Joe Biden will tear down the American dream: Donald Trump
Donald Trump has warned the coming election will be a stark choice between two visions of America.
Donald Trump has warned the coming election will be a stark choice between two visions of America, one that cherishes freedom, safety and enterprise and another that seeks to tear down its heritage and way of life.
In a blockbuster speech at the White House to accept his Republican nomination, Mr Trump on Friday AEST cast himself as an outsider president who had kept his promises against the odds. He said the nation was now at a crossroads as it chose between him and the “radical left agenda” of his Democrat opponent Joe Biden
“At no time before have voters faced a clearer choice between two parties, two visions, two philosophies, or two agendas,” Mr Trump said on the final night of the Republican National Convention.
“At the Democrat National Convention, Joe Biden and his party repeatedly assailed America as a land of racial, economic and social injustice. So tonight, I ask you a simple question: How can the Democrat Party ask to lead our country when it spends so much time tearing down our country?”
“In the left’s backward view, they do not see America as the most free, just and exceptional nation on Earth. Instead, they see a wicked nation that must be punished for its sins.”
Speaking in a spectacular setting on the South Lawn in front of more than 1000 people, Mr Trump pledged to rebuild the country’s economy, restore law and order to cities and defend “the American way of life”.
His 70-minute speech veered from patriotic optimism about America’s future to dark warnings about what might happen if the former vice-president is elected on November 3.
“Everything we have achieved is now in danger, this is the most important election in the history of our country,’ Mr Trump said.
“Joe Biden is not a saviour of America’s soul, he is a destroyer of American jobs and given the chance he will be the destroyer of American greatness,’ he said.
His speech comes at a time when he is trailing Mr Biden in the polls with the majority of Americans disapproving of his handling of the coronavirus and the resulting collapse of the economy.
Mr Trump launched a blistering attack on Mr Biden’s policies on law and order, immigration, trade and foreign affairs, portraying his 77- year-old opponent as a ‘Trojan horse for the left”.
“Make no mistake, if you give power to Joe Biden, the radical left will defund police departments all across America,” he said.
“They will make every city look like Democrat-run Portland, Oregon. No one will be safe in Biden’s America. If the Democrat party wants to stand with anarchists, agitators, looters and flag-burners, that is up to them, but I, as your president, will not be part of it.’
“In the strongest possible terms, the Republican Party condemns the rioting, looting, arson and violence we have seen in Democrat-run cities all, like Kenosha, Minneapolis, Portland, Chicago, and New York, and many others Democrat-run.”
Mr Trump walked to the podium with First Lady Melania and gave his speech against a backdrop of US flags and an illuminated White House with his children and cabinet members watching on. He accepted his party’s nomination for president “with a heart full of gratitude and boundless optimism” and pledged “a new spirit of unity that can only be realised through love of our great country”.
“America is not a land cloaked in darkness,” he said, referring to Mr Biden’s description of the US as living through “a season of darkness”.
“‘America is the torch that enlightens the entire world.”
On China, Mr Trump claimed to have taken “the toughest, strongest boldest action against China in American history by far”.
In contrast he said Mr Biden “cheered the rise of China as a positive development for America and the world. China would own our country if Joe Biden gets elected”. “Joe Biden’s agenda is ‘Made in China,’ my agenda is ‘Made in the USA,’’ he said. Mr Trump said it was Republicans, not Democrats, who were the defenders of freedoms and the American way of life.
“Our country wasn’t built on cancel-culture, speech codes and crushing conformity,’ he said, referring to the Democrats. “The Republican Party goes forward united, determined and ready to welcome millions of Democrats, independents and anyone who believes in the greatness of America and the righteous heart of the American people.”
Mr Trump’s daughter Ivanka, who introduced him, described her father as the “people’s president’ and a “warrior’’.
“Dad, people attack you for being unconventional but I love you for being real and I respect you for being effective. Washington has not changed Donald Trump, Donald Trump has changed Washington,” she said.
“I recognise that my dad’s communication style is not to everyone’s taste. And I understand his tweets can feel a bit unfiltered. But the results — the results speak for themselves.” Other speakers during the televised 2 ½ hour final night program included former New York mayor and Mr Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who said all five of the top cities for homicides were governed by “progressive’ Democrats”. “It is clear that a vote for Biden and the Democrats creates the risk that you will bring this lawlessness to your city, town or suburb,” he said.
Republican Senator Tom Cotton criticised Mr Biden’s foreign policy history, saying he was weak on terrorism and on China.
Housing Secretary and former presidential aspirant Ben Carson, an African American, refuted allegations that Mr Trump was a racist and urged protesters on the streets of Kenosha in Wisconsin to come together peacefully to effect change.
“History reminds us that necessary change comes through hope and love, not senseless and destructive violence,” he said.
Cameron Stewart is also US contributor for Sky News Australia
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