Melania Trump’s plea to unite America

Melania Trump has called on voters to give her husband four more years, saying Donald Trump is a man of action who gets results.

US first lady Melania Trump addresses the Republican Convention from the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington. Picture: AFP

Melania Trump has called on Americans to give her husband four more years in office, saying Donald Trump is a man of action who will never stop fighting to ­restore the country’s economy and its fortunes.

In a wide-ranging address at the White House Rose Garden, the first lady also urged Americans to stop rioting and looting over ­issues of race and to come together to think about a more unified way forward.

In her speech to the Republican National Convention, Ms Trump also openly acknowledged how life in the US had changed because of the coronavirus and expressed her sympathies for the widespread suffering in a pandemic that has claimed almost 180,000 American lives.

“I want to acknowledge the fact that since March, our lives have changed drastically,” she said. “My deepest sympathy goes out to everyone who has lost a loved one and my prayers with those who are suffering.

“I know many people are anxious and some feel helpless. I want you to know you are not alone.”

In a speech which was conciliatory and unifying, Ms Trump said she would not “attack the other side” as her predecessor Michelle Obama did last week when she ­attacked the President.

“Because as we saw last week that kind of talk only serves to divide the country further,” Ms Trump said.

But she did press Mr Trump’s case for a second term, saying: “He demands action, and he gets results.

“In my husband you have a president who will not stop fighting for you and your families and despite the unpresidential attacks of the media and opposition, he will not give up.

“Donald Trump has not and will not lose focus on you. He loves this country and he knows how to get things done. As you have learned over the past five years he is not a traditional politician; he doesn’t just speak words, he ­demands action and gets results.”

Ms Trump spoke of her work on behalf of opioid victims and young disadvantaged children and said she had recently been reflecting on the recent racial unrest in the country.

“I’d like to call on the citizens of this country to take a moment, pause and look at things from all perspectives,” 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.

“Instead of tearing things down let’s reflect on our mistakes, be proud of our evolution and look to our way forward.”

Only hours earlier the mother of a black man shot repeatedly in the back by Wisconsin police also called for calm after two nights of violent protests. Jacob Blake’s family and lawyers said the father of three was paralysed after a ­policeman’s bullet shattered Blake’s spine, and others damaged his stomach, colon, liver and arm.

For Ms Trump, who does not like the spotlight, hers was the most important speech since the 2016 election campaign. Her last major speech at the 2016 Republican convention led to her being criticised for plagiarising parts of Michelle Obama’s 2008 speech to the Democratic convention.

As part of day two of the four-day convention, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo gave a prerecorded speech from Jerusalem in which he spoke of Mr Trump’s achievements on the world stage.

On China, he said the President had ‘pulled back the curtain on the predatory aggression of the Chinese Communist Party”.

This included holding Beijing accountable for covering up the coronavirus, jailing and sending back Chinese spies posing as diplomats and ending unfair trade deals.

On North Korea, Mr Pompeo said the President had lowered the temperature and had brought the North Korean leadership to the table, which had resulted in no new nuclear or long-range missile tests.

On the Middle East, Mr Pompeo touted the assassination of ­Iranian terrorist Qasem Soleimani, the battlefield defeat of Islamic State, the moving of the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and the recent peace deal between ­Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

The 2½-hour program touched on many issues dear to Republicans, including speeches condemning abortion and socialism. Women employees at the White House lauded Mr Trump’s record on women’s issues while one speaker attacked Mr Biden’s son Hunter for his business interests in Ukraine.

The program included Mr Trump holding a naturalisation ceremony for new American citizens at the White House and ­issuing a pardon to Jon Ponder, a former convicted criminal-turned-advocate for newly released prisoners.

Mr Trump’s son Eric gave a dark and fiery speech, warning that the Democrats were the party of high taxes and anti-patriotic sentiments and were disrespectful of law enforcement and hostile ­towards freedom of religion and speech.

“The Democrats want an America where your thoughts and opinions speech are censored when they do not align with their own,” he said.

“I’m proud to watch you give them hell,” he said in a personal delivery to his father. “Never stop. Continue to be unapologetic. Keep fighting for what’s right.”

Mr Trump’s daughter Tiffany addressed the convention, ­accusing the US media of manipulating the news to fit its own biased anti-Trump narrative.

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

“We believe in freedom of thought and expression. Think what you want.”

Others who appeared include a dairy farmer who praised the President’s trade policy, a lobster fisherman who gave thanks for government assistance, and a former Planned Parenthood employee from Texas who now opposes abortion.

Cameron Stewart is also US Contributor for Sky News Australia