Trump's RNC becomes the new family business on Night 2

Sen. Rand Paul. Republican National Convention

Sen. Rand Paul said he’s supporting President Donald Trump because he seeks to end wars and not start them, citing Trump’s position on the Bush administration’s decision to invade Iraq. 

Paul said, “Joe Biden voted for the Iraq War, which President Trump has long called the worst geopolitical mistake of our generation.”

Facts First: Paul’s comments about Trump’s stance on the war are misleading. It’s true that Biden voted for the war in 2002, though he did acknowledge a few years later that his vote was a mistake.

Though Trump himself has repeatedly claimed to have opposed the war before it began, he only became an explicit opponent of the war more than a year after it began. He even expressed tentative support for the invasion in late 2002 and in his 2000 book, "The America We Deserve," Trump argued that a military strike on Iraq might be necessary.

You can read more about Trump’s past comments about the war in Iraq here.

Mayor Robert Vlaisavljevich. Republican National Convention

Eveleth, Minnesota, Mayor Robert Vlaisavljevich, who says he has been a lifelong Democrat, praised President Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention and said this election, the “Iron Range’s economic future and survival is at stake.”

Vlaisavljevich said “for far too long … both parties allowed our country to be ripped off by our trading partners, especially by China.”

But he said four years after Trump was elected, “the Iron Range is roaring back to life, and we have one man to thank: President Donald Trump.” Vlaisavljevich said Trump has fulfilled his campaign promises by lowering taxes and rolling back regulations. 

He said this election, “the Iron Range’s economic future and survival is at stake, and so is America’s. We know we can count on President Trump to fight for us and win.” 

The Iron Range refers to several iron-ore mining districts around Lake Superior in the United States and Canada.

The opening hour of Tuesday's Republican National Convention offered a clear window into how President Donald Trump's campaign believes it can reach 270 electoral votes.

Three early speakers, including a dairy farmer, hailed from Wisconsin. And a lobster farmer from Maine offered a narrow, but policy-focused, case for Trump's re-election.

Trump has trailed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, three states he won in 2016. Setting those aside, if he were to hold onto every other state he won that year, he'd have 259 electoral votes.

Many Republicans believe Trump's best shot at reversing his fortunes in the Upper Midwest is in Wisconsin, where a win would earn him 10 more electoral votes, totaling 269 — one away from victory.

And Maine, though a Democratic-leaning state, has two congressional districts —and splits its electoral votes, with two going to the statewide winner and one each going to the winner of those districts. If Trump were to lose the state, but win the 2nd District — a rural district where lobster farming is a major industry — he'd land at exactly 270 electoral votes and win a second term.

Nicholas Sandmann, a Kentucky teenager who was at the center of a viral video controversy, used his personal story to condemn cancel culture and argue that President Trump and conservatives are treated unfairly by the press. 

Sandmann was filmed while wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat with his student group at the Lincoln Memorial after his group encountered other groups of protesters. He sued numerous news organizations and so far, has reached settlements with The Washington Post and CNN.

Sandmann said in a speech at the Republican convention on Tuesday that after video of the interaction with protesters in Washington, DC, went public, his life changed forever.

Speaking about the lawsuits against news organizations, Sandmann said he “fought back hard to expose the media for what they did to me and I won a personal victory. While much more must be done, I look forward to the day that the media returns to providing balanced, responsible and accountable news coverage.” 

“I know President Trump hopes for that too,” he continued. “And I know you’ll agree with me when we say no one in this county has been a victim of unfair media coverage more than President Donald Trump.”

Larry Kudlow, Director of the United States National Economic Council. Republican national Convention

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow used his Republican National Convention address to tout President Trump's economic policies and his leadership during the coronavirus pandemic.

Kudlow said that the country is coming out of hardship, and the economic health is "coming back. "Moving forward," Kudlow says of the pandemic, "we’ve hit a turning point. And now the recovery has begun."

Kudlow praised Trump's measures during Covid-19 and the bipartisan "rescue that also saved the economy."

"Right now, our economic health is coming back with emergency spending and tax cuts, Americans are going back to work," Kudlow said. "There's a housing boom, there's an auto boom, a manufacturing boom, a consumer spending boom."

The adviser said "looking ahead" more tax cuts and regulatory roll back will be "in store."

Kudlow said the "economic choice is very clear" this election.

"Coming out of the deep pandemic, who in their right mind would pick the pockets of taxpayers and drain money from their wallets and purses. Look, our economic choice is very clear. Do you want economic health, prosperity, opportunity and optimism or do you want to turn back to the dark days of stagnation, recession and pessimism? I believe there can't be better economic policies than we've had in recent years. So I say, stay with him," Kudlow said in closing.

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Cissie Graham Lynch, the granddaughter of famous evangelist Billy Graham. Republican National Convention

President Donald Trump’s ties to the Evangelical community have always been somewhat nebulous. A thrice-married New Yorker with no previous record as a church-goer who once declared himself “very pro-choice,” he wasn’t the first choice for many in 2016 and worked hard to convince conservative Christians he was on their side — including by selecting Mike Pence as his running mate.

Perhaps because his personality didn’t seem to jive with any definition of Christian morality, Trump’s attempts to woo evangelicals have often seemed outsized. He was the first President to address the anti-abortion March for Life in Washington; he has posed for photographs with pastors laying their hands on him to pray; and he has acknowledged that his decision to move the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem appeals specifically to Christians.

There have been missteps, including Trump’s photo-op outside a church across from the White House during protests. His awkward handling of a Bible was decried by many religious leaders as craven. At various points during his presidency, Trump has expressed concern to aides that support among Evangelicals might be slipping.

But while his support may have slid somewhat, a large majority of White evangelicals still support him — and their voices were prominent on Tuesday. 

Cissie Graham Lynch, the granddaughter of famous evangelist Billy Graham, said Trump was "giving hope to people of faith around the world.”

And Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood worker who now opposes abortion, called Trump “the most pro-life President we’ve ever had.” 

Unmentioned in all of it was the current scandal rocking evangelical circles: the dramatic downfall of Jerry Falwell Jr., who resigned as president of Liberty University on Tuesday after reports he and his wife took part in a sexual relationship with a former hotel pool attendant. 

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Republican convention planners determined early on they wanted to highlight everyday Americans who they say have benefited from policies Trump put in place.

Their goal has been to portray a leader focused squarely on improving peoples’ lives — even as many Americans now find themselves self-quarantined, out of work, unable to travel or suffering from the loss of a loved one.

Amid the baleful tone of Monday night’s programming, the helper-in-chief idea didn’t necessarily penetrate, but the efforts seemed more clear Tuesday with speeches from a lobster fisherman in Maine, a dairy farmer from Wisconsin and the owner of a metal fabrication business who says Trump’s new North American trade agreement has made his business more competitive. 

“As long as Trump is president, fishing families like mine will have a voice,” said Jason Joyce, the lobsterman. “I strongly support President Trump’s re-election. When he sees something isn't right, he’s fearless in fixing it. He listens to working people.”

Trump’s aides believe individual stories like that can help convince voters Trump is looking out for them more broadly — and rebut accusations made by Democrats that he simply doesn’t care about the lives of ordinary Americans.

Trump ran as a populist who insisted he would enact policies that benefit the so-called “forgotten” Americans that he claimed both parties had left behind. Once he entered office, however, his legislative agenda didn’t always reflect those promises — including passing massive corporate tax breaks.

 Those haven’t been mentioned much during the convention so far. But Trump’s trade agreements have been front and center.

Trump himself has framed the efforts in more starkly political terms. He has focused in particular on farmers, telling aides they are his “people” — in other words, they voted for him — and must be taken care of. In real terms, that has meant massive subsidies as farmers suffered the effects of a tit-for-tat tariff war with China.

The benefits to Americans from Trump’s China trade deal aren’t as clear-cut as the convention would make them seem. Earlier Tuesday, new data was released showing China’s purchases of goods from the United States remained at less than half the committed targets for the year up to July set out in Trump’s Phase One trade deal.

In private, Trump has been less enthusiastic about efforts that don’t seem to have an obvious political upside. That includes on criminal justice reform, an initiative spearheaded by his son-in-law Jared Kushner that Trump endorsed but has not made a central aspect of his reelection bid.

It will appear at moments during the convention, including on Tuesday when Trump pardoned Jon Ponder, who robbed a bank in Nevada and later founded an organization to help former inmates. Alice Johnson, whose pardon was brought to Trump by Kim Kardashian West, is also a scheduled speaker this week.

Lobster fisherman Jason Joyce. Republican National Convention

Jason Joyce, an eighth generation lobster fisherman from Maine, didn't always support President Trump.

"I have to confess I didn't support Trump in 2016, skeptical that he shared my conservative views, I expected him to flip flop on his campaign promises," he said during his Republican National Convention speech tonight.

Joyce said he has had a change of heart.

Trump, he said, "has followed through on his promises" and has helped boost the Maine's lobster industry.

"I strongly support President Trump’s reelection. When he sees something isn't right, he’s fearless in fixing it. He listens to working people," he saidWatch:

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Kentucky Republican Senator Rand Paul. Republican National Convention

Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul used his remarks at the Republican convention Tuesday night to praise many of President Donald Trump’s policies, especially his efforts to avoid foreign wars. 

When Paul ran against Trump in 2016, he called his opponent an “orange windbag,” a “fake conservative," and a “delusional narcissist.” 

In his 2020 convention speech, Paul admitted, “I don’t always agree with him. But our occasional policy differences are far outweighed by our significant agreements. But more important than simple agreement is accomplishment. President Donald Trump gets things done.” 

Paul praised Trump’s tax plan, the President’s willingness to engage in health care deregulation efforts, and his work on criminal justice reform. 

Paul, long a critic of military intervention, said he fears Joe Biden will engage in foreign wars if elected president. 

Trump has frequently decried the US' penchant for "endless wars" and in office, his administration has withdrawn troops from areas of conflict, such as Syria, and allied nations, like Germany.

“Joe Biden voted for the Iraq War, which President Trump has long called the worst geopolitical mistake of our generation. I fear Biden will choose war again. He supported war in Serbia, Syria, Libya. Joe Biden will continue to spill our blood and treasure. President Trump will bring our heroes home,” Paul said. “If you hate war like I hate war, if you want us to quit sending $50 billion every year to Afghanistan to build their roads and their bridges instead of building them here at home, you need to support President Trump for another term!” 

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