2024 Republican National Convention | RNC Night 3 | PBS News special coverage

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With their convention in full swing.

You don't have to agree with Trump 100% of the time to vote for Republicans, including some of former President Donald Trump's biggest rivals have come together as a result of Joe Biden's presidency, your family is less safe.

Let's Donald Trump back to the White House promoting what they call a new vision that aims to reshape American politics.

If you want to restore law and order in this country.

Vote Trump.

Tonight the first speech from Ohio Senator JD Van says the GOP's vice presidential nominee.

As the party lays out its foreign policy agenda amid unrest around the globe.

It is the 3rd night of the 2024 Republican National Convention.

Welcome to PBS News special coverage of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

I'm Jeff Bennett and I'm Ana Navaz.

This is the 3rd night of the convention, and the theme tonight is Make America Strong once again over the next 3 hours we will hear from people who have worked closely with former President Trump from members of the Trump family, from veterans, and in the final hour from JD Vance's wife Usha and then from the vice presidential nominee himself.

Our panel is back with us tonight.

That includes Amy.

of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter.

David Brooks of The New York Times and Jonathan Capehart of The Washington Post and down on the floor of the convention hall, our politics correspondent Lisa Desjardin.

Lisa.

Hi Jeff, we're down with the Georgia delegation right now on this 3rd night.

President Trump is not expected to speak here until tomorrow night, but PBS News has exclusively gotten video of him at a private event that happened a few hours ago here in Milwaukee.

The former president was introducing a documentary about him that's called Trump's Rescue Mission Saving America.

The reason I bring this up is because in this video which was given to us by someone who went to see President Trump in person, former President Trump in this video he makes.

first known comments about the shooting.

This has been our best campaign and then I got shot.

Yeah How does that happen?

You say how did that happen?

But I got lucky.

God was with me, I tell you.

uh That's why they call it close call.

That was amazing, horrible thing, amazing thing, and in many ways it changes your, your attitude, your viewpoint on life.

And I think, honestly, I think you appreciate God even more.

I really do because there's something, something happened that.

Only happen, not that it was pleasant.

It wasn't like it was a complete miss.

But it was uh.

It's pretty terrible that that can happen.

Pretty terrible that that can happen.

The former president's words, the person who shot this obviously is amateur video.

This is not a member of the media that gave it to us obviously freely that person told us they thought the former president was appealing to evangelicals, and Ana Jeff, you may have picked up on evangelicals since the assassination attempt have been saying they thought there was a hand of God.

One other bit of news today there have been there's been a back and forth between the Biden campaign and the Trump campaign over the vice presidential.

I have been told by sources familiar that Vice President Kamala Harris did have a phone call with JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential nominee today, but there have been statements back and forth with the Biden campaign hoping for a debate date to be set perhaps July or August, the Trump campaign has responded and said no date will be set because they say they're not sure who the vice presidential nominee is implying that Joe Biden will not be the presidential nominee.

So tell us more about that, Lisa.

That's interesting because the Biden campaign is trying to put forward this notion that the Trump campaign, namely JD Vance, is in some way afraid to debate Kamala Harris, but you're saying that the campaign is saying that they're not going to make a determination until they know for sure exactly who will be on the ticket.

Well, it's sort of.

Classic.

Oh, as you can tell it's quite loud on the floor right now.

See if this check dries down.

That's it.

It's sort of a classic.

I guess The campaign being witty here, although I will say also in those remarks from former President Trump earlier, we have video of him saying that he's not sure himself if Joe Biden will be his opponent, and he told the crowd that he actually would prefer it to be Joe Biden than Kamala Harris.

Am I right?

Lisa, just to follow up on that because you were able to obtain that video exclusively.

Is there any other context for that video you think we should understand or what we don't know about video we don't see.

Yeah, it's a great question and again I apologize for the loudness down here.

This was in a hall.

It was for a documentary that was pro-Trump.

Can some some donors in there, just some supporters of Trump in that crowd, and the former president introduced the movie.

He was planning to do it.

The pool, the press pool was outside and was not given access to the event, but someone that we know was inside and wanted to share that video.

It's important context there, Lisa Desjardins on the very loud convention floor for us.

Tonight where she will be all evening.

Lisa we'll check back in with you shortly.

Thank you.

Of course back up here we have our panel with us all night as well.

Amy Walter, David Brooks, and Jonathan Capehart.

Amy, I'm struck already by the speakers we've seen on the stage.

We are hearing on the night we expect to hear JD Vance speak a lot more mentions of Kamala Harris as well.

It's really um quite striking.

We, we noted it last night how Kamala Harris's name, the vice president's name, was in almost every speech.

And uh today along with the university of Chicago, uh, we interviewed Tony Fabrizio who is the Trump pollster and um we asked him what would happen if things got switched out?

What do you think it would look like and um he said, look, we believe that if she is put in for Biden, we will still win.

We are 100% ready for this.

We will be able to quickly pivot from making this race about Biden to making it.

About Harris, but I think what they're trying to do here by bringing her up as much as possible is to try to define her before if she were to be the nominee before she has an opportunity to do that uh herself and more important to say that even if Biden is at the top of the ticket.

Kamala Harris will essentially be a president in waiting and it could be at any moment, um, given, uh.

The president's health.

What about that, David, the degree to which Republicans are trying to preemptively define Kamala Harris, and by the way, mispronouncing her first name.

I think everyone knows by now she's been vice president for 4 years, how to say her name correctly, but that's not not what we've been hearing on the stage tonight.

Yeah, well, you know, it's tasteless not to pronounce somebody's name correctly.

I mean people should be called what they want to be called.

So that's a pretty simple rule.

But you know, it's basic politics that you go after your opponents and you go after your opponents, especially Joe Biden, I think had They're poor polling day, I would say today and so it's looking a little more likely where there's been reports of Chuck Schumer went to Biden and was aggressively saying he should step down, so it's looking a little more likely that Biden will step down.

I don't know what the odds are, but so it's, it's just politics 101 to go after the first two would possibly going to be your opponent Jonathan.

I'm just watching your face.

You weren't scribbling any notes there, but I'm sure you have a response here.

Well, I mean my response is I noticed the mentioning.

Of the vice president's name on the very first night her name has been mentioned since the start of this convention.

I would also note that on the first night of the convention, and I'm very sensitive to this, her name was being pronounced correctly as we've moved through the days and today in particular it's now Kamala and, and the mispronunciation, but look, I agree with David, you know it is smart politics on the part of the Republicans to sort of seed the field.

Here and with the nation with her name knowing uh I I think that the Trump campaign is anticipating the fact that anticipating that she could very well be the top of the ticket and so that if she does become the top of the ticket, the folks in this hall and the folks who have been watching watching the convention will already be predisposed to not not like her as if they were gonna like her to begin to begin with.

This is a night where we expect to hear later from the vice presidential nominee, JD Vance.

We've been talking all week about how he very much envisions himself as Donald Trump's populist protege.

This is his introduction to the Republican Party, to Americans nationwide.

What should he say?

Well, they made a movie about his life, so he should be able to, he should be able to tell that story, and I, I assume he'll tell that story very well.

He wrote a book telling that story.

It's a pretty fantastic story, frankly, uh, and so I, I think that's that and that's one of the things we'll hear.

One of the things I'm curious about, this is foreign policy night and already in the in the pre-speakers earlier in the day, people went hammer and tong after George W. Bush.

Uh, they're really, I mean, Newt Gingrich said something nice about Ronald Reagan, but he's Newt Gingrich, he's 150 years old, and so, uh, and so, but how hard they hit this, this, uh, theme of let's get out of Ukraine, the posters on the floor that have been laid out on the seats, President Trump will end the war in Ukraine.

It doesn't say how.

And so let's leaves some ambiguity open and this is the one this is the most unified Republican convention I've ever been at, but this is the one issue where they're not unified.

Amy on some of the issues we know we're going to hear about tonight, the war in Ukraine and the war in the Middle East as well.

We've already heard some of those remarks and there's this repeated sort of we are less safe under a president Biden and Vice President Harris.

How much does this resonate with voters because typically foreign policy issues don't rank among the highest of issues, but this issue of safety certainly hits home.

How are folks looking in, I think much more about the border than it is about what's happening in Ukraine trying to make that case as as the president has continued to try.

To do both in public and in private saying to those who are asking him to get out.

Look what I did with NATO.

Look at how much, how I not only kept NATO together but expanded it.

Look what I'm doing on the world stage.

That's not something he's getting credit for from voters in part because they're looking more closely at what is happening at home rather than what's happening um overseas and to David's point, it is true that this generation of.

Of Republicans this cohort of Republicans both on the stage and in the crowd, they have been shaped as much by reaction to the wars started under George W. Bush than anything that happened with under Biden's presidency.

That's interesting because as President Biden at this point really is pleading for credit for strengthening the Western alliance against a resurgent Russian in many ways a resurgent China.

What you've heard from this Stage tonight is, well, Vladimir Putin didn't invade Ukraine on Donald Trump's watch, and he wouldn't have that that he invaded Crimea when it was President Obama, and he did the full scale invasion of, of, of Ukraine under President Biden.

What do you make of that?

Because I feel like there are dispassionate voices who will hear that and say they have a point.

Um, they may have a point.

I don't know what's in Putin's mind, and they're, but they're even more so there have been at least one speaker who said who implied that the invasion of Ukraine by Putin was in part America's fault for overexpanding NATO and so that is a pretty strong critique of basically post-war foreign policy, uh, which is and it's a pretty strong evasion of who Vladimir Putin is, and so what does this party believe about that?

I genuinely don't know.

I know what JD.

but I don't know, Donald Trump talks one way on this issue, but as president, at least, He didn't pull us out of NATO.

He was much more conventional than you would thought by the populist rhetoric.

David, we also saw the Russian Foreign Minister today issue a statement essentially welcoming JD Vance to the Trump ticket, basically saying this is a good thing because he will stop arming Ukraine.

That feels like a big policy gap within Republican establishment I'm right.

JD Vance called him a man of peace, the foreign minister of Russia, which is a little odd for a guy who helped invade another country, but that that's the realignment that we're seeing.

And you got to think that.

Vladimir Putin is super happy about the the nomination of JD Van, and there's no way there will be a peace plan on the table as long as the possibility of a US withdrawal of aid.

It's just hanging out there, uh, and so, uh, you know, it's, this is happy days for Vladimir Putin.

You know, do we have time for one thought OK um the testing of this theory, we saw a piece of it in the Ohio Senate race, right?

Ohio has a significant Ukrainian population when Russia invaded Ukraine, Rob Portman, who was the then senator, was adamant about helping Ukraine and going over to Ukraine and spending a great deal of time on this issue.

The thought that a candidate for the Senate in that state could come out and say what he said about Ukraine.

everybody said that's crazy, that's gonna, you're gonna lose the race.

You can't say that in Ohio.

Given the Ukrainian population here, given how much work the senior senators working on that?

Then it seem to hurt him in the state of Ohio, and that tells you not just what it means within the Republican Party, but just as an issue writ large for, you know, for the public.

You know, Jonathan, in talking with some, um, old school conservative sources today.

One of the reasons they're really happy about JD Vance is because they believe that he will have way more policy pull in the West Wing than previous vice presidents because Donald Trump hasn't really shown.

A desire or willingness to really invest in and get really steeped in the policy.

How, how do you see it?

Um, I could see that.

I could totally see that, and it'll be easier it'll be easy for a vice president advance to do all sorts of things because there is a 900 page manual that will be coming, that is right out there from the Heritage Foundation called Project 2025 with a litany of things that they could do starting in minute on minute one.

And so, you know, when you've got someone like Senator Vance, only a year and a half in the Senate, but with some strong ideas on foreign policy on abortion despite him deleting all those from his from his social media sites that, uh, yeah, he, I could see him taking a having a very strong policy position in a way that former Vice President Mike Pence never did.

The other thing I think we'll all keep an eye on tonight is this pledge we've heard from day one about a tamping down on political rhetoric and Avoiding additional political violence in whatever way it does feel like the further down the path we move with each day we're moving further away from that.

David, I don't know if you've noticed that as well.

Peter Navarro took the stage, and by the way, came here straight from prison, took the stage, got a standing ovation for several minutes from this crowd and delivered what I can best describe as sort of an anti-immigrant screed.

Doubling down on this idea of people crossing the border are rapists and murderers, and they are here to steal your jobs, calling them illiterate, and that got a lot of applause here in the room.

Do you sense that we're moving?

Further back towards this kind of language, I should know more about Freudian psychology, but there's the ego and the id.

I think the id, the Republican id wants a lot of that and I think the, the people who are running this campaign would like to tamp down.

But this is a party with like people like Peter Navarro who are pretty out there on a lot of issues and so the idea that they control this party is true of most parties that the elites can't control the crucial question is Donald Trump is what speech he gives tomorrow and whether, as he said in Lisa's video, the video that Lisa got, whether he is a changed man, and if that's the theme he wants to strike and we'll see if he can do that and then in the months since we'll see if his own aid can be Can be controlled or whether he goes on a rampage, and I apologize to all Freudians if I got that wrong.

The other thing Peter Navarro said on that stage was they came for me and they can come for you too.

And we should say the reason he did time was because he refused to cooperate with the congressional investigation the January 6th investigation, uh, and that was why he was sent to prison.

Right, um, he said all sorts of things, um, I went to prison, so you won't have to.

He talked about Lawfare jackals, he said.

That um Trump will hold these lawfare jackals accountable, he said the things that Ana said that he said um he.

If the if the campaign Trump campaign wants to be as disciplined as they're signaling they never would have put him on stage fresh out of prison.

This idea that there was gonna be unity and a change in tone either from this convention or from or from the former president.

I've I've never believed it and having Peter Navarro take that stage and give the speech that he gave just like turns that on its head.

This was never going to be.

Unity convention.

This was never going to be a discipline um outward facing convention these speeches are about soothing the souls and amping up the passions of the people in this hall and the people watching at home who who are couldn't be in this hall.

David, what about what we're expecting to hear from Senator Vance himself.

I know we're all anticipating what we hear from the president himself, or former President Trump himself tomorrow, but is there some tone setting expectation from JD Vance.

Well, the man who we should note immediately after the assassination attempt on former President Trump was one of the first to come out and blatantly point a finger at President Biden to say he was responsible for that attack.

Do you think he might tone it down tonight?

I think so.

There are two ways you can go.

You can go the personal route, which was called the Lara-Trump model and Lara Trump last night talked about what a great grandfather Donald Trump was.

It was heartwarming and it was, it was apolitical really, uh, for a RNC chairman, uh, and, but, and so the other way is uh Vance can go super wonky.

I imagine he'll go personal simply because that's what vice presidential nominees do.

If you're a member of Sarah Palin's first speech, which I thought was a pretty good speech she did the lipstick on the pig, the hockey mom, mom, she did, it was personal here, here's who I am America.

I want you to like me, so I'm not going to offend half of you.

Well, and like Sarah Palin, most of Republicans don't know anything about JD Vance, so it's not just introducing him to the rest of the country.

It's introducing them to the people in this room who really don't know much about Hi, um, but I'm also gonna be very curious um to see if he does what we think he will be doing on the campaign, which is you got to introduce him and then he serves as the attack dog for uh for Trump, especially if Trump now is the toned down one he gets to be a good cop and, and, uh, and Vance is a, is a bad cop.

Let's go to the convention floor now and hear from Mayor Trent Conway of East Palestine, Ohio, who's now speaking at the podium.

I'm Trent Conaway, the proud mayor of East Palestine, Ohio.

When the train derailed, spewing flames and toxic chemicals to our town.

Face the disaster unlike we'd ever seen.

And in the chaos we witnessed a clear contrast between leadership and incompetence.

Our first responders didn't hesitate.

They raced to the scene.

They battled the flames and evacuated our citizens.

And for that I want to thank every one of them tonight.

Unfortunately, the Biden administration's federal response was much different.

And constant, it consisted almost entirely of meetings and press events.

They talked and talked, but they delivered a little help.

Then there was a clear difference between former President Trump and President Biden.

For the longest time, the White House was silent.

And we never heard a word from Vice President Harris.

I guess we weren't their type of folks.

No Hollywood elites or Wall Street billionaires live in East Palestine, just hardworking Americans.

But Donald Trump cared.

First he called to ask permission to visit, not wanting to intrude, and then he asked how he could help.

When he arrived with fresh pallets of drinking water, he met with everyone from first responders to local officials and residents.

He tore the derailment site.

He listened to us.

And he shared a meal with volunteers at a local McDonald's.

His presence was genuine.

His concern was real.

After a year of criticism criticism President Biden finally did show up.

His appearance was brief, forced and scripted.

He met with a select few and then left.

We needed so much and he delivered so little.

I know a thing or two about train wrecks now, and let me tell you, that's what the Biden administration has been.

Before President Biden derails our entire nation.

We need to act.

We need a leader who values small town communities as much as big cities.

We need a president who loves all Americans.

We need Donald J. Trump.

Thank you Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the governor of North Dakota, Doug Burgu.

Hello Milwaukee.

And hello North Dakota.

Feels good to be here.

The last time I was in Milwaukee in this building standing behind a podium was for the debate.

And I stood on one leg for two hours.

You guys might remember I blew my Achilles the day before, but to kick things off, I have a question for you, and I need your help answering so nice and so loud that everyone at home can hear you.

Are you ready?

Who will make America energy dominant.

Again, who will make America energy dominant.

Well, that's that's pretty good, but it's, it's after 4 p.m. in DC.

So how about one more time loud enough to wake up Joe Biden, who will make America energy dominant.

That's right, because when President Trump unleashes American energy, we unleash American prosperity and we ensure our national security.

Serving as a governor with President Trump.

It was like having a beautiful breeze at our back.

He cut taxes and he cut red tape.

Serving as a governor under Joe Biden.

Has been like a gale force wind in our face.

Biden's war on energy hurts every American because the cost of energy is in everything we use or touch every day.

Biden's red tape has raised the price of the gas in your car.

The cost of food on your table.

The clothes on your back.

And it's even raised your rent.

Biden's green agenda feels like it was written by China.

Russia and Iran.

Let's look at Biden's EV mandates.

Where do nearly all the batteries and rare earth minerals come from?

China, you know.

And the day that Biden halted permits for clean US natural gas export facilities.

Just think about the party they must have thrown that night at the Kremlin.

Because Biden's policies are making Russia and Iran filthy rich.

And they're using that money to fund wars and terrorism against our allies.

At home, Biden is acting like a dictator.

He's using mandates to shut down reliable base load electricity.

That's why your electric bills have soared upwards as our nation's electric grid reliability spirals downward.

4 more years of Joe will usher an era of Biden brownouts and blackouts.

Imagine no electricity for your fridge, your lights, or air conditioning.

President Trump will ensure that there is power for you.

And importantly that we have the power as the United States to beat China in the AI arms race.

Unleashing American energy dominance is our path back to prosperity and peace through strength.

Teddy Roosevelt encouraged America.

To speak softly and carry a big stick.

Energy dominance will be the big stick that President Trump will carry.

Yes, President Trump will make sure that America is selling energy to our allies versus buying it from our adversaries.

Innovation has always been the source of American greatness.

And President Trump champions innovation over regulation.

Last year, Over that whole year my wife Catherine and I traveled all across America.

As all of you know, it's rural America that feeds the world, that fuels the world and defends the world.

Small towns with a huge impact and rural America is Trump country.

In North Dakota we know.

We know one thing for sure because we've seen him do it, and that's at the hardest working president in American history is Donald J. Trump.

President Trump cares deeply about every American.

Rig workers, truck drivers, roughnecks.

And yes, America's great farmers and ranchers.

President Trump cares deeply about you.

We know that he'll fight for us.

He'll fight for our families.

And we know one more thing.

He'll let all of you keep driving your gas powered cars.

When President Trump unleashes energy dominance, he will make America affordable again.

He will make America strong again and when President Donald J. Trump and JD Vance together, they will make America great again.

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome former counselor to President Donald J. Trump, Kellyanne Conway.

Good evening, Patriots.

8 years ago.

Donald Trump shocked the system and defied the doubters to become the forty-fifth president of the United States.

He didn't want the form fortune or fame, power and position.

He already has all of that.

Donald Trump may and his family made enormous sacrifices to run and to serve as president.

He didn't need to do it.

He wanted to do it.

My relationship with Mr. Trump was forged under fire in a foxhole in 2016.

After he asked me to be his campaign manager.

We had no idea that he was making history as the first successful presidential nominee ever to tap a woman to lead a campaign.

But that was a natural for Donald J. Trump.

He had elevated women in New York real estate decades before when few people would.

One morning I was in an early senior staff meeting in the White House.

And as I glanced around the table, something caught my eye.

In that meeting where Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

Mercedes Schlapp Brooke Rollins, Ivanka Trump, and me.

I soon realized that among us We have 19 children.

At the time, ages 2 through 16.

Show me a C-suite in America.

Where 5 working moms of 19 young children.

Could have the highest rank in the company and work alongside the president.

In the Trump White House we lived it.

Sure, he saw something in me and the other working moms that perhaps we did not see in ourselves.

But more importantly, he sees what's best and what's possible.

For millions of decent hardworking Americans.

Now 8 years later, He and his family have made the sacrifice again.

For him to run and serve as president.

Donald Trump could be the envy of former presidents.

He's a billionaire who could play golf every day at his own golf courses.

He can enjoy a magnificent life.

With his incredible 5 children, his 10 amazing grandchildren.

And that extraordinary elegant, beautiful, brilliant wife.

The former and future First Lady Melania Trump.

He does not need to do this.

But we need him to do this.

How often do we hear?

I want Trump's policies without Trump's personality.

Well, good luck with that.

We don't get those policies without that personality.

Taking out our Baghdadi and Soleimani, ending the ISIS caliphate.

Recalibrating trade deals, restoring sanity, growth, and fairness in our economy.

Making our southern border more secure and sovereign.

Supporting school choice.

Protecting life, respecting workers, backing our blue, our military and our border patrol.

You get that through strength and toughness.

Weakness emboldens our adversaries.

Enables failure.

And empowers evil.

The answer to weakness is strength.

The antidote to division is unity.

And the alternative to failure and incompetence to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris is to send them packing and send Donald Trump and JD Vance to the White House.

If you know someone who is skeptical.

About the Republican Party.

Or who is cynical about politics.

Don't dismiss them.

Talk to them.

We went through addition, not division.

In Donald Trump's Republican Party, everyone is welcome.

We have been called deplorable.

Irredeemable.

Mega Maggot extremists and worse.

But Donald Trump sees you for who you are.

You love your God?

You love your family and you love your country.

In 2024 there should be no more hidden undercover Trump voters.

It's time to put that flag on your front porch.

That red hat on your head.

Because we don't cave and we don't cower and we do not capitulate.

Instead We get up We show up We stand up and we speak up.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is your movement.

This is your moment.

And this is the man I know and the president we need for 4 more years.

He picks the toughest fights and wins.

He has stood by me and he will always stand up for you.

Thank you, God bless you and God bless the United States of America.

I would describe that was Kellyanne Conway, former senior counselor to former President Trump taking the stage.

They're watching PBS News live coverage of the 3rd night of the Republican National Convention.

We're going to turn now to some other topics before we take you back down to the stage for additional speakers.

It's important to note misinformation continues to be an important issue during this whole campaign season, including right here at the Republican National Convention unfortunately PBS News is partnering with PolitiFact to do some fact checking.

Katie Sanders from joins us here in the booth.

Good to see you.

Thanks for having us.

So let's just address a few of the things we've heard in previous nights tonight already and add some context and necessary facts to this on the issue of inflation, we heard Congressman Ronnie Jackson of Texas earlier today saying that the US had experienced record high inflation under the Biden administration.

What should we understand about that?

I think when you leave it open ended like that and maybe you're not an economist or an economics expert, you don't know that he's referring to a specific point of time.

Inflation.

I experienced a couple of years ago was nowhere near the levels of the 1970s, the early 1980s, when it was 12 to 15%.

So at the high under Biden, it was at around 9%.

It's come down since then, so you can kind of play fast and loose with record high inflation.

It's important to actually look up the numbers and Congressman Matt Gates, who addressed the convention earlier this evening, said that Vice President Kamala Harris was appointed the border czar.

She did have immigration as part of her portfolio.

So how does that stack up?

Just need some context too and.

He's certainly not the first person to bring up that line.

You've heard it from multiple speakers, so it sounds like it's something that actually literally happened, but this is actually a nickname from Republicans.

What Biden did early into his presidency was a point Kamala Harris to investigate the root causes of immigration in Northern Triangle countries.

He didn't say you're in charge now.

He left that to the Department of Homeland Security, so that remains with Alejando Majorcas and um the Republicans very quickly took to calling her the border czar.

Because political reasons.

We've heard a lot a lot also about the US withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan after the 20 plus year war there we saw former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich take to the stage, and he said that Biden adopted what he called failed policies, whereas Trump orchestrated an orderly end to the Afghanistan war with no American killed in nearly two years.

It's a very specific claim.

How does that check out with you and your team, um, I think It just needs a little context.

Some of that long period actually overlaps with the Biden administration, which isn't something that you might think again, the dates matter specific time frames matter and there may not have been combat deaths, but there were 4 non-hostile service members who died during that period and 3 others were wounded in combat wounded, which is not what he said, so to be fair, um, but that wasn't a combat situation, so I think it kind of speaks to this broader theme that under former President Trump, everything was fine.

We didn't have conflicts around the world.

Certainly more context is needed for that.

Katie Sanders, editor in chief of PolitiFact, thanks so much.

Thanks for having me.

Let's go back to the convention floor where Lisa Desjardin, our politics correspondent, our eyes and ears here at the Republican National Convention is with a delegate, as I understand it, Lisa.

That's right.

It's a little bit of activity around here, guys, because Texas Governor Greg Abbott is expected to speak.

They're clearing some of the aisles for him right now.

That's why it's a little bit shaky on our end, but To talk to you right now but a delegate from Texas, uh, this is Thomas.

You are from uh Amarillo, which I believe you described as what hot?

It's a hot, really flat, but it's also kind of like the old west, so you said it's where modern America meets the old West, right?

And you are 25, you are a delegate here that is among the youngest delegates, I think, at this convention, but you're also running for office.

You're running as a Republican nominee, I believe, as tax assessor.

I'm the Republican nominee for taxes or.

County, Texas.

You are someone who is about the future of the Republican Party.

So let me ask you, why do you think Donald Trump should be the future of this party young Americans still mostly vote Democratic.

He's led some incredible growth in our party, you know, we have more people coming to the Republican Party now than we've had in many years and while not all of it is specifically about Trump, I think the policies are attracting a lot of people.

He's good on a lot of the policies.

Which policies?

I think the economic policies are a great example.

What do you mean?

Well, you know, look at the inflation we have right now.

Look at the expenses people are having on their pocketbooks.

Grocery prices are going up.

The gas prices, um, especially for a long time since Biden was in, you know, they were really high.

I think Americans are just feeling it more now, and they're wishing for the days of Trump again.

You own your own home now.

I think Democrats is an example of the Biden economy doing well.

I wouldn't say so, you know, my wife and I were just very fortunate the way things.

Lined up, but a lot of Americans aren't as fortunate as us.

Young Americans and older Americans, and so they need someone who's going to have their back in this economic time, and I think Donald Trump's that guy.

In addition to the other hats you wear, including a cowboy hat, I bet you have at your seat, uh, you are also part time in law school.

When you were in college, it was the pandemic.

You told me that and tell me, tell me your experience you you couldn't, you couldn't attend classes.

How, what was that like for you?

I was scary, you know, especially we were also at the same time taking care of elderly family members and.

So we had to think about health.

We had to think about just making sure everything was safe, so it was pretty scary.

I'm curious your reaction to the news that President Biden has contracted COVID right now, you know, I'm a believer that you have to pray for everybody whether you agree with them or not.

Well, I don't support President Biden.

I'm praying for him.

I hope he gets through this well and I hope he's healthy on the other side.

You're talking about your faith.

Donald Trump is not someone who's always talked like a Christian.

He said some very harsh words about a lot of people, about women.

his enemies.

What do you think of his character, you know, we haven't always agreed with all of his actions or his style on some things, um, I think he is a man who cares about the country and I'm comfortable with where he's at on promoting American values, and I'm praying for him right now and for his family, and I think we're seeing it out, especially in this convention.

He seems like he's very grateful, especially after what happened, and I know people are praying for them and we'll just.

Hope for the best.

Thomas Warren, maybe we'll see you up on that stage someday.

Jeff, thank you.

Isa Desjardins, thanks so much as Lisa mentioned, we learned earlier today that President Biden was diagnosed with COVID.

His symptoms are said to be mild.

He's self-isolating at his home in Rehoboth, and this is a day me Walter, in which we also learned by way of reporting by The Wall Street Journal and other outlets that House Democratic and Senate Democratic leaders, Schumer and Jeffreys pushed Democratic officials at the DNC to delay.

To formally nominate President Biden ahead of the convention, NBC is reporting that Chuck Schumer, Majority Leader Schumer, presented polling data to the president over the weekend showing that he doesn't have a path to win.

Your reaction to all of that is just.

An unbelievable amount of information and news that has been breaking, it feels like every minute of the day, like if, if Aaron Sorkin had scripted these last two weeks.

It would have been thrown out of the writer's room for being absolutely ridiculous, but it it is something we've been talking about a lot here of the fact that this is a. Unifying event for the party.

We can discuss whether it's actually unifying for the country definitely that's another topic, but for the party, definitely unified the fact that Democrats are now spending more time debating their own future is is very telling.

Look, we keep waiting for this um this moment where somebody in very high leadership, whether that is the former Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Or Chuck Schumer to come out and publicly say something they seem to be dropping as many hints saying it as nicely as possible to allow President Biden to bow out without having to have that public um accounting.

Maybe we will have an answer at the end of this week.

I doubt we're going to see something before we get to Friday, but as we go into the weekend, it does seem like this pressure campaign is on a Not only continuous but pretty intense.

Round.

Jonathan, that context of what's happening outside of this arena is important because it's relevant to the race to what all of these messages and whatever policies and campaigns, you know, pledges these turn into what they're running against, who they're running against, as you've noted a number of times, President Biden has continued to insist that he is.

He has made up his mind.

There's no question about it.

Democrats can't take yes for an answer here.

Is there anything about the day's events that leads you to believe that will change?

This, I, I've always said that these people who are calling on the president to withdraw from the race.

They can't just say the polling looks bad and therefore you should get out.

They need to come to the table either preferably to the public and show what these internal numbers are, um, and, and go to the president, not public polling but internal polling and from the reporting about the meeting that Senator Schumer had the majority leader had with the president is he came to the table within.

Internal polling.

This is significant.

He's the Senate majority leader, the leading Democrat in the Senate, um, this is something where I'm like wow if Schumer has done this.

This is pretty big.

Now to Amy's point though.

This is not Schumer on the record saying this happened, but what makes this story significant is this meeting that happened between the majority leader and the president.

They were the only two people in the room, according to the recording, according to the reporting and so how does this get out?

And why does it get out?

And so we had Speaker Emeta Nancy Pelosi a couple of weeks ago dropping a little hint you had um, Congressman Adam Schiff of California Senate.

Candidate Going on the record saying he thinks the president should withdraw from the race.

This story about Schumer.

Talking to the president.

Is a bit of an earthquake and then there were other if memory serves, there's also another story I believe in in the Washington Post, I believe, where it says that President Biden is going from.

Quote Kala can't win to Can Kamala.

You put all this together and maybe we are moving to a situation where he bounced out of the race, but I will repeat what I've said multiple times at this table if President Biden is not is not the top of the ticket.

Then it has to be Vice President Harris, and if it is not Vice President Harris, the Democrats will definitely lose.

The thing I fear the most for the Democrats is that he drops President Biden drops from the top of the ticket and then they go into some crazy open primary process.

Democrats don't know how to handle that kind they Democrats love chaos.

And they're all in agreement it seems.

He needs to get out of the race.

And if he does get out of the race, that's when all hell breaks loose because everyone has their own preferred person and if that preferred person, if they don't coalesce around the sitting vice president, then what do they say to African American voters who are consistently behind the fact that the president should stay in the race and have been the rescuers in the foundation of the Democratic Party.

For years, Jonathan, you mentioned that statement from Congressman Adam Schiff, which, which struck me when I read it in part because Adam Schiff is such a close ally, a former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

She was the one who appointed him the House impeachment manager and Impeachment one, and he actually played that role in both impeachments.

In many ways he is a proxy for her.

We don't know what we don't know.

I'm not trying to, you know, enter into the realm of speculation, but in, but previously he has been, uh, and he is now a Of this roster of high profile Democrats who are saying that Joe Biden should step aside.

He would not say something like this without thinking through it very careful.

Yeah, I think he thought through it carefully.

I think Nancy Pelosi issued a statement saying when he announced that publicly, it was news to her, but I do think that the Washington Post story which did have the shift in Byron's mentality.

I thought that was interesting for a lot of different reasons, partly for that sign of a shift.

Secondly, there was a very interesting sentence.

Unlike any sentence I've read in American journalism that said a person close to Biden confronted him directly with just the two of them in the room.

They were that had to come from Camp Biden and so that's a sign that the, it's like watching a sandcastle begin to erode.

And I think they're doing it in the right way.

I don't think they should go public.

You give the man his dignity.

You preserve the process of the party.

Cory Booker was on television today and he was asked.

Do you think he should step down?

he said, I'm waiting for the president to make the decision.

Of course the president made the decision a zillion times, but I let him have his time even at this late hour.

I think that's the right policy, and my vibe is that the idea of a supercharged primary, a lot of, a lot like 8 pick your 8 finalists, have a lot of town meetings.

People were super excited about that.

I think the party has drifted away from that.

I think what you said the idea of tumults right now, I think they've internalized the idea that if it's not Biden, it's going to be Kalari.

and so I The, the, again, when you're talking about the Democratic Party, you're talking about this vague cloud of people who are all whispering and so it's super hard to get a read on how the whispering is moving, the climate of whispers, but I, I one sense is accelerating today.

The sand is beginning to Amy, President, former President Trump wants to run against President Biden for their messaging on this is clear.

They have coalesced around the opposition here.

That's how does it scramble all the messaging and the strategy.

We're seeing this week in here if these kinds of changes do occur, I mean what we're seeing again and some of the polling, but it's, it feels like any polling that we've had that is older than 2 weeks, doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but.

That said, Uh, Harris does a little bit better with the base, with the voters like women, like younger voters.

Um, and, and in some cases younger voters of color, so there is some advantage there, but she still has all the negatives of being a part of this administration.

What they're saying right, what they've been saying for the last few days about the administration, its policies on the border, it's policies on it, um, inflation and the economy on Afghanistan.

She will own those as well.

The difference is that she doesn't own the Big, um contrast that they would like in terms of the physical difference between a Donald Trump and a Biden in terms of strength and weakness, but they will still lean into the weakness, right, that she is weak because she supports open borders.

She is weak because she as a candidate.

Wasn't particularly successful when she first ran so they will basically run a very similar campaign, but if the biggest one of the biggest challenges for Biden is he can't get anybody excited about his candidacy within his own base.

The theory is having a Kamala Harris and of course there would be a new vice president then brings a little attention interest energy into what has been a pretty Like Moribund Democratic Party at this point in terms of voter base, but the Biden campaign is trying and they're they're they're trying to gin up enthusiasm, even in recent days by lurching leftward.

The president is embracing rent control and debt erasure and Supreme Court reform.

This was the thing that he had resisted for so I saw that I saw that and and it just goes to, you know, the, the heart of the challenge for the Biden campaign isn't the policy.

That's not why.

His voters aren't excited.

The heart of the challenge is the thing that voters have been saying.

We've all listened to voters.

We've sat in focus groups.

They've been saying from the very beginning, I think it's too old.

I think he's too old.

I don't understand why he's doing this.

And so if you already have that in your mind, he's too old.

No matter what he's saying.

It, it has to go through the filter of can he really do it?

Is he really going to finish so it doesn't matter what the message is.

If the messenger isn't to be ineffective, but going to doing the the rent control, doing the Supreme Court stuff that just to me reeks of panic because the, the progressives are the people who are sticking with them they're gonna, we got to keep these people and so they've adopted whatever we can do and if there's ever an idea that's to me stale and discredited.

It's rent control, but they, they've got to keep, they've got to keep their people On their, on their team, so I, I just look at that as a last ditch political none of us want to get ahead of where this story is and you know kind of following the reporting as it comes out, but you've covered plenty of conventions and campaigns and elections.

This is a unique one for a number of reasons.

Mainly because of this individual right here entering the arena is former President Donald Trump.

On the 3rd night of the Republican convention, a convention in which he has appeared every single night tonight walking into James Brown's, it's a man's world.

As he makes his way to the boxes he has in previous nights where members of his family, uh, members of Congress, his allies.

Interestingly, we have not seen former First Lady Melania Trump appeared this week.

She might be here tomorrow night when former President Trump addresses.

This gathering.

So let's take this in.

Let's see, let's see uh how the former president.

Reached the crowd this evening.

This is the James Brown Pavarotti version of It's a man's world.

Yes He's come out early.

Yeah, there was some scrambling of the schedule.

David Brooks, interesting to note each night who is seated in that box.

If you take a look down the line there, there's Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Florida Senator Marco Rubio.

I noticed Virginia Governor Glenn Yunkin as well rejects.

And I think it's Senator Ted Cruz, I think was next to Governor Junin, I think.

We're about to see.

It Take a listen now to our next featured speaker of the evening, that is Kimberly Guilfoyle, the fiancee of Donald Trump Jr. as she takes the stage.

Good evening ladies and gentlemen.

Like you, I have spent much of my time the last few days in prayer.

And I know that God has put an armor.

protection over Donald Trump.

We are all reminded that love for our nation and the beauty of life itself transcends all hatred and political divisions.

I stand before you tonight, more convinced than ever.

This is the.

Most important election in our lifetime.

This election will decide the fate of our great nation.

And that is why We must elect.

President Donald Trump.

And we're just going to take a short break right here for our PBS stations.

We'll be right back with continued live coverage of the Republican National Convention.

Stay with us.

I'm Michael Beschloss, presidential historian and Newshour contributor.

Republican Convention Cleveland 2016.

Donald Trump was getting up to give his acceptance speech, and a lot of people were predicting that Trump would do what most presidential nominees do, which is pivot to the center, become more presidential, and Donald Trump surprised many people by doing almost exactly the opposite.

Our convention occurs at a moment of crisis for our nation.

The attacks on our police and the terrorism of our cities threaten our very way of life.

Any politician who does not grasp this danger is not fit to lead our country.

All this foreshadowed Trump's inauguration in which he talked about American carnage.

It's a line he would give just as easily in 2020.

Welcome back now to live coverage of the Republican National Convention.

I'm Amna Nawaz, and I'm Jeff Bennett, and we are going to take you back to the convention floor where Kimberly Guilfoyle is addressing the crowd.

All Joe had to do was leave it alone and take a nap.

But Joe just couldn't help himself.

Joe Biden cannot lead America.

He cannot even lead himself off a stage.

Now Americans are drowning in inflation insanity spreads like a cancer in our schools.

We are closer to World War II than any time in my life.

And we are facing an unprecedented invasion of millions of illegal aliens across our southern border.

Rioters and looters go free.

While Biden and the Democrats persecute.

heroes like Donald Trump.

tens of millions of Americans are made to feel like enemies in our own country.

An enemy for wanting to defend our border for not wanting our children indoctrinated in school for not wanting to erase our history for praying to our God saying what we think and fighting for what we believe.

It is no wonder that the heroes who stormed the beaches of Normandy and face down communism, sadly say they don't recognize our country anymore.

This is not an accident.

The powerful elites in the swamp will say anything to crush and destroy the America First movement, but we.

Well Never give up They're well Donald J. Trump.

I know I speak for patriots everywhere.

When I say we are fed up.

We are outraged about sex trafficking and drug trafficking across our southern border.

We are fed.

With the forever wars.

We are done being told by the radical left to sit down, shut up, and obey.

The Democrat vision for America is governed by fear, hatred, and oppression.

Our vision is defined by a love of our country.

Love for Fellow citizens and our Love Freedom.

In our vision we will secure the southern border and deport the violent criminal aliens once and for all.

In our vision America will combat.

For aggressors and ensure our service members are protected, not abandoned as they carry out their dangerous missions abroad.

Because we We can only have Peace through strength.

We will restore an era of national pride where freedom of speech is respected.

And cancel culture is ended.

Where high school girls only compete.

Girls not We're struggling cities never put criminal illegal aliens above.

Heroic veterans and brave law enforcement.

Where our streets are not ruled by gangs and rioters, but governed by law and order.

Where students are freed from failing schools and corrupt teachers unions through universal school.

Choice Where our most sacred institutions are not weaponized against political opponents but are fair.

E And just Where we teach our children to love our country.

Learn our history.

and respect American flag.

I believe America I believe Freedom and liberty and Le Donald John Trump.

And I want Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and all of the radical Democrats to know this.

We will not be bullied into obedience.

We will not.

and silence we will fight for America because we America I stand before you as a working mother.

A former prosecutor, a Catholic and Proud Latina I know personally what every American has now seen with their own eyes.

I know the measure of the man that stands before us.

Donald Trump will never.

Stop waiting for you.

So join me And voting for Donald Trump for president again.

Victory is in our sights.

As future is in our hands.

America's destiny is in our control.

And America's prosperity is in our hearts and souls.

America, this is your moment.

Will you stand for President Trump?

Ladies and gentlemen Lovers of The Freedom Dream.

Last year To make Right Again, Yeah President Trump God bless.

That is Kimberly Guilfoyle addressing night 3 of the Republican National Convention.

You are watching live PBS News special coverage of the Republican National Convention.

Let's go to our White House correspondent Laura Barone Lopez.

Laura, as we were discussing just a minute ago, the increasing pressure facing President Biden, some in private, some in public for him to exit the race past the baton, if you will, walk us through that reporting and the impact it's having on the campaign and how the how the Biden team is responding.

To it.

Yeah, Jeff, all week long I've been hearing from Democrats that the conversation is not over about the Democrats telling the president and talking amongst themselves about wanting the president to step aside, to step out of the presidential race and to have someone else pick up the baton.

So despite the fact that Biden has been saying that the decision has been made that he is in the race.

Democrats are not done having that conversation and today ABC reported as well as Politico.

That Senator Chuck Schumer, the majority leader there.

Actually over the weekend said to President Biden that he thought it was in the best interest of the country to step out of the race.

Now, here at News hour, we haven't confirmed that reporting, but multiple outlets have been reporting that and the White House did send me a statement Andrew Bates, spokesperson for the White House, said that the president told both leaders, told Chuck Schumer and told Hakeem Jeffries that he is the nominee of the party.

He plans to win and that President Biden looks forward to working with both of them to pass his 100 days agenda.

To help working families.

So a pretty clear statement there from the White House that matches what President Biden has been saying, which is he has no intention to get out of this race right now, Jeff.

And Laura, what is your reporting also show about this other big piece of news we heard about the president and his health today that positive COVID diagnosis that has forced him into self-isolation in his Delaware home for a few days at the very least we know he was just sort of on a campaigning tear in particular reaching out to black voters to try to build some enthusiasm among this core part of the Democratic base.

He had to cancel the speaking engagement to a major Latino advocacy and civil rights group today.

What kind of impact is his diagnosis going to have on the days ahead?

What does it mean for Vice President Harris and other surrogates out there.

It could potentially lead to more Democrats coming out saying that he needs to step aside, Ana, because of the fact that so many Democrats have said publicly, privately that one of their biggest concerns is that President Biden is not up to the task of campaigning, of actually effectively telling the public the message that so many Democrats down ballot are running on.

They say that the problem isn't the message in the president's record as so much as the messenger himself.

And so the fact that President Biden is now going to have to be taken off the campaign trail.

He's in Rehoboth at his home there in Delaware, and he wasn't able to finish all of his events in Nevada is going to be a troubling sign to a number of Democrats, especially as they come back next week to DC, uh, and we may hear from more of them that they want him to step aside because they had wanted President Biden to show after that debate performance that he could maintain a really strenuous, rigorous campaign.

Schedule potentially holding multiple events a day.

And with this COVID diagnosis, that's gonna make it harder for him in this really crucial moment at this crucial period to convince Democrats that he's up to the task.

And as we've been discussing, it's been those progressive Democrats who have been President Biden's harbor in the storm.

Senator Bernie Sanders, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and President Biden has responded by embracing many of their causes, you know, walk us through that your report.

On, on, on why they feel at this moment they can really lobby him to support things like rent control and court reform and debt erasure and how he's able to use their support to stay in this race.

Just this week, Jeff, President Biden was unveiling a bit more of his 100 days.

What he would do if he were reelected and had another 4 years in office and a lot of that is coming from the fact that he, during his entire presidency has really had an open door policy for progressives.

His prior chief of staff Ron Klain really did a lot of work to build up that relationship with progressives, be it Bernie Sanders, be it Congresswoman Acasio-Cortez or other progressives.

Across Congress and so this week he talked about how he, if he were reelected, would institute a cap on rent, a 5% cap on rent for apartments, and that's something that he hadn't unveiled before.

He also has talked about eliminating medical debt for people.

That's something that came from the progressive wing of Democrats and some sources have told me that yes, he is potentially in the coming weeks, wants to unveil a plan to reform the Supreme Court, and that would include term limits for the Supreme Court.

It could also include what he hopes would be legislation that he could pass with Democrats in Congress to limit the scope of immunity for presidents and for judges and justices.

So that's something that he is considering right now a big endorsement of that type of reform.

Uh, my source told me that he was potentially going to unveil that earlier this.

We when he was scheduled to go to the LBJ Presidential Library for the anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, but that event, as you know, had to be canceled because of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump.

Hey Laura, how much is what's happening in this room behind us informing the conversation among Democrats as well at this moment around this issue and what we've seen in the last 3 days of this Republican National Convention is a unified Republican Party around this Trump van ticket.

We have no idea how some of the policy differences will be coming together later, but right now this is a party in which all of Mr. Trump's former rivals have come together to back him.

How much is this?

a force in forming the Democrats' conversation around their ticket right now.

Well, it depends on if you're talking to President Biden's campaign or if you're talking to other Democrats across the party, right, because of the really big family conversation that they're having right now.

President Biden's campaign says that what they're hearing at the Republican National Convention is stuff that uh they that gives them a lot to work with, essentially that they are going to continue to be able to attack Republicans on Trump's second term plans, whether, whether it's about immigration, about mass deportation.

of of migrants, um, the fact that Republicans are really leaning into conspiracy theories about non-citizens voting in droves and in massive numbers which the data and the evidence doesn't show that.

They also feel as though the President Biden's campaign, as though they can definitely go on the attack on abortion and especially when it comes to Trump's vice presidential pick JD Vance, who has had some pretty restrictive positions when it comes to abortion.

So That's from President Biden's campaign, but when you talk to other Democrats, whether it's lawmakers in Congress, donors, party operatives, you know, they feel as though President Biden himself and his campaign is not necessarily up to the task of effectively messaging to the public, all of those things that I just talked about, whether it's abortion, whether it's uh what they say is Republican extremism when it comes to wanting to, uh, you know, uh, push forward anti-democratic.

norms and so that's something that Democrats feel as though they don't have the strongest messenger on, and they're worried that because they don't have a strong person at the top of the ticket, that it could eventually impact them down ballot in other races.

Lar Baron Lopez.

Laura, thanks as always for your terrific reporting.

We appreciate it.

Thank you.

And let's go back now down to the convention floor.

Our political correspondent Lisa Desjardins is there with a delegate.

Lisa, who are you with?

Hi Jeff and I'm, I'm with Lauren Martel, but I have to tell you they just began a presentation for Gold Star family, so I think Ms. Martel doesn't want to talk to me.

So let me instead tell you some of my reporting uh if we're gonna move around here, Jim, with the camera, um.

Tonight's theme is Make America strong again, and this is part of it talking about Gold Star families, military families.

I was in South Carolina to talk about that because we know there are a lot of military veterans in South Carolina, you know, just a few minutes ago I talked to South Carolina's governor Henry McMaster.

He's someone I've known a long time, uh, a lot of folks know that I, I was a reporter in South Carolina.

Uh, he's been a politician in that state for 40 years, depending on how you count, and I asked him about vice presidential nominee.

JD Vance, and he said, to be honest, I don't know him.

I don't think I've ever met him.

This is the end of a longtime Republican operative in a key state of South Carolina who hasn't met the new vice presidential nominee, but he said right away, it doesn't matter to me, you know, as long as Trump likes him, I like him too, but it just shows that as JD Vance takes the stage later tonight, uh, that these delegates, they're not really quite sure who he is.

A lot of them do know that he was once a very sharp.

Critic of Trump.

I think he's got to convince him that he's all the way on board.

This is a group that's very protective, especially now after the assassination attempt on Donald Trump.

So I think South Carolina, I'm hoping to take some temperatures here beyond just their governor, uh, on, on what they think about Senator, uh, becoming their vice presidential nominee.

Ana Lisa, we know you've been spending time with delegates, folks from all around the country down there on the floor as this night's speeches have unfolded as you have every We've noticed up here kind of a change in tone as we've shifted to these issues of immigration and foreign intervention and safety and so on.

I wonder how a lot of those messages we're hearing up here are resonating with delegates down on the ground.

What do they have to say about what they've heard so far tonight?

Well, you know, one of the questions I have right now for Lauren was about, I have heard more of the fight, fight, fight chant, and I'm really interested in what that means to these delegates.

What are they saying when they say fight?

I mean, obviously it's something that a former president.

harm Americans who are they targeting, who are they fearful of in this speech.

I do also sense that change in rhetoric tonight and I, I need to talk to some more delegates about it, but I think you're on the right track for questions I have as well.

Lisa Desjardin down on the convention floor for us.

Lisa, thank you.

We'll check back in with you shortly.

Back up here, of course, we have our panel with us all night, Amy Walter, David Brooks, and Jonathan Capar.

Jonathan, we watched Kimberly Guilfoyle there, who was another family member of the Trump family to speak.

I it was a sharp contrast between what we heard from Laura Trump last night a very personal sort of reflective here is the man I know behind the scenes, many of you may not know.

That's not what we heard from Kimberly Guilfoyle today.

No, it was a it was a repeat performance of what she did in 2020.

You may recall the Republican convention was held at the White House and her when she spoke, the big thing about her speech was the ending when she yelled out the best is yet to come, you know, very theatrical, but you know she was on attack, um, and a lot of her, you know, we are fed up, um, we are done being told by the radical left to sit down, shut up, and obey.

Um, there are, you know, uh, deport the violent criminal aliens once and for all.

I mean, we've talked about this since day one.

The unit, the unity vision that we were that they were talking about this convention being in the aftermath.

Of the assassination attempt of Donald Trump would give way to this, the closer we got to the big moment and that is Donald Trump's speech and you know we started seeing it last night and we saw it with Peter Navarro today is we've seen it with with Kimberly Guilfoyle and so I just think it's gonna, it's gonna amp up the the later this night goes and into tomorrow.

And Amy, with, with both campaigns, excuse me, eyeing the rust belt as they.

Make their path to 270 electoral votes, that kind of messaging, I mean, does that reach the, to be specific, the white, the white working class voter who for generations had voted for Democrats, but more recently voted for Donald Trump or would be more inclined to vote for a Republican like Donald Trump.

Yeah, so I mean, this is always your challenge in a campaign.

You've got to keep your base energized while you're at the same time trying to bring the new people in, the swing voters in, and what.

Makes the Trump campaign so strong is and we see it in this hall, we've seen it for the last 4 days.

We've seen it in the last 2 campaigns.

He has a much closer relationships, more enthusiastic relationship with his voters than Joe Biden does.

Many of the people who voted for Joe Biden in 2020 did it not because of Joe Biden, but because they were doing it to protest Donald Trump.

They didn't want Donald Trump to win.

That's very different from this space, but you've got to keep them engaged.

The more if if Donald Trump does do a 3, 180 and start talking like a swing voter focus group those folks are gonna feel like they're kind of left out.

What gets them engaged and energized is the kind of appeals that we've been hearing from some of these voters.

One thing that I thought was really interesting today about Our interview with Trump uh Trump's pollster Tony Fabrizio, as he said, you know, what, what Vance does for the ticket is, yes, he agreed that the Rust Belt is where he's really strong.

We're going to put him everywhere in the Rust Belt, every one of those states, Pennsylvania, Michigan, um, which allows and uh and uh.

Wisconsin, which allows Trump to go campaign in places that are kind of rich states, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Virginia states that were once thought of as off the map.

The other thing though that I thought was really interesting was the choice of where their first campaign stop is as a ticket, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Now Grand Rapids, Michigan is the kind of place that in 20004 George W. Bush won it with like 60%.

This is Gerald Ford's backyard, literally, it was his congressional district.

In the Trump era it has shifted pretty significantly over the Democrats, not only did Biden win the Grand Rapids area, but it has a Democratic congresswoman.

That Democratic congresswoman has come out publicly, Hillary Skolton against Biden running again.

She has said, I want him to drop out and it's the kind of place where again you would think, boy, this is going to be a tough place for Donald Trump, right?

These are the newly engaged anti-Trump voters, but the fact that they're choosing to go there, I think tells us that they are looking at this as sort of a checkmate because if, if.

Biden can't win in that region, in Kent County.

He doesn't win Michigan.

So instead of going, you know, you would think based on everything we were just talking about about red meat and going to the base.

They could have ended up in.

a really red part of Michigan as their kickoff, but they went right into this they're going to the swingiest, most critical part for Democrats, and I think that tells you a lot about what role they see fans playing in those swing, uh, Upper Midwest states.

I just want to take a moment and note we're now hearing from Gold Star families.

It's been a change in tone here right now.

We know Republican officials have wanted to highlight the voices of what they call everyday.

Americans, people staring, sharing their individual stories, and right now there are Gold Star families speaking at this stage.

Let's just take a listen in to some of those remarks right now with me.

Yeah.

And for the first time since Nicole's death, I felt I wasn't alone in my grief.

Thank you.

I had expected to meet an arrogant politician.

Instead, I met a man who had empathy for us.

He was compassionate.

And he spent time with us.

Because he knew it would make us feel better.

Thank you President Trump.

I'm Cheryl Jos, Nicole's aunt.

Joe Biden said the withdrawal from Afghanistan was an extraordinary success.

An extraordinary success.

Look at our faces.

Look at our pain.

And our heartbreak And look at our rage.

That was not an extraordinary success.

The humiliation of our nation was not an extraordinary success.

Joe Biden may have forgotten that our children died, but we have not forgotten.

Donald Trump has not forgotten.

Joe Biden owes the men and women that served in Afghanistan a debt of gratitude and an apology.

Yeah Donald Trump loves his country and will never forget the sacrifice and bravery of our service members.

Join us in putting him back in the White House.

I'm Alicia Lopez and this is my husband, Herman.

Our son Corporal Hunter Lopez.

Whose name Joe Biden has refused to say out loud.

was killed on August 26, 2021.

He died during Joe Biden's disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Hunter was 22 years old.

And plan to come home to California.

After his tour to follow in our footsteps.

Herman and I Work for the Riverside County Sheriff's Office.

Yeah And our family has a tradition.

Of service in law enforcement.

Hunter was excited to carry it on.

Instead In the nearly 3 years since Hunter's been gone.

There has been silence.

Silence from that empty space at the dinner table?

Where Hunter would have joined his brothers and sister and us for family gatherings.

And there has been a deafening.

Silence from the Biden and Harris administration.

Despite our pleas for answers and accountability they have pushed us away.

And try to silence us.

The Biden administration has not owned up to the bad decisions.

They have not been transparent about their failures.

And their so-called leaders work to protect themselves.

Rather than our sons and daughters who took the oath to defend our country.

Thank you.

When Hunter and the other service members' bodies were returned to the US in Dover, Delaware.

Joe Biden met the plane.

But he made the occasion more about his son.

Loss of cancer than our sons and daughters lost on his watch.

Worse than that, he has never said their names out loud.

And during and during last month's debate.

He claimed no service members.

have died during his administration.

None That hurt us all deeply.

So Alicia and I are here to say the names of all 13 service members.

Who lost their lives.

All 13 service members who lost their lives at Abbey Gate.

David Espinoza.

And the goal G. Taylor Hoover.

Ryan C. Canals.

Riley McCollum.

Dylan Morola.

Karem Nui.

Digging page.

Johani Pardo.

Humberto Sanchez.

Jared Schmitz.

Maxine Sylvia.

And my son Hunter Lopez.

Joe Biden has to go.

He failed the American people.

He failed the Afghan people.

And our military service members.

He failed our family.

And he failed hunter.

Donald Trump has a proven record of keeping the peace.

And honoring those in uniform.

All of us on this stage recognize.

The efforts of Mr. Trump.

We know this firsthand.

We've experienced it.

Whenever we've met with him, he has demonstrated compassion.

He has joined us on our mission for answers.

And he has given hope to our extended Gold Star family.

Now we have another son.

Serving in the army.

And we do not trust Joe Biden with his life.

We have faith that Donald Trump To lead our military.

Please join us in supporting Donald Trump for president and commander in chief.

While campuses struggle to get control of their students at UNC Chapel Hill, they are bringing order back.

Students restoring the American flag and singing the national anthem.

And there you were just hearing from some Gold Star families, powerful testimony from those who've suffered devastating loss of their loved ones service members, including the 13 US service members who were killed, the Abbey Gate, Kabul International Airport during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan incredibly emotional moments here at the Republican National Convention.

You're watching live coverage on PBS News.

We're joined up here in our PBS News booth right now by Captain Sam.

Brown, he is a US Senate candidate in Nevada running against the incumbent Democrat Jackie Rosen.

Captain Brown, welcome.

Thanks for joining us here.

Thank you.

It's good to be here with you.

So you served in Afghanistan.

You were injured during your time in your service there in 2008.

You heard what these families had to say.

We know we're going to hear a little later from vice presidential nominee JD Vance, who talks about how his service informed how he views foreign policy.

Do you agree with him in the way that he articulated his views so far.

No, I don't know exactly what all of um JD Vance's positions are, but I can tell you what I see out of President Trump, his record as president and what I believe is that the United States of America needs to be a leader.

In the free world and that we achieve peace through strength.

And One of the really important messages that we just heard from Mr. Lopez, a Gold Star father, um, regarding his son Hunter and families to service members hope to see out of their commander in chief is someone who has compassion and also gives hope.

And I think that's an important quality that is sometimes over uh overlooked.

You feel like your time and your service overseas helped to shape your worldview and what you think American policy should be right now?

Absolutely.

Tell us about that what I saw and what I experienced was um as part of our mission was to serve and help the Afghan government stand up and provide.

You know, basic in the United States terms very basic services.

Very advanced services in particular.

The mission that I was wounded on, we're providing security as allied forces, ISAF forces were moving a turbine to the Helmand River to a dam to provide power for all of southern Afghanistan this is something that would help the economy.

It would help businesses bring electricity to schools.

Undoubtedly could help and I think Americans are very Very compassionate.

They want to see.

The world be better.

Also, as the world is uplifted economically and human rights are respected.

We also see more freedom.

We should note that we are competing with a lot of background noise here, Captain Brown, if you wouldn't mind, sir, moving your microphone up your lapel just a bit more so our our audience at home can hear you a bit better.

Is that OK there?

Absolutely.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you.

I have to say all that again?

No, on the, on the specific issue of Ukraine as we talk about foreign policy.

JD Vance has been one of the most vocal critics of continued US support for Ukraine.

He said, I don't really care one way or another what happens in Ukraine and in many ways this isn't a partisan issue.

There are Democrats and Republicans who have said that Russia's war in Ukraine threaten small de democracy around the globe.

How do you see it?

Well, I, I think that.

This is one of those issues that is unfortunately just boiled down to, you know, a headline, right, but I think it's important that we continue to lead that frankly we're able to blunt Putin's ability to continue to be an aggressor.

What we see is not just a Putin versus Ukraine dynamic here.

This is a this is an alignment of Iran.

Of China of North Korea of Russia together.

And, and when we have an opportunity to blunt those forces that are trying to align against the United States in the free world, I think that we ought to take that very seriously that that you know that responsibility.

No, that's, that's my view that should we take that to mean that you would like to see the US continue to support Ukraine in their defense against Russia.

You'd like to see continued aid.

I would like to see us.

I would like to see a change in the way that we do it.

I want to see more accountability, you know, we.

American people are Our funding a good deal of our effort there um and and we owe it to the American people to be able to demonstrate what's happening with those dollars, so there's been an element of a lack of trying to sort of transparency and accountability that I think is owed to the American people, but I wouldn't say that we just need to turn off our support reproductive rights, that's certainly going to be a resonant issue in this election.

It has been ever since the Supreme Court overturned Roe every time reproductive rights has appeared on.

Ballot since the court overturned Roe, abortion activists and Republicans have lost.

You, as I understand it, you support the law in Nevada that preserves abortion access up to 24 weeks, as I understand it.

Why?

And do you feel like you are running counter to your party's position on this?

No, I mean, a hallmark of the Republican Party and conservatism is, you know, respecting the 10th Amendment and allowing, you know, states to be able to create laws that you know reflect their constituency and and so I've been really consistent in saying this ought to be an issue that voters in states are able to address in alignment with, you know, the voice and and sort of the decision of those voters and and so that's, that's where I'm at and I, I think that's.

A lot of other Republicans are going now too before we let you go, I'd love to get your take on, on your race and how you think this ticket helps or hurts you.

This clearly seems to be with the addition of JD Vance, really a doubling down on appealing to voters in Michigan and Wisconsin and Pennsylvania in Nevada, does this ticket help you and how?

Who does it help you reach, you know, I think with this ticket does is and across the country is JD Vance's story, he comes from such humble beginnings.

Um, you know, he, he had undoubtedly a very tough childhood, uh, there's a lot of people out there who again I'm gonna go back to the two things that Mr. Lopez said that he's looking for in leadership.

Some with compassion and someone who can deliver hope and, and JD Vance's life demonstrates that we can have hope.

You can you can still aspire and achieve incredible things regardless of the tough circumstances we're in, and there's a lot of Nevadans that are looking for something that they can kind of cling on to and say hey.

If he can make it, maybe I can make it too, and that's part of what my campaign is hoping to do is say look.

I'm not the prettiest Senate candidate out there.

No one's going to argue with me on that, um, you know, I come from humble beginnings as well, um, but I'm a father, I'm a small business guy, I'm a husband, I'm a veteran, and, and, and why, why can't I, why shouldn't I also have an opportunity to be a voice and a leader for our state and not just me, but other people out there as well.

The Biden campaign says it has multiple paths to victory to 270 electoral votes.

One of those paths is through the sun belt.

Uh, do they have it right?

What, what, how, how would you characterize the, the, the Republican standing in Nevada right now.

I think, I think it's we're seeing a shift and part of it is that we're a transient state.

A lot of people kind of move in and out 80% of Nevadans now weren't born and raised there, um, and so, so the state is constantly evolving right now we have almost identical registration between Republicans and Democrats.

A lot of people in the middle as independent and and they're not, they weren't necessarily there when Jackie Rosen was elected 6 years ago.

And so what I see is people who we have we have tickets splitter voters, you know, last election we had Governor Lombardo as a Republican, you know, was and Cortez Masto is a Democrat, was elected to the Senate, and so, um, people are just looking for for someone who they can who they can trust who they can relate to, and who will lead uh to you know for what their best interest in mind.

Captain Sam Brown, US Senate candidate in Nevada.

Thank you so much for your service.

Thank you so much for being with us here tonight.

We appreciate your time.

My honor.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Let's go back to Lisa Desjardins, who's on the floor again with another delegate.

Hey Lisa.

Hi guys, I'm with Candy Art, uh, she is involved in several military causes here including the war memorial here in Milwaukee.

Can you, what was that moment like this powerful moment we heard from the Gold Star families reading the names and then we had of course the UNC frat boys who had the US flag, walk right by us.

What was that moment like for you?

You know it was so moving because we know how important our flag is and what our flag stands for and I, I just when I saw what they had done before, I was amazed, so we're, we're lucky to live in America in a free land.

Donald Trump, obviously you're here to support him, but they were saying that they did not feel safe under President Joe Biden.

Have you felt safe these four years?

What do you think?

think about President Biden in terms of a national leader, I think it's time for a change, you know, um, what happened in Afghanistan, Afghanistan is shameful, and we need to change it.

Donald Trump was pro-military and they beefed up our military, our navy boats we had a lot more ships and we need, we need to get that back.

We need our country to be safe, and he's the only one that can do it.

I want to ask you, I don't know if you've been one of the delegates who's been chanting fight, you know, the former president chanted after the assassination attempt.

What does that mean to you?

What fighting for what, fighting who, fighting how?

what does that mean?

I need to keep our country safe.

We want to make sure that none of these wars come on our shores.

I mean, it's sad that they happen in other places, but we don't want anything on our shores.

Do you want fewer, less American involvement overseas?

No, I don't think so.

I think we just have to like we I think we should have been in Ukraine ahead of time and.

We weren't and then last question, we're discussion among Democrats now about President Joe Biden if he should be their nominee.

Do you have a sense as a Republican, if you would rather.

Biden be the nominee or Harris, and there's many reasons you might think one way or the other.

How do you see that?

I think I'd like to have Joe Biden stay in.

And why?

Because I think he's shown to America he can't do the job.

And you, you want, you want Trump to win handily, I guess, and I think he can do that if Joe Biden stays in.

I also have to give you credit.

She has played a part in the next speaker who is 99-year-old World War II veteran, you'll be 99 in December.

Yes, he was at Normandy on Omaha.

Beach.

It was a 2nd wave on D-Day, and then he was Battle of the Bulge.

Take your can now make sure you can listen.

Thank you so much.

Back to you, I'm Ninja.

Lisa Desjardin, thanks so much.

Lisa, picking up on this question that we've discussed or Amy rather, I'm sorry.

By any name or on the 2nd to last night, you just saw in your direction and I looked in your face and called you by a different name.

My deep apologies.

As someone who's often called Greg and all sorts of things.

I apologize.

There, there's a, this question of whether or not President Biden should stay in the race.

There's an APN NORC poll out today that 65% of Democratic voters think that he should withdraw.

How does the Biden campaign confront that?

How do they come back from that?

Come back You mean and say we're still going to keep going forward, right, because his argument had been that the party elites want me out.

This is all the commentariat and the party elites, and this is saying that the vast majority of Democratic voters.

Agree.

And you don't have to look at a poll from today, go back in 2023.

Voters, Democratic voters were asked, would you like to stick with Biden, or would you like a different choice?

Now it wasn't as significant as this, but it was a significant portion of the democratic electorate that said we want to see somebody else.

They didn't really get somebody else.

There were.

Um Why so soon we forget um Dean Dean Phillips, thank you.

I could see him, but I couldn't remember his last name, uh, but in terms of the high level people we did not get to see those in the race and so this is sort of a culmination of that moment and you can't ignore.

This is the whole idea about you can't kind of put back in the box what you've let out, which was the debate performance.

It's just, it's, there's no way to get beyond that if people worry that that's going to happen again.

We just heard a chant on the floor there, Bring them home at the podium right now are Orna and Ronan Neutra, their son Omer was kidnapped last October when Hamas attacked Israel.

We had a chance to speak with the neutral family just last month and here they are speaking now about their sons still held hostage in Gaza.

Is our first born.

He was born in New York City.

One month after 9/11.

8 months pregnant, I walked across the Queensboro Bridge towards home that day.

And here we are.

23 years later.

And he's the victim of another vile terrorist attack.

Let me tell you a little bit about my son.

He's a connector.

He's an extremely social person.

He loves sports in high school he was captain of the soccer ball volleyball and basketball teams.

He's a natural leader.

And he cares deeply about others and about helping them grow.

He turned 22.

On October 14th, 2023.

And instead of celebrating with us.

And with his friends.

He spent his birthday as a hostage of Hamas terrorists.

Imagine Over 9 months.

Not knowing whether your son is alive.

Waking up every morning.

Praying that he too is still waking up every morning that he is strong and is surviving.

I recite Psalm 23 in his merit every single day.

Come.

Heidi.

I walk through the shadow of the valley of the shadow of the death, I will fear no evil.

For thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.

Bring them home.

Bring them home, bring them home.

Bring them home.

Bring them home.

During the brutal October 7th attack on Israel.

Over 1200 people were slaughtered.

Of them 45 where American citizens where is the outrage?

Where is it?

This was not merely an attack on Israel.

This was and remains an attack on Americans.

Omer is one of 8 American hostages.

And one of 120 hostages still left in Gaza.

Citizens of 24 countries and 5 different religions still held by Hamas denied basic human needs, their lives threatened every day.

President Trump called us personally right after the attack when Omer was taken captive.

We know he stands.

With our American hostages, we need our beautiful son back.

And we need Your support.

We need our support.

To end this crisis and bring all the hostages back home.

And home.

home, bring them home.

them home.

Oh We love you.

We won't stop fighting for you.

So with us, bring them home.

Bring them home, bring them home.

Thank you everybody.

God bless Israel and God bless America.

Ladies and gentlemen, former paratrooper, congressman and New York State gubernatorial candidate.

Lee Zeldin.

Hello, Wisconsin.

I'm Lee Zeldin from New York.

A nation led by President Trump.

Is the nation stronger?

Safer And more secure.

As a former 802 airborne paratrooper.

I want a military focused on being the world's greatest fighting force, not its biggest social experiment.

We need a president treating our friends as friends and our adversaries as our adversaries understanding they only respect strength, not weakness.

I was on the House Foreign Affairs Committee under 3 presidents.

But only one ended wars without starting new ones.

President Donald Trump.

As one of two Jewish Republicans in Congress.

It was amazing to witness history making progress.

Strengthening the US-Israel relationship under President Trump.

Moving our embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

Recognizing Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

And launching the Abraham Accords, which no one said was possible.

Soleimani and the ISIS caliphate were eliminated.

President Trump Withdrew from the Iran deal.

Stop those insane ransom payments and crippled Iran with maximum pressure.

But then Everything went downhill under Biden.

Yes, the guy who advised Obama not to take out Osama.

Joe Biden advised against the mission that killed Osama bin Laden.

As an American.

And especially as a New Yorker, that's unforgivable.

Even in his prime, he had bad judgment.

And it's only gotten worse with age.

We cannot count on Biden to make this kind of crucial 3 a.m. decision.

Heck, we can't rely on him at 3 in the afternoon.

He has refilled.

Iran's coffers.

Since October 7th, Biden has pandered to anti-Semites who cheer Hamas's attack.

Oh while Americans are still being held hostage in Gaza.

Biden turned 13, Blue Star families.

It's a gold star families with his fatal withdrawal from Afghanistan and then he lied about it during last month's debate claiming that no service members had died under his watch.

We must elect President Trump.

Whether building an iron dome defense shield at home.

Countering China and other bad actors abroad or securing our borders.

He will make America strong and respected again.

President Trump risks everything for us.

We need him back.

In the White House now more than ever before.

To make America great again.

We must first.

And God willing we will expand the Republican majority in the United States House of Representatives.

We will flip the United States Senate.

We are going to elect JD Vance, our next vice president.

And we will make Donald J. Trump, the forty-seventh president of these United States.

Thank you.

God bless you.

God bless President Trump and his family, and God bless America.

We are gathered here on Freedom's Altar on the shores on these bluffs on this day, 75 years ago, 10,000 men shed their blood and thousands sacrificed their lives for their brothers, for their countries, and for the survival of liberty.

Those who fought here want a future for our nation.

They won the survival.

Of our civilization.

These men ran through the fires of hell.

Moved by a force, no weapon could destroy it.

The fierce patriotism of a free, proud, and sovereign people.

And they showed us the way to love, cherish, and defend our way of life.

For many centuries to come.

Our children and their children will forever.

And always be free.

Ladies and gentlemen, Please welcome World War II hero William Perell.

Thank you very much.

My name is Bill Perrell.

I'm a proud Wisconsinite.

Well I'm a proud husband of 76 years old and my wife Rosemary.

I'm, I'm a father of 11 children.

6 girls 5 boys Our family across 5 generations and a proud World War II veterans.

I'm 998 years old.

Some call us the greatest generation.

That That's an honor considering America is the greatest nation in the history of the world.

I will never forget.

And witnessed the horror.

Of the Nazis war camps.

In the battle of the Bulge.

My friends and I.

What to stop the Nazis last major portion in the Western Front.

If you want it later, Hitler was dead.

Hitler was dead.

But not The Nazis were defeated.

We were and we gave thanks to Almighty God for delivering us from evil.

Hm not But not many of us Came home I still miss.

A lot of my friends, On that beach.

And we're There were many of us left.

There aren't many of us left today.

But for us, Those who Who are Here That America is still worth fighting for.

It hurts my heart to see.

What our current president and vice president have done.

To the country I love so well.

The hum humiliated us and stan again.

We pushed around in China terrorists run wild in the Middle East.

And they let our own southern border, get overrun.

America People say People is is like America is an idea.

But I believe America is much more than that.

America, America as a whole.

I You know, and I was fighting in Europe.

And I came back home.

I kissed the ground.

Thank God.

That I'm back home.

No for my country.

And where I come from, When somebody comes.

For me Or my home You dig in your boots in the ground and never look back.

Yeah That the that saved the free world.

And It was years ago.

And President Trump back in commander in chief.

I would go back to re-enlist today.

And I, I was storm.

Whatever beach you want my country wanted to.

Needs me to.

I was.

God was you.

God bless our home.

And the United States of America.

That was Wisconsin's own retired Sergeant Bill Peckrell, 98 years old, a decorated World War II veteran awarded two Bronze Stars and a silver Star for his service.

It is now 9:09 p.m. here in Milwaukee.

10:09 p.m. on the east coast.

This is PBS News special live coverage of the Republican National Convention.

Thank you for staying with us, and we are so pleased to be joined once again by the one and only Judy Woodruff.

Judy, how are you doing tonight?

Well, I'm doing very well.

I'm watching the coverage and I have to say.

Bill Peckrell looks pretty good for '98.

God bless.

Judy, I know this is now the 3rd night of the Republican National Convention.

You've been with us every night watching as the speeches unfold and all of the messages unfold.

What do you make of what you've heard so far and what we'll hear from JD Vance in just a moment.

Well, we'll hear from JD Vance.

You're right, we've been given an advance copy and I've just been skipping through it, but I have to say what we've heard so far is uh more of it's.

All about Donald Trump and what he's going to mean for this party.

I have to say the party, the RNC has struck some pretty powerful chords tonight between the Gold Star mother and father, uh, and not a dry eye in the house, the family who has a uh uh a child who's being held hostage by Hamas.

This now just a statement from first remarks from a 98-year-old World War II veteran.

They are hitting some, you know, emotional strings, and we see that at every national convention.

I have to, I think you have to give them credit for putting on this kind of program at this point tonight.

How do you see it, David, so far?

Yeah, I think the same, you know, it gets at the emotional tone of the party that the Gold Star, the Gold Star families feel betrayed by President Biden last night we had a lot of parents who had lost somebody in their family to crime they feel betrayed, I think.

JD Vance we're going to feel here about betrayal and so there is an undercurrent of a sense that our leadership class is not doing what it should be doing, and that's really the core of why Donald Trump has a political career.

It's the support of Y JD Vance has a political career and it's reflected time.

Let's go back to the convention stage because now speaking at the podium is the former president's son Donald Trump Jr uncharacteristic.

A Trump is going to give up the microphone.

It doesn't happen often, you may never see it again.

But I got a call on Monday morning.

From a young lady.

Who said, Dad.

I want to speak at the RNC.

I want to speak at the RNC because I want America to know what my grandpa is actually like.

So for the first time ever on a stage, first time ever giving a speech.

I want to bring out My eldest daughter and the eldest granddaughter of the president of the United States, your favorite president.

Kai, Madison, Trump.

Hi everyone, my name is Kai Mainrum.

I am the granddaughter of Donald Trump.

I'm speaking today.

To share this side of my grandpa that people don't often see.

To me, he's just a normal grandpa.

He gives us candy and soda when our parents aren't looking.

He always wants to know how we're doing in school.

When I made the high honor roll, he printed it out to show his friends how proud he was on me.

And um He calls me during the middle of the school day to how my golf game is going and tells me all about his.

But then I had to remind him that I'm in school and I have to call him back later.

When we played golf together, if Pan and his team, he'll try to get inside of my head.

I know.

And he's always surprised that I don't let him get to me.

But I have to remind him, I'm a Trump too.

Even when it's going through all these court cases, he always asked me how I'm doing.

He always encourages me to push myself to be the most successful person I can be.

Obviously, he sets the bar pretty high, but who knows, maybe one day I'll catch him.

On Saturday.

I was shocked when I heard that he has been shot.

And I just want to know if he was OK.

It was heartbreaking that someone would do that to another person.

A lot of people I put my grandpa through hell and he's still standing.

Grandpa, you are such an inspiration.

And I love you.

The media makes my grandpa seem like a different person, but I know him for who he is.

He's very caring and loving.

He truly wants the best for this country, and he will fight every single day to make America great again.

Thank you very much.

A lot of proud moments this week for my family.

Thank you again guys, really appreciate that.

That's not easy.

That's the first time.

I mean this is.

What we call a large crowd for a speech, so incredible work, Kai.

Now back to business.

Guys.

Thank you, sir.

Tonight we gather here in Milwaukee.

At one of the most crucial moments in American history.

Just days ago something that once seemed unimaginable.

Became a terrifying reality.

My father came under literal fire.

As an incredible patriotic rally turned into a tragedy.

On a field in Butler, Pennsylvania, a brave firefighter died.

Others were injured and as those bullets rain down, we came millimeters away from one of the darkest moments in our nation's history.

But we did lose an American hero that day.

We wish that he were with us tonight.

But his memory will live on forever in the hearts of his family, his community, and the nation that he loved.

So I would like to take just a moment tonight to express our gratitude.

For the life and service of American hero Corey Comparator.

They'd say you can't truly know how you'll respond in a moment of danger until you're actually confronted with it.

So what was my father's instinct as his life was on the line.

Not to cower, not to surrender, but to show for all the world to see that the next American president has the heart of a lion.

That the next American president has the courage to put the American people first once again.

And in that moment, My father didn't just show his character.

He showed America's character.

When he stood up with blood on his face.

And the flag at his back.

The world saw a spirit that could never be broken.

And that is the true spirit of America.

America knows what it's like to be down.

We know what it's like to be confused and to be afraid.

Long before the attempt on my father's life, every American I met was filled with fear and anxiety.

They were afraid our country was being torn apart.

They were anxious about the massive and chaotic invasion of illegal aliens across our border.

They were deeply concerned about partisan lawfare, education indoctrination and attacks on freedom of speech.

Most terrifying of all, they saw that our leaders didn't care or worse, that they joyfully aided and abetted the erosion of our rights.

And the lies.

Oh yeah, the lies.

We won't ever forget the lies.

From left wing politicians, from their allies in the media, when you hear them in a row, you fully understand the extent they have gone to divide this great nation.

They lied about Russia collusion.

They lied about hunter's laptop.

They lied about Joe Biden's fitness for office.

They lied about the border being secure.

They lied about inflation being transitory.

They lied about how they would safely withdraw from Afghanistan.

They lied about Biden being a quote moderate.

And they told 1, nonstop lie after another about my father.

But they could only run away from reality for so long.

All hell has broken loose in America and it's impossible to hide anymore.

Remember, build back better.

Yeah Instead, we got broke bumbling Biden.

Nothing is built.

Nothing is back, and nothing is better.

Bridges are collapsing.

Our credibility is crumbling and our money is worth less and less every single day.

It was just one giant bait and switch.

And normal Americans are the ones left holding the bag.

Housing costs, gasoline prices, grocery bills, just keep going up.

Wave after wave of illegal aliens, deadly drugs keep pouring across our border.

Yeah Meanwhile, pro-crime district attorneys have turned our cities into giant crime zones.

They've turned criminals into victims.

Prosecutors into criminal defense attorneys.

And police into public enemies.

Left wing activists are pretending to be educators teaching our kids that there are 57 genders.

But they can't even define what a woman is.

On one hand they think free speech protects their right to expose your children to explicit drag shows.

On the other hand, they want to put you in jail for making a meme.

It's like the entire world has been turned upside down.

Does any of this sound like a country that's going in the right direction?

And honestly, who is actually running the country anyway.

It's obviously not Joe Biden.

So who are they asking us to elect?

Seriously, Who's running things?

Does anyone really know?

Is it Jill?

Is he a hunter?

Barack Obama.

Maybe it's the ghost of corn pop.

Whoever is running the show.

The only thing they are effective at is persecuting my father.

They twisted, contorted, and corrupted the criminal code to turn bookkeeping errors into fenalies.

They concocted new legal theories out of thin air.

They imposed gag orders on my father because the last thing a defendant should be able to do is defend himself, right?

They punished him for merely speaking the truth.

They say they hate Vladimir Putin, but it sure seems like they've spent a lot of time copying his playbook.

In this country we don't criminalize political differences.

We debate them We vote on them.

But we don't make you choose between picking a party or picking a jail cell.

There was a time when the Democrats really wanted what was best for America.

Even if they had a different way of getting there.

It was the party of Franklin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr. You may have disagreed with that party, but at least you could respect it.

But this new extreme Democrat Party.

They want us to somehow believe that the only way forward is going backwards.

We're hiring decisions are based solely on race.

Where justice is only for those with the right opinions.

Where streets are a luxury only for the elite.

Where economic opportunity exists only when you know the right people.

Right now The America we all grew up with, the America that we love.

Feels like an old photograph.

Where you sit down with your children and tell them what life used to be like.

You look back at that America.

And remember a country that was confident and proud.

In America that knew who it was and what it stood for.

And it could all feel like a distant memory.

Somewhere along the way we stumbled.

Somewhere along the way we lost ourselves.

But we can't live on nostalgia.

Yes, America was great, but our greatest days are yet to come.

Because no matter how far off that old photo may feel, it's not the end of our story.

We're like that man.

Who stood on that platform and felt the bullet pierce his flesh just days ago in Pennsylvania.

He may have moved to the ground, but he stood back up.

And when he did.

My father raised his fist into the air.

He looked out at the crowd and what did He said.

And we will fight.

We will fight.

We will fight with our voices.

We will fight with our ideas and in November 5th we will fight with our vote.

I've always been proud of him, but I've never been prouder of my father than I was in that moment.

That's when the world found out that there is tough.

And then there's Trump tough.

And the good news is America is Trump tough.

In 1912, more than a century ago.

Another legendary Republican president came right here to Milwaukee.

At a political rally less than 1 mile from where we stand tonight.

Teddy Roosevelt was struck by a would-be assassin's bullet.

But he didn't quit either.

He finished his speech and he kept fighting.

My friends I don't believe in coincidences, but I do believe in God's plan.

Today Teddy Roosevelt's man in the arena has a name, and it's Donald J. Trump.

Remember My father didn't have to run for reelection this year.

He does indeed the money, the fame, the power, frankly, he doesn't need the witch hunts, the phony investigations, or the political prosecutions either.

But he knew he had to run if there was any chance at saving America.

He's not doing it for himself.

He's doing it for everyone here tonight for everyone watching at home.

No matter who you are, you can be a part of this movement to make America great again.

Look at me And my friend JD Vance.

A kid from Appalachia and a kid from Trump Tower in Manhattan.

We grew up worlds apart.

Yet now we're both fighting side by side to save the country we love.

And by the way, JD Vance is going to make one hell of a vice president.

For those of you who have tuned out politics or have never even voted.

I want you to know If you're looking for a better life, a more prosperous future, a safer, more wholesome and patriotic place to call home.

There's room for you in this party and in this movement.

In fact, you're the ones who matter most of all.

My father has always said that the people he gets along with best are the people who really work for a living.

It's because of his background as a builder in construction, right?

In construction, it doesn't matter how smart your architect is if you don't have the best guys laying the bricks.

People with grit.

People who get their hands dirty.

That's a big problem with Washington DC.

Most of the bureaucrats who rule over us have never built anything in their lives.

It's time to build something real.

Something tangible.

Something that will last and leave this country better off for our children.

That's my father's mission.

This November we have a choice.

It's a choice between one team that wants to build this country up and another that wants to tear this country down.

It's a choice between people who are proud of America and people who are ashamed of America.

And ultimately It's a choice between America last and America first.

So if you love this country from the bottom of your heart.

If you want to bring back common sense.

If you want to save the American dream.

If you want to stand up and fight for the future of our nation, you must re-elect my father, Donald J. Trump.

Together we will make America great once again.

Thank you Thank you, Wisconsin.

Donald Trump Jr. addressing night three of the Republican National Convention and Jonathan Capehart he introduced a new campaign line America is Trump tough, he says.

React to what we heard just now.

Well We've been hearing a lot of red meat over yesterday to now it's so red, it might as well be tartare.

The the I shouldn't be surprised that the Son of the former president would defend his father, but the beginning of this convention, it was unity, it's gonna try to be a uni a unifying convention, but how can it be a unifying convention when some of the same old attack lines that were used before the assassination attempt are still being used.

The grievances that his father Enunciates on the campaign trail all the time, phony witch hunts prosecutions.

He's being persecuted.

He's being politically targeted by Democrats and by the Biden administration.

I just As as we sit here for hours during this convention.

I have to tell you it's like a weighted blanket.

Because despite him saying if you believe in America, this is a movement for you.

No, it's not, it's not I'm sitting here in the hall.

I'm watching.

There are people like me who are watching.

And I can guarantee you that most of them are listening and think, no, it's not, because when you say to me, um, for there are people who are looking at America and it's like America is like looking at an old photograph.

That the country has disappearing.

Who's it disappearing from?

More importantly, how is the country changing and why does it feel like it's slipping away from you.

Is it because there are more people like me who are also trying to live the American dream.

who want to partake in the American dream.

for some reason there are a lot of people in this hall and for Donald Trump Jr. they find that threatening.

And so you know, I never believed that this was going to be this talk of unity that he's changed.

I never believed it for one minute.

I just, I think as an American I'm disappointed.

That I wasn't wrong.

David Brooks, uh, first, uh, bringing out Kai was interesting they're clearly trying to uh make Donald Trump seem like the kindly grandfather, humanize him in a way that I think more than they've done in the past.

Second Uh, I think unity is just the wrong metric.

A 18% of Americans or something like that think the country's on the right track.

You shouldn't preach unity at a time like this.

People are angry.

They want change.

That's Donald Trump's whole message and so he should, they should preach.

Division difference were different and we need to make some fundamental changes.

That's what the opposition party is supposed to do and so I don't mind that they're talking about fighting Hillary Clinton when she was running for president, she talked about fighting all the time.

Finally, the nostalgia point is a good point.

We are drenched in nostalgia in this country, and I think Joe Biden is nostalgic for that period in the 50s and 60s, as much as Donald Trump Jr. there.

The problem is I don't walk away from this convention so far, able to name a single domestic policy or even a foreign policy that this president wants to enact.

So that's all just a void to me.

Amy, do, do, does the Republican base care about policy or are they, do they care more about vibes to, to, to use that word?

No, I think obviously policy is important and it's it's embedded in also trying to tease out what policy and what's ideology is, is always challenging, so they are often in the same uh breath, but this was clearly much more of a dystopian Trump vision, the.

Trump Jr. than it was an optimistic one like we heard from Laura Trump, and so I found that interesting part of the event tonight is focused on introducing JD Vance to the delegates in the room, two people out in the rest of the country.

This is the narrative they're building around JD Vance.

Let's take a listenbreaking story in a best-selling book.

Only in America is this story possible.

But today for many families, the American dream is now gone.

And this is the team tough enough to bring it back.

JD Vance understands that working families have become the forgotten families.

Under Biden, wages are going down while prices skyrocket.

Forcing the majority of Americans to live paycheck to paycheck, working families will have JD Vance fighting for them.

Seniors JD will have your backs too.

No more deciding between putting food on your table and paying for the prescriptions you need.

As a husband and father.

JD knows the importance of fighting for a parent's right to protect their children.

And you can count on this marine to stand up for our soldiers who put their lives on the line for their country every day.

JD Vance's story is one of perseverance.

Of duty Of commitment to what's right.

It's an American story.

And it's just getting started.

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Usha Vance.

Good evening.

Good evening.

When I was asked to introduce my husband, JD Vance, to all of you.

I was at a loss What could I say that hasn't already been said before?

After all, the man was already the subject of a Ron Howard movie.

JD has shared much of his life through his own eloquent words.

In his book, Hillbillylogy.

During his Senate campaign, and now as a sitting United States senator.

It occurred to me that there was only one thing to do.

To explain from the heart.

Why I love and admire JD and stand here beside him today.

And why he will make a great vice president of the United States.

I met JD in law school when he was fresh out of Ohio State.

Which he attended with the support of the GI Bill.

We were friends first because, I mean, who wouldn't want to be friends with JD.

He was then, as now, The most interesting person I knew.

A working class guy who would overcome childhood traumas that I could barely fathom to end up at Yale Law School.

A tough marine who had served in Iraq.

But whose idea of a good time was playing with puppies.

And watching the movie, babe.

The most determined person I knew with one overriding ambition.

To become a husband and a father.

And to build the kind of tight-knit family that he had longed for as a child.

My background is very different from JD's.

I grew up in San Diego.

In a middle class community.

With two loving parents, both immigrants from India and a wonderful sister.

That JD and I could meet at all.

Let alone fall in love and marry, is a testament to this great country.

It is also a testament to JD.

And it tells you something about who he is.

When JD met me, he approached our differences with curiosity.

And enthusiasm.

He wanted to know everything about me.

Where I came from, what my life had been like.

Although he's a meat and potatoes kind of guy.

He adapted to my vegetarian diet and learned to cook food for my mother, Indian food.

Before I knew it, He had become an integral part of my family, a person I could not manage.

Could not imagine living without.

The JD I knew then, is the same JD you see today, except for that beard.

And And his goals in this new role are the same that he has pursued for our family.

To keep people safe.

To create opportunities to build a better life and to solve problems with an open mind.

It's safe to say that neither JD nor I expected to find ourselves in this position.

But it's hard to imagine a more powerful example of the American dream.

A boy from Middletown, Ohio.

Raised by his grandmother through tough times.

Chosen to help lead our country through some of its greatest challenges.

I am grateful to all of you for the trust you have placed in him.

And in our family.

And with that It is my great privilege to introduce my husband and the next vice president of the United States.

JD Vance Why don't we?

United States where the one to Yeah Let the rest of the world.

help us.

Thank you.

There's things to.

the world's rebuild.

Thank you, thank you, please.

Wow.

Wow.

Yeah.

First of all, Aren't a lucky guy?

Isn't she lovely amazing.

Greetings, Milwaukee.

My fellow Americans and my fellow Republicans.

My name is JD Vance from the great state of Ohio.

Tonight I O H I O.

You guys, we got We're going to chill with the Ohio love.

We're going to win Michigan too here, so.

My friends, tonight is a night of hope.

A celebration of what America once was and with God's grace, what it will soon be again.

And it is a reminder.

Of the sacred duty we have to preserve the American experiment.

To choose a new path for our children and grandchildren.

But as we meet tonight, we cannot forget that this evening could have been so much different.

Instead of a day of celebration, this could have been a day of heartache and mourning.

For the last 8 years, President Trump has given everything he has to fight for the people of our country.

He, he didn't need politics, but the country needed him.

Did it Now prior to running for president, he was one of the most successful businessmen in the world.

He had everything anyone could ever want in a life.

And yet, instead of choosing the easy path, he chose to endure abuse, slander, and persecution.

And he did it because he loves this country.

I want all Americans to go and watch the video of a would-be assassin coming a quarter of an inch from taking his life.

Consider the lies they told you about Donald Trump and then look at that photo of him defiant fist in the air when Donald Trump rose to his feet in that Pennsylvania field, all of America stood with him.

And what did he call us to do for our country?

To fight To fight for America even in his most perilous moment, we were on his mind.

His instinct was for us, for our country.

To call us to something higher.

To something greater.

To once again be citizens who ask what our country needs of us.

Now consider what they said.

They said he was a tyrant.

They said he must be stopped at all costs.

But how did he respond?

He called for national unity, for national calm, literally right after an assassin nearly took his life.

He remembered the victims of the terrible attack, especially the brave Corey Coopertori, who gave his life to protect his family.

God bless him.

And then President Trump flew to Milwaukee and got back to work.

Now that's the man I've gotten to know personally over the last few years.

He is tough, and he is, but he cares about people.

He can stand defiant against an assassin one moment and call for national healing the next.

He is a beloved father and grandfather, and of course a once in a generation business leader.

He's the man who is feared by America's adversaries, but two nights ago, and I'll share a moment, said goodnight to his two boys, told them he loved them, and made sure to give each of them a kiss on the cheek.

And I will say, Don and Eric squirmed the same way my 4 year old does when his daddy tries to give him a kiss on the cheek.

Sorry guys.

He has all those things, but tonight we celebrate he is our once and future president of the United States of America.

Now I want to respond to his call for unity myself.

We have a big tent in this party on everything from national security to economic policy.

But my message to you, my fellow Republicans, is, we love this country and we are united to win.

Right.

Now I think our disagreements actually make us stronger.

That's what I've learned in my time in the United States Senate, where sometimes I persuade my colleagues and sometimes they persuade me.

And my message to my fellow Americans, those watching from across the country is, shouldn't we be governed by a party that is unafraid to debate ideas and come to the best solution?

That's the Republican Party of the next 4 years, united in our love for this country and committed to free speech and the open exchange of ideas.

And so tonight, Mr. Chairman, I stand here humbled.

And I'm overwhelmed with gratitude to say, I officially accept your nomination to be vice president of the United States of America.

Now, never in my wildest imagination could I have believed that I'd be standing here tonight.

I grew up in Middletown, Ohio.

A small town where people spoke their minds, built with their hands, and loved their God, their family, their community and their country with their whole hearts.

But it was also a place that had been cast aside and forgotten by America's ruling class in Washington.

When I was in the 4th grade, a career politician by the name of Joe Biden supported NAFTA, a bad trade deal that sent countless good jobs to Mexico.

When I was a sophomore in high school, that same career politician named Joe Biden gave China a sweetheart trade deal that destroyed even more good American middle class manufacturing jobs.

When I was a senior in high school, that same Joe Biden supported the disastrous invasion of Iraq, and at each step of the way in small towns like mine in Ohio or next door in Pennsylvania or Michigan, and states all across our country, jobs were sent overseas and our children were sent to war.

And So I agree And somehow.

A real estate developer from New York City by the name of Donald J. Trump was right on all of these issues while Biden was wrong.

President Trump knew even then that we needed leaders who would put America first.

Now thanks to these these policies that Biden and other out of touch politicians in Washington gave us our country was flooded with cheap Chinese goods with cheap foreign labor and in the decades to come, deadly Chinese fentanyl.

Joe Biden screwed up and my community paid the price.

Now, I was lucky.

Despite the closing factories and the growing addiction in towns like mine.

In my life, I had a guardian angel by my side.

She was an old woman who could barely walk, but she was tough as nails.

I called her mammo.

The name we hillbillies gave to our grandmothers.

Ma'am all raised me as her own.

Excuse me, ma'am I raised me as my mother struggled with addiction.

Ma'ammo was in so many ways a woman of contradiction.

She loved the Lord, ladies and gentlemen.

She was a woman of very deep Christian faith.

But she also loved the F word.

I'm not kidding.

She could make a sailor blush.

Now she once told me when she found out that I was spending too much time with a local kid who was known for dealing drugs, that if I ever hung out with that kid again, she would run him over with her car.

That's true.

And she said, JD, no one will ever find out about it.

Now, now thanks to that memo things worked out for me.

After 9/11.

I did what thousands of other young men my age did in that time of soaring patriotism and love of country.

I enlisted in the United States Marines.

Simplify to my fellow Marines.

Now I, I left the Marines after 4 years and went to the Ohio State University.

I'm sorry, Michigan, I had to get that in there.

Come on, come on.

We've had enough political violence.

Let's Now after Ohio State, I went to Yale Law School where I met my beautiful wife, and then I started businesses to create jobs in the kind of places that I grew up in.

Now my work taught me that there is still so much talent and grit in the American heartland.

There really is.

But for these places to thrive, my friends, we need a leader who fights for the people who built this country.

We need a leader who's not in the pocket of big business, but answers to the working man, union and non-union alike.

A leader who won't sell out to multinational corporations but will stand up for American companies and American industry.

A leader who rejects Joe Biden and Kamala Harris's Green News scam and fights to bring back our great American factories.

We need President Donald J. Trump.

Some people tell me I've lived the American dream and of course they're right, and I'm so grateful for it.

But the American dream that always counted most was not starting a business or becoming a senator or even being here with you fine people though, it's pretty awesome.

My most important American dream was becoming a good husband and a good dad.

of being able to give.

Yeah I wanted to give my kids the things that I didn't have when I was growing up, and that's the accomplishment that I'm proudest of.

That tonight I'm joined By my beautiful wife Usha.

An incredible lawyer and a better mom.

And our 3 beautiful kids, Ewan, who's 7.

Viva, who's 4, and Mirabel, who's 2.

Now they're back at the hotel and kids, if you're watching, Daddy loves you very much, but get your butts in bed.

It's 10 o'clock.

But my friends, things did not work out well for a lot of kids I grew up with.

Every now and then I will get a call from a relative back home who asked, did you know so and so?

And I remember a face from years ago and then I'll hear, they died of an overdose.

As always, America's ruling class wrote the checks.

Communities like mine paid the price.

For decades that divide between the few with their power and comfort in Washington and the rest of us only widened.

From Iraq to Afghanistan from the financial crisis to the Great Recession from open borders to stagnating wages, the people who govern this country have failed and failed again.

That is, of course, until a guy named Donald J. Trump came along.

President Trump represents America's last best hope to restore what if lost, may never be found again.

A country where working class boy born far from the halls of power can stand on this stage as the next vice president of the United States of America.

Yes.

But my fellow Americans here in this stage and Watching at home.

This moment is not about me.

It's about all of us.

It's about who we're fighting for.

It's about the auto worker in Michigan wondering why out of touch politicians are destroying their jobs.

It's about the factory worker in Wisconsin who makes things with their hands and is proud of American craftsmanship.

It's about the energy worker in Pennsylvania and Ohio who doesn't understand why Joe Biden is willing to buy energy from tin pot dictators across the world when he could buy it from his own citizens right here in our own country.

You guys are a great crowd.

Wow.

And And it's about our movement is about single moms like mine.

struggled with money and addiction but never gave up.

And I'm proud to say that tonight my mom is here.

10 years clean and sober.

I love you mom.

And, and, and you know, mom, I was thinking.

It'll be 10 years officially in January of 2025, and if President Trump is OK with it, let's have the celebration in the White House.

And our movement, ladies and gentlemen, it's about grandparents all across this country who are living on Social Security and raising grandchildren they didn't expect to raise.

And while we're on the topic of grandparents, let me tell you another mammoth story.

And my mama died shortly before I left for Iraq in 2005.

And when we went through things, we found 19 loaded handguns.

They were.

Now The thing is that they were stashed all over her house under her bed, in her closet in the silverware drawer.

And we wondered what was going on.

And it occurred to us that towards the end of her life, Mamma couldn't get around so well.

And so this frail old woman made sure that no matter where she was, she was within arm's length of whatever she needed to protect her family.

That's who we fight for.

That's American spirit.

Now Joe Biden has been a politician in Washington for longer than I've been alive.

39 years old.

Kamala Harris is not much further behind.

For half a century, he's been the champion of every major policy initiative to make America weaker and poorer.

And in 4 short years Donald Trump reversed decades of betrayals inflicted by Joe Biden and the rest of the corrupt Washington insiders.

He created the greatest economy in history for workers.

Really was amazing.

There's, there's this chart that shows worker wages, and they stagnated for pretty much my entire life until President Donald J. Trump came along.

Workers' wages went through the roof.

And just imagine what he's going to do when we give him 4 more years.

Months ago I heard some young family member observe that their parents' generation, the baby boomers, could afford to buy a home when they first entered the workforce.

But I don't know this person observed, if I'll ever be able to afford a home.

The absurd cost of housing is the result of so many failures, and it reveals so much about what's broken in Washington.

I can tell you exactly how it happened.

Wall Street barons crashed the economy and American builders went out of business.

As tradesmen scrambled for jobs, houses stopped being built.

The lack of good jobs, of course, led to stagnant wages.

And then the Democrats flooded this country with millions of illegal aliens.

So citizens had to compete with people who shouldn't even be here for precious housing.

Joe Biden's inflation crisis, my friends, is really an affordability crisis.

And many of the people that I grew up with can't afford to pay more for groceries, more for gas, more for rent, and that's exactly what Joe Biden's economy has given them.

So prices soared, dreams were shattered.

And China and the cartels sent fentanyl across the border, adding addiction to the heartache.

But ladies and gentlemen, that is not the end of our story.

We've heard about villains and their victims.

I've talked a lot about that, but let me tell you about the future.

President Trump's vision is so simple and yet so powerful.

We're done, ladies and gentlemen, catering to Wall Street will commit to the working man.

We're done importing foreign labor.

We're going to fight for American citizens and their good jobs and their good wages.

Were done by an energy from countries that hate us, we're going to get it right here from American workers in Pennsylvania and Ohio and across the country.

We're done sacrificing supply chains to unlimited global trade, and we're going to stamp more and more products with that beautiful label made in the USA.

We're gonna build factories again, put people to work making real products for American families made with the hands of American workers together.

We will protect the wages of American workers and stop the Chinese Communist Party from building their middle class on the backs of American citizens.

Together we will make sure our allies share in the burden of securing world peace.

No more free rides for nations that betray the generosity of the American taxpayer.

Together we will send our kids to war only when we must.

But as President Trump showed with the elimination of ISIS and so much more when we punch, we're going to punch hard.

Together we will put the citizens of America first, whatever the color of their skin, we will, in short, make America great again.

You know, one of the things that you hear people say sometimes is that America is an idea.

And to be clear, America was indeed founded on brilliant ideas like the rule of law and religious liberty, things written into the fabric of our Constitution and our nation.

But America is not just an idea.

It is a group of people with a shared history and a common future.

It is, in short.

A nation Now it is part of that tradition, of course, that we welcome newcomers.

But when we allow newcomers into our American family, we allow them on our terms.

That's the way we preserve the continuity of this project from 250 years past to hopefully 250 years in the future.

And let me illustrate this with a story, if I may.

I'm of course married to the daughter of South Asian immigrants to this country, incredible people, people who genuinely have enriched this country in so many ways, and of course I'm biased because I love my wife and her family, but it's true.

Now what I propose to my wife, we were in law school and I said, honey.

I come with $1,200,000 worth of law school debt and a cemetery plot on a mountainside in eastern Kentucky.

And I, I, I guess standing here tonight, it's just gotten weirder and weirder, honey.

That, but, but that's what she was getting.

Now that cemetery plot in eastern Kentucky is near my family's ancestral home and like a lot of people, we came from the mountains of Appalachia into the factories of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

Now that's Kentucky coal country, one of the 10.

Now it's one of the 10 poorest counties in the entire United States of America.

They are very hardworking people and they're very good people.

They're the kind of people who would give you the shirt off their back even if they can't afford enough to eat.

And our media calls them privileged and looks down on them.

But they love this country not only because it's a good idea.

But because in their bones they know that this is their home, and it will be their children's home and they would die fighting to protect it.

That is the source of America's greatness.

As the United States senator, I get to represent millions of people in the great state of Ohio with similar stories, and it is the great honor of my life.

Now in that cemetery, there are people who are born around the time of the Civil War.

And if, as I hope, My wife and I are eventually laid to rest there.

And our kids follow us.

There will be 7 generations just in that small mountain cemetery plot in eastern Kentucky.

7 generations of people who have fought for this country, who have built this country.

Who have made things in this country and who would fight and die to protect this country if they were asked to.

Yeah Now that's not just an idea, my friends.

That's not just a set of principles, even though the ideas and the principles are great.

That is a homeland that is our homeland.

People will not fight for abstractions, but they will fight for their home.

And if this movement of ours is going to succeed and if this country is going to thrive, our leaders have to remember that America is a nation and its citizens deserve leaders who put its interests first.

Now we won't agree on every issue, of course, not even in this room.

We may disagree from time to time about how best to reinvigorate American industry and renew American family.

That's fine.

In fact, it's more than fine, it's good.

But never forget that the reason why this united Republican Party exists.

Why we do this?

why we care about those great ideas and that great history is that we want this nation to thrive for centuries to come.

Now eventually in that that mountain cemetery.

My children will lay me to rest.

And when they do, I would like them to know that thanks to the work of this Republican Party, the United States of America and as strong and as proud and as great as ever.

That is who we serve, my friends.

That is who we fight for and the only thing that we need to do right now, the most important thing that we can do for those people, for that American nation that we all love is to re-elect Donald J. Trump, President of the United States.

Mr. President, I will never take for granted the trust you have put in me.

And what an honor it is to help achieve the extraordinary vision that you have for this country.

Now I pledge to every American, no matter your party, I will give you everything I have to serve you and to make this country a place where every dream you have for yourself, your family, and your country will be possible once again.

And I promise you one more thing.

To the people of Middletown, Ohio and all the forgotten communities.

In Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Ohio and every corner of our nation, I promise you this, I will be a vice president who never forgets where he came from.

And every single day for the next 4 years when I walk into the White House to help President Trump, I will be doing it for you, for your family, for your future, and for this great country.

Thank you.

God bless all of you and God bless our great country.

There you have JD Vance Junior senator from Ohio, accepting the Republican Party's nomination to be the vice presidential nominee on the ticket with former President Donald Trump.

Judy Woodruff, what do you make of his remarks?

Well, what youngest person or one of the youngest ever chosen to be a vice presidential running mate.

I think he did the job that Donald Trump probably wanted him to do.

He made contrasts.

He, uh, you know, he talked about Joe Biden's age.

He said when I was in the 4th grade, Joe Biden supported NAFTA.

Um, he personalized himself.

He talked about his family, the woman who raised him, Mama.

There was some humor we were introduced to his mother.

Her story about had to be personally painful story about addiction.

Um, I think all in all, you know, he showed us he's going to be a fighter.

He's going to go out on the campaign trail and how many times did he say tonight, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, you know, I've been counting Amy was counting by my count, he said Michigan 5 times, Pennsylvania 5 times, Wisconsin 3 times, Ohio 9 times.

It's fairly clear what his role is on this and where they want him to be spending a lot of his time.

The other really fascinating thing, look, we, we heard a lot of what we had been talking about previously on the panel about his um about his desire to make America a place where we're not going into foreign wars.

He said something.

I wrote it down now I cannot find it or see it, but said something to the degree of we aren't going to fight for abstractions, but we will fight to protect America, um, what is really interesting about this, as we know though, is many of the things he talked about WTO, NAFTA, all of those things passed thanks to Republicans.

Under a democratic president.

Jonathan David, final thoughts, David.

You know, the guy literally has a cinematic life.

I thought he could have done a lot more to connect with people emotionally introduce himself, tell the story.

Uh, it was interesting.

I thought it was a little flat, but then the audience kind of picked him up and it turned into sort of a joyful conversation, which is not what you expect from a righteous indignant populist.

Um, I noticed that the song, the song Don't Think it, Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow was the Clinton.

That's right, but um I worked NAFTA to quote a great thinker by the name of David Brooks.

Um, I would brand, um, JD Vance's speeches perfectly adequate.

Jonathan Capehart, David Brooks, Judy Woodruff, Amy Walter.

Our deep thanks to each of you and that concludes our broadcast coverage of the first night of the Republican National Convention.

If you're watching on YouTube, don't go anywhere.

Our coverage continues with our friend and colleague Lisa Desjardins, who will unpack the day's events, and with that, I'm Jeff Bennett.

I'm in the viz for all of us here at PBS News.

Thank you for joining us and good night.

This program was made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and by contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you.

Thank you.

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