Former President Trump’s 2024 presidential rivals rejoined the ranks on Tuesday, with former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis taking to the stage in a broader effort at unity at the Republican caucus.
At the same time, the message of unity was often undermined by sharp attacks on Democrats from speakers like Arizona Senate candidate Kali Lake and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).
Still, the event went off largely without a hitch, with Republicans sending a positive message to the nation following the near-assassination of President Trump.
Here are five takeaways from the second day of competition.
Republicans try to ease divisions
Despite Trump’s easy victory in the presidential nomination, divisions remain rife within the Republican Party, with some voters casting protest votes against the former president throughout much of this year’s primaries.
But those differences were put aside, at least for now, in the wake of the shooting that nearly took President Trump’s life. Speakers repeatedly emphasized a message of unity across the party and the country, with the second day of the convention particularly focused on Senators Haley and DeSantis, two of President Trump’s biggest rivals.
Haley’s appearance represented a particularly notable development: the former South Carolina governor had initially said she hadn’t been invited to the convention, but that changed in the aftermath of the assassination attempt, when she gave her first full endorsement of the former president since ending her own White House bid.
“First, let me make one thing clear,” Haley began, “I strongly support Donald Trump.”
His primary rival, DeSantis, had endorsed Trump earlier after dropping out of the race, but if there was still any doubt, Tuesday night’s campaign call underscored that the Florida governor, who is seen as a potential 2028 presidential contender, is fully behind Trump.
Their appearance, combined with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announcing on Monday Kentucky’s delegates who will support Trump, further highlights how Republicans are trying to corral their nominee as President Biden grapples with turmoil within his own party.
“We’re not going to agree on everything, and that’s OK,” said Rep. Mike Lawler of New York, a moderate Republican in a battleground district. “There has to be room for robust discussion and debate, but ultimately we have to find compromise, find common ground and chart a path forward, and I think that’s what we’re going to strive for.” [Haley] ” he said.
Still, there were signs of underlying tensions. One of the most memorable moments of the second day was when Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) challenged former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on the convention floor, standing arm-in-arm as he stood face-to-face, highlighting the animosity among Republicans.
The message of unity was often undermined by attacks
While some of the night’s main speakers called for the country to unite across party lines in the wake of the shooting, Republicans used their speeches to slam Democrats.
“The problems we face are big, and they’re caused by Democrats,” said Lake, who is challenging Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ore., for the Grand Canyon State’s Senate seat. He also blasted “fake news” that he claims is obscuring “Democrats’ disastrous policies.”
Senator Cruz repeated her condemnation of Democratic actions at the border, claiming that “Democrats have cynically decided they want the votes of illegal immigrants more than they want to protect children,” drawing boos from the crowd.
“Today, with the inauguration of President Joe Biden, your families are less safe,” Cruz said.
The media was also targeted, with former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson denouncing what he called an “abuse” of press freedom.[ing] “This is a betrayal of the people’s trust,” he said, drawing further boos.
“They’re dividing us,” Carson said. “And our government isn’t any better.”
Such outrageous comments wouldn’t be surprising at a normal party convention, but they came as a shock given the overarching theme of the week of Americans coming together after the violent attack at the Pennsylvania rally, and calls from Democrats as well as Republicans for a de-escalation of political tensions.
Kamala Harris was mentioned frequently.
Vice President Kamala Harris’ name was mentioned multiple times on stage at the Republican National Convention as she could replace Biden as the top Democratic candidate.
Haley slammed Harris over the border situation and suggested the vice president could act on behalf of her boss.
“Let me remember, Kamala had one job. One job. Stabilize the border. Now imagine her running the entire country,” Haley said, drawing boos from the crowd.
The words reflect growing attacks that Trump’s allies have hurled at the vice president as he faces the possibility of swapping tickets with a presidential candidate that Biden has rejected and to advance the case that Biden has more control over the Oval Office than Biden, who is under attack over his fitness to hold the presidency.
“Are you ready to retire Joe Biden and send Kamala Harris back to California to be in charge of the border?” asked Republican Pennsylvania Senate candidate Dave McCormick. Harris, in particular,RejectedThe term “border czar” is used by Republicans.
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Byrd has also gone after Harris on policing issues, targeting her calls for reform.
“They treat police like criminals and they treat criminals like victims,” she said, referring to Biden and Harris.
Blaming both Biden and Harris for the country’s problems was repeated throughout the day and will likely remain a part of Republican messaging into November.
“I worry that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are hurting our country, and they are,” Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.), himself a former Democrat, told a crowd of independents and possibly disgruntled Democrats.
Battleground Senate candidates appeal to base
Senate candidates in key battleground states spoke at their conventions, outdoing their rivals and delivering messages to the Republican base they hope to retake the Senate in November.
Lake slammed the Biden administration over the border issue, blasting the “Biden invasion” and chanting “build the wall.”
West Virginia Governor Jim Justice (R) brought his bulldog, Baby Dog, onto the stage to cheers and chants of the popular pet’s name and suggested the dog could predict the political future.
“Baby Dog says we’re going to keep our House majority. We’re going to flip the United States Senate. And we’re going to overwhelmingly elect Donald Trump and J.D. Vance in November,” Justice said.
Ohio Senate candidate Bernie Moreno (Republican) said his rival, Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown (Democrat), “[s] Trump said he and Biden should have a “very close relationship” and said it was time for both Democrats to “go home” as Democrats discuss replacing Biden for the party’s nomination.
Wisconsin Republican Senate candidate Eric Hovde echoed the sometimes divisive message, saying the GOP and the country needed to unite but blaming other countries for dividing the U.S.
“Instead of wearing either the blue jersey or the red jersey, we need to wear the red, white and blue jersey and come together as Americans,” Hovde said, adding that the Republican Party would heal the country from the divisions brought about by the media and “the left.”
The Senate candidate’s speech was a big hit with his supporters, getting the audience fired up for the hotly contested elections this fall.
The event went smoothly
The Republican National Convention is halfway through, but so far it’s going mostly smoothly, despite the pressures that typically accompany a nominating convention.
Speakers mostly stayed on message, praising Trump and pointing to his presidency as one that could help the country thrive again, while making it clear they were willing to blame the Biden administration for many of the problems facing the country.
While some may have strayed from the message of unity to attack Democrats, they all return to a central theme: Why should viewers vote for Trump? Past conventions have strayed from this theme, including at the 2016 Republican National Convention when Cruz famously told delegates to “vote your conscience” rather than support Trump.
Like many other speakers, Cruz began his speech by “thanking Almighty God” that President Trump survived the assassination attempt.
The crowd didn’t seem put off by Saturday’s shooting, and quickly became enthused and excited whenever Trump appeared. With two days left, Republicans seem overwhelmingly pleased with the progress so far.
Al Weaver contributed.
