Republican Convention day 1: Donald Trump Jr, Nikki Haley lash Joe Biden’s ‘weakness’
Donald Trump Jr has offered a dark vision of the US under Joe Biden while Nikki Haley attacked his ‘weakness’ | WATCH
- Biden ‘would crush working people’
- Trump appears with freed hostages
- Trump backer quits amid sex scandal
- St Louis gun couple to speak
- ‘Vote Biden, kill the American dream’
Welcome to The Australian’s rolling coverage of the four day Republican Convention.
The convention first day is now over, with Nikki Haley and Donald Trump Jr going for Joe Biden’s jugular.
Cameron Stewart 1.20pm: Biden let rogue regimes ‘get away with murder’
Former US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley has slammed Joe Biden as a weak global leader, saying as Vice President he let Iran, North Korea and China “get away with murder.”
In a keynote speech on the first day of the Republican National Convention, Ms Haley contrasted the former vice president’s “failure” on the world stage with Donald Trump’s tougher approach.
“Obama and Biden let North Korea threaten America. President Trump rejected that weakness, and we passed the toughest sanctions on North Korea in history,” Ms Haley said.
“Obama and Biden let Iran get away with murder...President Trump ripped up the Iran nuclear deal.
‘The former Vice President has a record of weakness and failure. Joe Biden is good for Iran and ISIS...great for Communist China...and he’s a godsend to everyone who wants America to apologize, abstain and abandon our values.”
The speech by Ms Haley, who is expected to run for president in 2024, was part of a two and a half hour prime time program for the opening day of the four day convention which also featured a strong political campaign speech by Mr Trump’s eldest son Donald Trump Jr.
Mr Trump Jr painted a bleak picture of America’s future under a Biden presidency.
“Biden’s radical leftwing policies would stop our economic recovery cold. He’s already talking about shutting the country down again - it’s madness.”
He said Mr Biden would attack the country’s basic freedoms including freedom of religion and freedom of speech because a Biden presidency would embrace ‘cancel culture.’
Both speakers accused Mr Biden of being soft on law and order at a time when protest and riots continue in many US cities. Their speeches coincided with mounting tensions in Kenosha, Wisconsin, after video captured police shooting a black man, Jacob Blake, in the back from point blank range as he tried to get into his car. Hundreds of demonstrators have walked through the streets protesting and setting businesses on fire.
The Republican program featured ordinary people from teachers to nurses and educators talking about how their lives had been improved by the policies of the administration.
Mr Trump made only a brief appearance in two pre-taped segments, one talking to front line workers of the pandemic and the other talking to six US hostages who were released from their captors during his presidency.
How the Republican National Convention unfolded
Anne Barrowclough 12.45pm: Trump Jr: Biden woud crush working people
Donald Trump Jr has spoken, offering a dark vision of the US under Joe Biden and the Democrats, but without offering the expected personal family tribute to his father.
Donald Trump Jr.: “I was fortunate enough to grow up in a family that could afford the best schools and the finest universities. But a great education cannot be the exclusive right of the rich and powerful. It must be accessible to all. And that's why my dad is pro-school choice†pic.twitter.com/8fy0lPhfZv
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) August 25, 2020
Mr Trump Jr said the economy was succeeding until the coronavirus hit and accused Joe Biden of “putting political correctness ahead of the American people.”
“Biden’s left wing policies would stop our economy cold,” he said. “Joe Biden’s entire economic platform seems designed to crush to working man and woman.”
Before Mr Trump Jr spoke, former US Ambassador to the UN Nikii Haley accused Mr Biden of weakness, comparing him with Mr Trump’s “strnegth”.
Under Mr Trump’s leadership, she said, “We did what Barack Obama and Joe Biden refused to do. We stood up for America and against our enemies.”
Ms Haley praised Donald Trump for passing sanctions on North Korea and said he “ripped up the Iran nuclear deal.”
“Joe Biden and the Democrats are still blaming America first. Donald Trump has always put America first,” she said.
Anne Barrowclough 12.10pm: Trump appears with freed hostages
Donald Trump has made another live appearance at the White House, this time with former hostages freed by his administration. The former hostages includes Pastor Andrew Bruson, who was held in Turkey for two years and Joshua Holt, held for two years in Venezuela, for whom Mr Trump personally intervened.
Pastor Brunson told Mr Trump: “Your administration really fought for me. If you had not, I would still be in Turkey”.
Pastor Bryan Nerren, held in India and threatened with a seven year sentence, said the brightest moment in a dark time was a letter of sympathy and support Mr Trump wrote to his wife.
Agencies 12.05pm: Democrat slams ‘all talk, no action’ Biden
Vernon Jones, a Democratic politician from Georgia, who has been criticised for supporting Donald Trump, has slammed Joe Biden’s leadership and praised Mr Trump’s commitment to the Black community.
“As you can see, I am a man of color and I am a lifelong Democrat, too. You may be wondering, why is a lifelong Democrat speaking at the Republican National Convention? And that is a fair question. And here’s your answer, the Democratic Party does not want Black people to lead their mental plantation. We’ve been forced to be there for decades and generations,” Mr Jones said.
Georgia Democratic state Rep. Vernon Jones hails President Trump for working to fund Historically Black Colleges and Universities: “That gave our HBCUs stability — the chance to grow and produce the next generation of Black leaders. That’s right. Donald Trump did that†pic.twitter.com/ibeVztRsQK
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) August 25, 2020
“But I have news for Joe Biden, we are free, we are free people with free minds. And I am part of a large and growing segment of the Black community who are independent thinkers and we believe that Donald Trump is the president that America needs to lead us forward.” Mr Jones said Mr Biden had been “all talk and no action.”
“Just like so many of the Democrats who have been making promises to the Black voters for decades. We have been there captive audience,” he said.
Agencies 12.00pm: Trump Jr’s girlfriend: Biden wants to steal liberty
Donald Trump Jr’s girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle has given a rousing speech, describing onald Trump as “the leader who will rebuild the promise of America and ensure that every citizen can realize their American dream.”
Ms Guilfoyle claimed Joe Biden and Kamala Harris “will fundamentally change this nation.”
“They want to destroy this country, and everything that we have fought for and hold dear. They want to steal your liberty, your freedom. They want to control what you see and think, and believe, so they can control how you live,” Ms Guilfoyle said.
She urged Americans to vote for a “President who is fearless, who believes in you, and who loves this country and will fight for her.”
Kimberly Guilfoyle, the girlfriend of Donald Trump Jr. and a top fundraiser for the Trump campaign, at the RNC urges Americans to stand for a "President who is fearless, who believes in you, and who loves this country and will fight for her" https://t.co/469rNnX3LW pic.twitter.com/WiWSrkX5JZ
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) August 25, 2020
Anne Barrowclough 11.50am: ‘Democrats protect criminals from civilians’
Mark and Patricia McCloskey the infamous St Louis gun couple have told the convention that Marxists” and “radicals” will take power if Joe Biden wins the election.
The couple who faced charges after brandishing guns at a BLM protest, described protesters as an “out of control mob” and said they had been attempting to protect their home when they pointed weapons at the protesters.
“It seems as if the Democrats no longer believe the government’s job is protecting honest civilians from criminals, but protecting criminals from honest civilians,” said Mr McCloskey.
“These radicals ... want to take over. They want power.”
Staff writers 11.30am: NFL star: Trump is no racist
Former NFL star Herschel Walker told the convention Donald Trump could never be called a racist. Mr Walker said he had known Mr Trump for 37 years and enjoyed a “deep personal friendship” with him.
“It hurt my soul to hear the terrible names that people call Donald. The worst one is ‘racist.’ I take it as a personal insult that people would think I’ve had a 37-year friendship with a racist. People who think that don’t know what they are talking about. Growing up in the Deep South, I’ve seen racism up close. I know what it is. And it isn’t Donald Trump,” said Mr Walker.
He said Mr Trump was a “caring, loving father” and that over the years he has “watched (Trump) treat the janitors, security guards, and waiters the same way he would treat a VIP.”
Mr Walker, a former Olympian published a book, in 2008 revealing revealed he suffered from dissociative identity disorder, or DID, formerly known as multiple personality disorder. He told CNN he’s trying to break down the stigma surrounding the illness.
Staff writers 11.20am: ‘I love truckers, they love me’
Donald Trump has appeared in the East Room of the White House with frontline workers including a postal worker, trucker, two nurses and a policewoman who had suffered coronavirus.
President Trump makes appearance at the RNC with frontline workers https://t.co/dc0fIt45md pic.twitter.com/U1tvOxsCDw
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) August 25, 2020
“These are great, great people. Doctors, nurses, firemen, a policeman. We want to thank you, all you’ve been incredible and we want to thank you and all the millions of people that you represent,” the President said.
Mr Trump did not address any of the workers by name but told the trucker: “I love truckers and I think most of them are on my side. All of them, actually.”
A nursing supervisor told Mr Trump: “I’m so in awe of your leadership ... it takes a true leader to do what is right.”
Anne Barrowclough 11.10am: Trump defender slams Biden
Matt Gaetz, a Republican congressman from Florida and longtime defender of Donald Trump, has attacked Joe Biden, describing him as a “failure.”
“I’m speaking from an auditorium emptier than Joe Biden’s daily schedule,” Mr Gaetz said at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington. “But we are a nation of full hearts and clear minds. We see the choice clearly: Strength or weakness. Energy or confusion. Success or failure. And Biden knows failure.”
Mr Gaetz praised Trump’s leadership.
“Donald Trump, like all builders, is a visionary. That which is built in the mind is even more powerful than the brick and mortar that holds it together,” he said.
“President Trump sometimes raises his voice — and a ruckus. He knows that’s what it takes to raise an army of patriots who love America and will protect her,”
Anne Barrowclough 10.50am: New York archbishop opens RNC
Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, has opened the Republican National Convention, with a “prayer for the nation”.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Archbishop of New York, begins the first night of the Republican National Convention with a prayer for the nation https://t.co/ck9QsBmf6P pic.twitter.com/cJnOYyd3B5
— CNN (@CNN) August 25, 2020
Cardinal Dolan earlier defended his appearance, insisting that offering a prayer did not mean he endorsed a party or candidate.
He tweeted that if Democrats had asked hin to offer a prayer he would have “happily accepted,” as he did i 2012 at the DNC convention.
He said it was one of his “most sacred obligations” to “try and respond positively whenever I am invited to pray.”
Anne Barrowclough 9.45am: Trump evangelical backer ‘quit’ over sex scandal
One of Donald Trump’s most prominent evangelical backers has been forced to deny resigning as president of a well known Christian college amid a sex scandal involving his wife, a pool boy and claims of voyeurism.
Jerry Falwell Jr was reported by multiple US media outlets to have stood down from Liberty University after a Miami man claimed he had an eight-year affair with Becki Falwell and that Mr Falwell enjoyed watching the two having sex.
Mr Falwell acknowledged the affair in a statement but denied the claim of voyeurism.
He said he and his family were blackmailed by the man, who had an “inappropriate personal relationship”.
Mr Falwell didn’t name the man but a former pool attendant called Giancarlo Granda told CNN and Reuters he had been having an affair with Mrs Falwell and her husband “enjoyed watching from the corner of the room,” while they were having sex.
Mr Granda said he was 20 when he met the couple while working as a pool attendant at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel in March 2012.
Mr Granda told Reuters he and Becki had sex “multiple times per year” at hotels in Miami and New York and at the Falwells’ home in Virginia.
A spokesperson for both Falwells said the claim that Mr Falwell observed the two having sex was untrue.
In his statement, Mr Falwell said: “Becki had an inappropriate personal relationship with this person, something in which I was not involved.”
Mr Falwell said on Tuesday (AEST) that he had not resigned from Liberty University but was on leave due to stress. The university said Mr Falwell was on “indefinite leave “.
READ the full story here
Anne Barrowclough 9.30am: St Louis gun couple to speak today
Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the St Louis couple who pointed a semiautomatic pistol and a semiautomatic rifle at a group of Black Lives Matter protesters in Missouri in June will speak today at the convention.
Mark McCloskey, 63, and his 61-year-old wife were each charged in July with one count of unlawful use of a weapon.
The couple were seen in a widely shared video brandishing the weapons and shouting at the protesters as they marched past their house.
According to court documents, Mr McCloskey lowered his rifle and screamed at the protesters, while his wife pointed her pistol at them, shouting: “Go.”
Mike Parson, the Republican governor of Missouri, has vowed to pardon the couple if they’re convicted.
Agencies 8.55am: Riots in key state over unarmed man’s shooting
The shooting of an unarmed black man in the back in Wisconsin has sparked outrage across the US, with officials calling in the national guard as they girded for a second night of violent protests.
Wisconsin’s Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes said the shooting of Jacob Blake in the city of Kenosha reflected a pattern of police violence nationwide against African Americans.
Kenosha County, on the shores of Lake Michigan, declared a “state of emergency curfew” from 8.00pm until 7.00am Tuesday, as angry citizens planned demonstrations.
“The public needs to be off the streets for their safety,” the county sheriff said in a statement.
Video footage showed Mr Blake, 29, being shot in the back seven times at extremely close range by two officers Sunday as he tried to enter his car following what some observers said was his attempt to break up a fight.
Witnesses said Mr Black’s sons were in the car at the time of the shooting.
Jacob Blake wasn’t armed or violent when police in Kenosha, Wisconsin shot him 7 times in the back. pic.twitter.com/tw26TkhjHW
— Brad Betts (@870South) August 24, 2020
Mr Blake was airlifted to hospital in Milwaukee in a serious condition, but local media reported that his family said he was out of surgery and improving.
“Tonight, Jacob Blake was shot in the back multiple times, in broad daylight, in Kenosha, Wisconsin,” Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers said Sunday.
“While we do not have all of the details yet, what we know for certain is that he is not the first black man or person to have been shot or injured or mercilessly killed at the hands of individuals in law enforcement in our state or our country.”
Wisconsin is a key swing state which voted for Donald Trump in 2016 but swung blue in the mid-term elections in 2018. Joe Biden is currently leading Mr Trump ehre
Mr Biden called for a transparent probe into the shooting.
“Yesterday, Jacob Blake was shot seven times in the back by police. His kids watched from the car. Today, we woke to grieve yet again. We need a full and transparent investigation,” he said.
Cameron Stewart 8.00am: Donald Trump Jr main speaker of Day 1
Three hundred thirty six Republican delegates from each state and territory cast proxy votes on behalf of more than 2500 delegates to renominate Donald Trump in a convention hall in Charlotte.
Mr Trump and the Vice President Mike Pence made a surprise appearance, giving a largely unscripted speech to the cheering delegates before returning to Washington.
However the main event of the first day of the convention is the two and a half hour televised program due to kick off at 10.30am (AEST).
This will be a large virtual program with the theme ‘Land of Promise’ and will feature videos of ordinary people talking about why they believe the president deserves a second term in office.
The main speakers on the first day will be the president’s eldest son Donald Trump Jr and former ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley.
Cameron Stewart 7.00am: ‘Vote Biden, kill the American dream’
Donald Trump has warned that a Joe Biden presidency would kill the American dream as Republicans renominated him on the first day of the Republican National Convention.
Mr Trump made a surprise appearance at the convention centre in Charlotte North Carolina where 336 delegates conducted a roll call of states to formally renominate the president. The roll call came hours before the prime time televised program for the first day was due to begin at 10.30am (AEST).
“I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart, you are incredible warriors,’ Mr Trump told the delegates.
“I think we have the greatest base of support anywhere at anytime in any election,” he said, adding that he believed his supporters were even more enthusiastic than they were in 2016.
In a largely unscripted speech, Mr Trump said voters needed to be very careful to ensure they turned up to vote in November.
“This is the most important election in the history of the country. Don’t let them take it away from you,” he said.
“The only way they can take this election away from us is if this is a rigged election,” said Mr Trump who repeated his concern that large numbers of mail-in ballots could lead to voter fraud.
He said if his Democrat opponent Mr Biden was elected he would stack the country’s courts with liberal judges.
“He can’t do it,” he said. “The radical left will demand he appoints super-radical-left wild crazy justices going into the Supreme Court.”
If that happens, Mr Trump said, “Your American dream will be dead.”
“Our country can go in a horrible, horrible direction or an even greater direction and before the plague came in from China, that’s where we were going.”
The president was not scheduled to appear at the party’s formal roll call in Charlotte and the crowd of delegates cheered and chanted “four more years” when the president walked to the stage.
The paired back roll call ceremony of the 50 states included just 336 delegates delivering proxy votes for more than 2,500 delegates.
They sat at socially distanced tables decorated with bunting and the name of their state.
The roll call was the only event that will take place in Charlotte which was the original site for the convention until the pandemic ruled out a gathering of the large crowds Mr Trump wanted.
The rest of the four day Republican convention will take place in Washington and Baltimore.
Mr Trump’s appearance came before the main speeches which will be given later today during the two and a half hour televised program to mark the first day of the convention.
Those due to speak include Mr Trump’s eldest son Donald Jnr and also the popular former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley.
Vice President Mike Pence also made a surprise appearance in Charlotte after he was also renominated.
“I’ve got to be honest with you, I’m here for one reason and one reason only, and that is not just the Republican Party but America needs four more years of President Donald Trump in the White House,” the vice president said.
“We’ve revived this economy through cutting taxes … after years of budget cuts this president rebuilt our military,” Mr Pence said. “This president has seen with your support more than 200 men and women confirmed to the federal courts at every level and they are all conservatives who will uphold the God-given liberties enshrined in our Constitution like the freedom of religion, the freedom of speech and the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.”
(Cameron Stewart is also US Contributor for Sky News Australia)
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