Melania Trump: ‘Four more years’ of President Trump needed

President Donald Trump leaned heavily on his family for political support on Night Two of the Republican National Convention.

Tiffany and Eric Trump, two of the president’s children, and Melania Trump, the First Lady, spoke in prepared remarks about the challenges and accomplishments, achievements and disrespect Donald Trump has battled for and overcome in his first term.

Riffing on everything from media bias to foreign policy, capitalism to crime, and abortion to immigration, Tuesday night’s speakers touted President Trump’s bluntness and non-traditional approach to politics.

“Promises made, promises for the first time met,” Eric Trump said in his speech. “The media ignored the Trump flags and the millions of MAGA banners and barns painted in red, white, and blue.”

“The silent majority had no one fighting for them — in either party,” Eric Trump said, claiming politicians before his father “spent more time worrying about how they were received by the elites in Paris than how Americans would provide for their families in Pittsburgh.”

The president’s son called Joe Biden, the Democratic Presidential nominee, a “career politician who doesn’t know the slightest thing about the American worker or American business.”

Tiffany Trump, the president’s daughter from his second marriage, recently completed law school. She has been low-profile compared to Trump’s older kids in the political arena. In her speech, she spent significant time airing grievances with how the media has covered her father.

“People must recognize that our thoughts, opinions and even the choice of who we vote for are being manipulated and invisibly coerced by the media and tech giants,” she said. “If you tune in to the media, you get one biased opinion or another. And if what you share does not fit into the narrative they seek to promote, then it is either ignored or deemed a ‘lie,’ regardless of the truth. This manipulation of what information we receive impedes our freedoms.”

The longest speech of the night was from First Lady Melania Trump. Speaking from the White House’s Rose Garden, she expressed condolences and sympathy to those who have struggled with sickness and death during the COVID-19 pandemic. She said her husband, who has been criticized for his handling of the coronavirus outbreak, is doing everything in his power to end the health crisis.

“My husband’s administration will not stop fighting until there is an effective treatment or vaccine,” she said. “Donald will not rest until he has done everything he can to help everyone impacted by this terrible pandemic.”

In closing, Melania Trump said the president’s unorthodox style and unfiltered opinions warranted a second term.

“We need my husband to be our president and commander in chief for four more years,” she said. “I believe that we need my husband’s leadership now more than ever.”

There was criticism from Democrats, the media and longtime political observers of using the White House as a backdrop for partisan political purposes. Trump conducted a Presidential pardon and a U.S. naturalization ceremony from the White House in Tuesday night’s primetime convention programming.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered a convention speech touting Trump’s foreign policy successes from Jerusalem, where Trump moved the U.S. embassy in Israel.

CRAWFORD REACTS
Talk Business & Politics summarized highlights from the Democratic National Convention last week and will report on the Republican National Convention this week. Each night, a prominent party official or candidate will be asked for commentary and feedback on the evening’s events.

U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Jonesboro, reacted to the night’s events and the second day of the GOP convention. Crawford is unopposed in the 2020 general election.

TB&P: What did you think of Melania Trump’s speech?

Rep. Rick Crawford: I thought FLOTUS’s speech was very sincere. She touched on a variety of topics with compassion and empathy. Sharing her story of becoming a U.S. citizen dovetailed well with the live swearing-in of the five new citizens earlier in the evening. I really appreciated her comments on social media and their impacts on children. I thought she was very elegant, eloquent and gracious.

TB&P: Who else has stood out to you so far and why?

Crawford: There were numerous speakers who stood out to me. Nick Sandman did a great job. The Kentucky Attorney General I think is someone with a very bright future in government. The New Mexico police officer’s story of adopting a drug addict’s child was very compelling. The one that stood out the most to me was Abby Johnson – the former Planned Parenthood worker who is now a pro-life activist. Although her speech was graphic at times, she delivered it with great compassion and conviction. I found it very moving.

TB&P: What’s your impression of how this week’s convention is working between live, taped, in-person and virtual?

Crawford: Working with a virtual audience is always difficult. Seasoned speakers will tell you that they feed off the energy in the room. That is the challenge in this environment. In spite of that, I think this is being very well-produced and there’s great continuity. These conventions are usually raucous and dynamic – on both sides – and provide a lot of energy at the venue which translates to viewers at home. This year, the parties are relying on substance to move the audience. That’s where the Democrats have fallen flat, and I feel the GOP is doing a much better job. They’ve addressed a variety of issues in more compelling ways and have done a better job with production and continuity. Better in substance, better on production.

I’d still rather have a live event, but we have to play the hand we’re dealt. All in all, I think Trump will come out of this in very good shape.