comments were surprising given that the overall theme of the week was unifying Americans after the violent rally in Pennsylvania — and that they also came as Republicans, like Democrats, called for lowering the temperature in politics.
Kamala Harris was invoked frequently
Vice President Kamala Harris was invoked more than once on the RNC stage, names that emerge amid conversations about Biden’s potential replacement at the top of the Democratic ticket.
Haley criticized Harris for the situation at the border while alluding to the prospect of the vice president taking over for her boss.
“Let me remind you: Kamala had a job. A job. And that was to fix the border. Now imagine her in charge of the entire country,” Haley said, drawing boos from the crowd.
The language reflects the increase in attacks that Trump’s allies have launched against the vice president, both in the face of a potential exchange of tickets – which Biden rejected – and to reinforce the argument that she has more control in the Oval Office than Biden, who received attacks because of his fitness for office.
“Who’s ready to retire Joe Biden and send Border Czar Kamala Harris back to California?” opened Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick. Harris notablyrejectedthe nickname “border czar” used by Republicans.
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird also went after Harris on the policing issue, targeting her calls for reform.
“They treat police like criminals and criminals like victims,” she said, referring to Biden and Harris.
Blaming Biden and Harris for the country’s problems was a common refrain throughout the day and will likely continue to be present in Republican Party messaging well into November.
“You are worried that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are hurting our country because they are,” Rep. Jeff Van Drew (RN.J.) told independents and possibly disaffected Democrats, Van Drew himself a former Democrat.
Battleground Senate Candidates Made Their Proposals to the Base
Senate candidates in key swing states spoke at the convention, taking down their rivals and delivering their messages to the GOP base as the party tries to win the Senate in November.
Lake launched chants of “build the wall” while blaming the Biden administration for problems at the border, railing against “the Biden invasion.”
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) brought his bulldog “Babydog” on stage to applause and chants of the pet’s popular name, and then suggested that his dog could predict the political future.
“Babydog says we will keep the House, the majority in the House. We will flip the United States Senate. And, overwhelmingly, we will elect Donald Trump and JD Vance in November,” Justice said.
Ohio Senate candidate Bernie Moreno (R) criticized rival Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown (D) “seems[s] have a very close relationship” with Biden, and said it is time for both Democrats to “go home,” a comment that comes amid Democratic talk about replacing Biden on the party’s ticket.
Wisconsin Republican Senate candidate Eric Hovde reflected the sometimes divided messages from Republicans and the country that need to unify, but also blaming others for dividing the U.S.
“Instead of just wearing the blue or red shirt, we need to wear the red, white and blue shirt and come together as Americans,” Hovde said, adding that Republicans will heal the country from the divisions that the media and “left” have brought.
Senate candidates’ speeches were red meat for their base, pumping up the crowd as they advanced into competitive races in the fall.
The event went well
The Republican convention is halfway over, and despite the pressure that typically comes with nominating conventions, the RNC has been sailing smoothly so far.
Most speakers stayed on message and were clear in praising Trump, pointing to his presidency as a success the country can return to and denouncing the Biden administration as the reason for many of the problems the country faces.
Some may have strayed from the message of unity to attack Democrats, but everyone returned to the central theme of why viewers need to vote for Trump. Some previous conventions have moved away from this, including the 2016 RNC, when Cruz told delegates to “vote their conscience” instead of speaking out for Trump.
This time, Cruz began his remarks by “giving thanks to Almighty God” that Trump survived the assassination attempt, like many other speakers.
The public did not appear disheartened by Saturday’s shooting, immediately displaying enthusiasm and excitement each time Trump appeared. There are two more days to go, but Republicans appear to be extremely pleased with the progress so far.
Al Weaver contributed.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
