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Republican convention live: Melania, Eric and Tiffany Trump speak

Everyone at the Republican convention has been avoiding the same, awkward subject. But today, Melania Trump tackled it head-on.

Sam ClenchSam Clench
@SamClench
less than 2 min read
August 26, 2020 - 7:23AM
Melania offers sympathy to COVID-19 victims

Welcome back to our live coverage of the Republican National Convention in the United States.

It's day two, and that means one thing - a veritable deluge of Trumps. President Donald Trump's wife Melania, son Eric and daughter Tiffany are all speaking today.

We will also hear from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Senator Rand Paul, former Florida attorney-general Pam Bondi and a bunch of lesser known politicians.

And in one of the weirder cameos, Nicholas Sandmann has been invited to speak. You will remember him as the high school student from Covington, Kentucky who was filmed wearing a MAGA cap and smirking at a Native American activist during a protest last year. He sued several media outlets for defamation in response to their coverage of the face-off, and reached a few confidential settlements.

This convention, of course, is one of the biggest chances Mr Trump will get to convince voters they should re-elect him before polling day on November 3. It will culminate in his acceptance speech from the White House on Friday AEST.

If you missed yesterday's action, worry not. You can catch up with our wrap of day one.

RELATED: What happened on day one of the convention

And while you're here, why not sign up for our daily US election newsletter? Each day, we'll bring you the biggest highlights from the campaign, and in a much less long-winded form than my usual, rambling stuff.

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Updates

The end of day two

We will close off today's live blog here. Be sure to come back tomorrow, when the headline speaker will be Vice President Mike Pence.

Enticing, I know.

And this evening, of course, we will post our wrap of day two.

Trump's unprecedented use of White House

Today's proceedings were unprecedented in one important sense – there was a real blurring of the line between the Republican convention and the power of the White House.

The night started with Donald Trump giving a full pardon to Jon Ponder. Later, the President hosted a naturalisation ceremony for a small group of people becoming American citizens. And First Lady Melania Trump delivered her speech from the Rose Garden.

All of those things happened at the White House, which is never usually used for political conventions.

Under the Hatch Act, it is illegal for a government employee to engage in political activity on government grounds. The President is exempt, but his White House staff are not.

Also, as we mentioned earlier, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's decision to address the convention from Jerusalem violated decades of tradition separating the person in his position from politics.

Veteran Fox News journalist Chris Wallace brought all of this up when he was asked for his thoughts on day two of the convention.

"Two or three weeks ago, Donald Trump suggested that he might make his acceptance speech at the White House, and there was an uproar in Washington. Republican Senate leaders said, 'That can't happen, we can't have that,'" Wallace said.

"That barrier was completely blown away tonight, for good or for ill.

"We had the President pardoning somebody – it was a deeply moving ceremony, and Jon Ponder certainly deserves the pardon – but he pardoned him right in the middle of the Republican National Convention.

"We had a naturalisation speech right in the middle of a Republican convention. Melania Trump delivered a very impressive speech from the Rose Garden at the White House.

"And perhaps most controversially of all, we had the Secretary of State making an openly political speech from a diplomatic hot spot in Jerusalem.

"We do need to point out that secretaries of state have never participated in political speeches. In fact, it's the regulation of the State Department that nobody that's in the State Department can attend a political event, let alone participate in it.

"People can think it's a big deal, they can think it's a little deal, but all of this has never happened before, and it's worth noting."

MSNBC's Joy Reid, who has never been a fan of Mr Trump, definitely falls into the "thinking it's a big deal" category.

"They surrounded themselves with the trappings of the power that is, in theory, they were given by the American people," Reid said.

"These are not monarchs. This is not their property. You know, this was not an episode of Cribs, I didn't need Melania to come strolling down, you know, the gallery way as if she'd just come from the living room in their home.

"They have used the property of the American people, these sacred properties that are owned by the American people, for politics tonight in a way that I think is offensive, I think is wrong."

She was particularly worked up about the naturalisation ceremony.

"That ceremony has such deep meaning for the people who become Americans. Donald Trump made that ceremony about him. He made that ceremony about celebrating Donald Trump," she fumed.

"He did one specifically for politics, specifically for his re-election. He used those people as props. He used people that would be from the s***hole countries he would not let into this country. Donald Trump used a colour collection, a sort of crayon box of colours tonight, to try to paint a false image of himself as welcoming to immigrants and welcoming to black people and brown people.

"It was offensive to see that done in the people's house. The naturalisation ceremony is a sacred thing to new Americans. It is not about Donald Trump, and he made it about Donald Trump, and he used the American people's house."

Former senator explodes on TV

Former US senator Claire McCaskill, a Democrat, went on MSNBC to react to Melania Trump's speech.

She. Was. Pissed. Off.

"She at least said, for the first time anybody in this White House has ever said, how badly she feels for the families who have lost a loved one to COVID," Ms McCaskill said.

"But let's be real about whether she's really going to help him with women in the suburbs.

"They know what the deal is here. They've all defended husbands publicly. This is a woman whose husband had to pay court costs this week because he paid off a porn star, because he was having sex behind her back with a porn star right after she gave birth to her son.

"Give me break."

Earlier this week, a court did order President Trump to pay former adult film actress Stormy Daniels $US44,100 to cover her legal fees.

Before the last election, Mr Trump allegedly directed his then-personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, to pay Ms Daniels $US130,000 in hush money to keep quiet about the affair in question.

The President still says no affair ever happened, despite the abundance of evidence and the testimony from Ms Daniels herself.

What Mike Pompeo said

OK, let's backtrack and talk about Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's speech. I feel terrible saying that, as though I'm a parent turning the car around with Disney World in sight so we can visit a history museum.

Alas, it must be done.

Some Democrats are cranky about Mr Pompeo addressing the convention at all, given his position. Traditionally, America's top diplomat doesn't take part in partisan political events like this. The House of Representatives has launched an investigation into the matter.

Forget all that, though. If we were to draw up a list of political traditions that have been torn up in the last four years, this one wouldn't even make the top 50.

Mr Pompeo addressed the convention from Jerusalem, and praised President Trump's foreign policy, including the fruitless summits where he attempted to reach a denuclearisation deal with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.

"The President lowered the temperature, and against all odds, got the North Korean leadership to the table," Mr Pompeo said.

He also credited Mr Trump with "pulling back the curtain on the predatory aggression of the Chinese Communist Party".

"It may not have made him popular in every foreign capital," he said of the President's foreign policy.

"But it has worked."

Melania's outfit sells out in minutes

The military-style jacket Melania Trump wore during her speech – let's call it "Castro chic" – has already sold out minutes later.

The outfit comes from Alexander McQueen, who I can only assume is a very well-known fashion designer? Sorry, this subject isn't my strong suit.

Anyway, the thing usually costs $US2450, but was on sale fo $1469 today. That price still seems a teensy bit high to me. But again, NOT my area of expertise.

Trump goes in for a kiss

After wrapping up her speech, Melania Trump flashed one last smile for the cameras.

"Act natural."

She was then joined at the front of the Rose Garden by her husband, who went in for a smooch.

To be fair, what would you do if Donald Trump tried to kiss you? Be honest, now.

The couple then walked off into the White House, holding hands, presumably ready to crash on the couch and throw on some Netflix.

"Bye, peasants."

Melania addresses elephant in the room

I'm going to come back and summarise Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's speech later, because he is a dreadfully dull man and the night's biggest speaker, Melania Trump, just popped up in the White House's Rose Garden.

She addressed a cheering crowd, which included her husband and Vice President Mike Pence.

Mrs Trump appeared to be vaguely terrified, which is probably the most relatable thing I've been able to say about anyone in either convention. But she grew more comfortable as she spoke.

"This is fine."

"It seems like just yesterday that we were at our first convention," Mrs Trump said.

"Yet the energy and enthusiasm for who should lead this nation is as real today as it was four years ago.

"I know I speak for my husband and the entire family when I say we have not forgotten the incredible people who were willing to take a chance on a businessman who had never worked in politics. We know it was you who elected him.

"It is you who will carry us through again. We were humbled by the incredible support then, and we are still grateful today."

Interestingly, Mrs Trump was, at least as far as I can recall, the first speaker of the convention to actually acknowledge the elephant in the room – the coronavirus death toll – and express sympathy for the disease's victims.

"I want to acknowledge the fact that, since March, our lives have changed drastically. The invisible enemy, COVID-19, swept across our beautiful country and impacted all of us," she said.

"My deepest sympathy goes out to everyone who has lost a loved one, and my prayers are with those who are ill or suffering.

"I know many people are anxious and some feel helpless. I want you to know you are not alone. My husband's administration will not stop fighting until there is an effective treatment or vaccine available to everyone. Donald will not rest until he has done all he can to take care of everyone impacted by this pandemic."

She also thanked all the healthcare workers, frontline workers and teachers who "stepped up" despite the risk to themselves.

"My husband and I are grateful," she said.

Mrs Trump stressed that it was her "greatest honour" to hold the role of First Lady.

"There are no words to describe how honoured, humbled and fortunate I am to serve our nation as your First Lady," she said.

"After many of the experiences I've had, I don't know if I can fully explain how many people I take home with me in my heart each day. From brave soldiers, who give up so much, to children of all circumstances who I have met around the world.

"Thank you for inspiring me. It is my greatest honour to serve you."

She eventually got around to the mandatory Trump dig at the media.

"No matter the amount of negative or false media headlines, or attacks from the other side, Donald Trump has not, and will not, lose focus on you," she said.

"He loves this country, and he knows how to get things done.

"As you have learned over the last five years, he is not a traditional politician. He doesn't just speak words, he demands action and he gets results.

"The future of our country has always been very important to him, and it is something I have always admired."

She made a passing reference to the headlines being "full of gossip", and given the number of stories that get written whenever Mrs Trump refuses to hold her husband's hand, she probably had a point there.

I want to stress that he is blinking here, not sleeping. Still tickles me though.

The First Lady briefly mentioned the mass protests against police brutality across the US, some of which have included violent clashes.

"Like all of you, I have reflected on the racial unrest in our country. We are not proud of parts of our history," she said.

"I urge people to come together in a civil manner.

"I also ask people to stop the violence and looting being done in the name of justice. And never make assumptions based on the colour of a person's skin."

You'll notice that, unlike the Trump children, Mrs Trump refrained from attacking the Democrats.

"I don't want to use this precious time attacking the other side, because as we saw last week (at the Democratic convention), that kind of talk only serves to divide the country further," she said.

An admirable stance, to be sure, but did … did someone forget to tell Donald Jr, Tiffany and Eric? They must have missed the memo.

Eric Trump also says some stuff

Who was next? Oh yes, of course, another Trump. This time it was the President's son Eric.

Did Eric always have a Don Jr-style beard? I feel like that might be new. Honestly, you forget about these Trump lads for five minutes and suddenly they all look like Chuck Norris.

I continue to be struck by how overtly political the Trump kids are being at this convention.

Usually, the nominee's children just spout some vaguely heartwarming stuff about how great their old man is. That's what Hunter and Ashley Biden did last week, in a brief video introducing their father.

Not the Trumps. Donald Jr really went after Joe Biden in his speech yesterday, labelling him "the Loch Ness Monster of the swamp". We just witnessed Tiffany go off on supposed internet bias against conservatives. And Eric, too, was keen to unleash.

He started by praising the Trump "movement".

"First we were ignored. Then we were laughed at. Then they fought us. And then, together we won," he said.

"From that point forward, America came first. America started winning again. America became respected again."

"In the view of the radical Democrats, America is the source of the world's problems. As a result, they believe they only path forward is to erase history and forget the past," Mr Trump continued.

"They want to destroy the monuments of our forefathers. They want to disrespect our flag, burn the stars and stripes that represent patriotism and the American dream. They want to disrespect our national anthem by taking a knee while our armed forces lay down their lives every day to protect our freedom.

"They don't want the Pledge of Allegiance in our schools. Many of them don't want, 'One nation, under God.' The Democrats want to defund and disrespect our law enforcement.

"The Democrats want an America where your thoughts and opinions are censored when they do not align with their own."

Ah, I see Eric has been talking to Tiffany behind the scenes. They must have shared notes.

'Bananas': Tiffany's bizarre speech

We have moved on to the first of today's three Trump speakers. First up was the President's daughter Tiffany, who recently graduated from law school.

Ironically, her appearance came immediately after a speech from former Florida attorney-general Pam Bondi, who railed against nepotism in politics.

Ms Trump started with a pretty straightforward appeal to young voters.

"As a recent graduate, I can relate to so many of who you might be looking for a job," Ms Trump said.

"My father built a thriving economy once, and believe me, he will do it again.

"This election, I urge each and every one of you to transcend political boundaries. This is a fight for freedom versus oppression, for opportunity versus stagnation, a fight to keep American true to America.

"I urge you to make a judgment based on results, and not rhetoric."

Curiously, she neglected to mention America's "results" on the coronavirus pandemic.

The next part of her speech got a little weird.

"People must recognise that our thoughts, our opinions, and even the choice of who we are voting for may and are being manipulated and visibly coerced by the media and tech giants," said Ms Trump.

"If you tune into the media, you get one biased opinion or another. And what you share, if it does not fit into the narrative that they seek to promote, then it is either ignored or deemed a lie, regardless of the truth.

"This manipulation of what information we receive impedes our freedoms. Rather than allowing Americans the right to form our own beliefs, this misinformation system keeps people mentally enslaved to the ideas they deemed correct.

"This has fostered unnecessary fear and divisiveness amongst us. Why are so many in media and technology and even in our own government so invested in promoting a biased and fabricated view? Ask yourselves, why are we prevented from seeing certain information? Why is one viewpoint promoted, while others are hidden?

"The answer is control. Because division and controversy breed profit."

OK, let's take a break from this conspiratorial bullcrap for a moment to give it some context.

All the stuff about tech giants keeping people – what was it? – oh yes, "mentally enslaved" appears to be a complaint about Twitter and Facebook fact-checking posts? I think that's what it is.

A couple of President Trump's tweets in recent months were slapped with fact checks after he spouted blatant misinformation.

I would respectfully note that Facebook's most-shared posts routinely include conspiratorial right-wing nonsense, so the company isn't being particularly thorough here.

Right, deep breath, and back into it.

"But what are the consequences when only one side of the story gets out, or when only one viewpoint is acceptable?" Ms Trump continued.

"In short, our nation suffers by inhibiting our diversity of thought and inclusion of ideas. Working together outside of our political comfort zones will accomplish so much more.

"Some cynical politicians do not seem to believe in the miracle of America. Well I do.

"Having hope is not weakness, and believing in miracles is a gift from God. So tonight I want to tell you the uncensored truth of what we believe in.

"We believe in equality of opportunity. We believe in freedom of thought and expression. Think what you want, seek out the truth, learn from those with different opinions, and then freely, make your voice heard to the world.

"In America, your life is yours to chart. So, if you're hearing these things, and thinking to yourself, 'That is the kind of country that I want to live in,' – well, whether you realise it or not, you are a Trump supporter.

"I encourage you to see beyond the facade that so many other politicians employ. They mask themselves in disguises of decency as they try to pressure us to mask our own identities and beliefs.

"My father is the only person to challenge the establishment."

I'm a little lost for words after Tiffany's speech – I genuinely wasn't expecting that kind of thing from her – so I'm just going to post this admirably understated reaction from New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman.

MAGA hat teen slams media

We're doing ALL the culture war stuff today.

After covering abortion and religion, the convention heard from Nicholas Sandmann, the high school student from Covington who was filmed wearing a MAGA hat and smirking at a Native American activist last year.

Mr Sandmann sued various media outlets for their coverage of the incident and won some confidential settlements.

This is him.

In his speech, the young man focused on criticising the media.

"Looking back now, how could I have possibly imagined that the simple act of putting on that red hat would unleash hate from the left and make myself the target of network and cable news networks nationwide?" he said.

"Being from Kentucky, the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln, my classmates and I visited the Lincoln Memorial."

They were there for an anti-abortion protest.

Mr Sandmann said he found himself "face-to-face" with "professional protesters" who were "looking to turn me into the latest poster child showing why Trump is bad".

"While the media portrayed me as an aggressor with a relentless smirk on my face, in reality, the video confirms I was standing with my hands behind my back, and an awkward smile on my face that hid two thoughts.

"One, don't do anything that might further agitate the man banging a drum in my face. And two, I was trying to follow a family friend's advice, never to do anything to embarrass your family, your school, or your community.

"Before I knew what was happening, it was over."

Mr Sandmann said his life "changed forever", and "the full war machine of the mainstream media revved up into attack mode".

"The truth was not important. Advancing their anti-Christian, anti-conservative, anti-Donald Trump narrative was all that mattered," he said.

"I fought back hard to expose the media for what they did to me and I won a personal victory. While much more must be done, I look forward to the day that the media returns to providing balanced, responsible and accountable news coverage.

“I know President Trump hopes for that too.

"And I know you’ll agree with me when we say no one in this county has been a victim of unfair media coverage more than President Donald Trump."

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