MILWAUKEE — The second day of the Republican National Convention (RNC) kicked off Tuesday with a focus on crime and public safety under the theme “Make America Safe Again,” just hours after a knife-wielding homeless man was shot and killed by police just a few blocks from the conservative convention.
The inspiring theme, selected in advance, struck a particularly close chord after former President Donald Trump, now the Republican presidential nominee, miraculously survived an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
Republicans have accused President Biden and Democrats of turning “what was once an iconic American city” into a “hollowed-out dystopian nightmare” overrun with crime and corruption.
A packed Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee heard speeches from Republican leaders including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana), Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.), Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and one-time presidential candidate Nikki Haley, but the most moving speeches came from ordinary Americans affected by the scourge of violent crime.
The family of Rachel Morin, 37, a mother of five who was brutally raped and murdered by an illegal immigrant from El Salvador, gave a brave speech to the crowd.
“This is one of the most brutal and violent crimes to have occurred in Harford County, Maryland,” said Michael Morin, Rachel’s brother. “Allowing violent criminals into our country and depriving children of their mother is not an act of mercy.”
“To this day, I have not heard from Joe Biden or Kamala Harris,” he added, drawing boos. “They have never apologized. But when Rachel was murdered, President Trump called my family and offered his condolences.”
“My sister’s murder was brutal but I pray that her killer finds Jesus Christ,” he added.
Morin’s mother, Patty Morin, said she received a call from former President Trump after the arrest last month of 23-year-old suspect Victor Antonio Martinez Hernandez, who is also believed to be a gang member.
The grieving mother said she was “deeply touched” by the former commander-in-chief’s “kindness and care”.
Martinez-Hernandez entered the United States illegally in February 2023.
Another speaker was Madeline Brame, a New York mother who lost her son, 35-year-old Hayson Correa, in an assault and stabbing outside their Harlem apartment in 2018. Correa was a father of three who served in Afghanistan.
“He was attacked by the Taliban and knifed to death on the streets of New York City,” she said, explaining that four suspects were initially on trial.
“But all that changed with the election of District Attorney Alvin Bragg,” she continued angrily, drawing loud boos. “This injustice has been devastating to me and my family, and I would never wish this on anyone. [this].”
Brehm argued that “soft on crime” prosecutors like Bragg have “turned our great country and city into a battlefield.”
“The Democratic Party, to which poor minorities, including myself, have pledged our loyalty for decades, has betrayed us and failed us,” she said.
Brame has long accused Manhattan’s Democratic District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, of being soft on the four men suspected in his son’s murder.
The brave mother ran for Republican support for the Westchester and Bronx congressional seat held by Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), who lost in last month’s primary. Ultimately, her name did not appear on the ballot.
Trump and Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), his recently announced running mate, applauded throughout both emotional speeches.
The Republican organizers of the event also prepared several videos, including one that powerfully detailed the toll that crime has taken on rural America recently.
Trump and his new running mate also watched key speeches of the night from Haley, DeSantis, Blame and Morin.
Despite the fierce election battle between DeSantis, Trump and Haley, the two have come together to show their unity on behalf of the Republican presidential nominee.
“I strongly support Donald Trump,” Haley declared, “and I don’t have to agree with him 100% of the time to vote for him.”
She praised Trump for being “tough” on foreign policy and assured critics that he is a very unbiased person.
Trump was largely expressionless during the speech. His invitation to the convention came just before the start of the four-day event and shortly after he called for unity after his nearly assassination on Saturday.
Trump had previously been furious that she continued to campaign despite feeling it was clear she had no path to victory.
When it was DeSantis’ turn to speak, Trump smiled faintly and even clapped at times as the Florida governor revisited a greatest hits collection of his favorite culture war talking points.
“Our country cannot endure four more years of Bernie’s Weekend President,” DeSantis said sarcastically, calling Biden a “symbol” being used to push a “left-wing agenda.”
“Let’s send Donald Trump back to the White House. Life was more affordable. Our borders were more secure. Our country was respected,” he continued.
After narrowly escaping a sniper’s bullet last weekend, the 45th president, with a white bandage tightly wrapped around his right ear, made his first public appearance at the Republican National Convention on Monday, the same day he was officially named the Republican Party’s standard-bearer.
Helen Comperatore, whose husband, Corey, was killed in a shooting at a rally over the weekend, said Tuesday that President Trump had called her to offer his condolences.
“He was very kind and said he would continue to call me in the coming days and weeks,” she posted on Facebook.
In the wake of his terrifying near-death experience, Trump, 78, said he plans to rewrite his convention speech later this week to make it less extreme and to deliver a more united message within the party.
Vance’s presence was felt strongly on the second day of the Republican National Convention, even though the newly selected vice presidential nominee has yet to utter a word on the convention floor.
Vance, 39, was photographed on a morning stroll through Milwaukee with his family, stopping at a Walgreens along the way.
As the Ohio senator paced the empty stage in the afternoon, checking his teleprompter and microphones for his planned speech on Wednesday, reporters and cameramen scurried around hoping to catch a glimpse of him, though he had not yet addressed the audience.
The vice presidential nominee was accompanied on the tour by aide Donald Trump Jr. The son spoke about Vance at an Axios event in the morning, answering questions about his future role in a Trump administration, while reporters and convention-goers packed Central Waters Brewery.
Trump Jr., 46, predicted it was “highly likely” that Vance would become president in 2028, and suggested his father’s running mate choice was a positive one and part of the larger MAGA movement.
President Donald Trump’s son said he would “never” consider running for public office himself, but would like to have “veto power” in his father’s administration to vet possible expansions.
Trump Jr. also spoke about his father, who was shot Saturday, preparing to give a “fiery” speech at the convention and his desire to welcome outside figures into the party, including potentially welcoming independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Vance’s nomination as vice presidential candidate also raised questions about who would fill Ohio’s Senate seat if he takes the Oval Office. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine would choose the seat until voters choose another senator in a special election in 2026.
Vivek Ramaswamy, a biotech mogul from Ohio, has already jumped on the potential vacancy, saying he’s open to the possibility of that or even a position in the Trump administration.
