2020 Republican National Convention (RNC) Night 3 Transcript

Speaker 1: (00:00)
Thing, it was never intended to be, but the spirit of heroism stands in the breach. It lives in the heart. It breathes in the soul and is woven into the courageous fabric of Americans, like you. It preserves liberty. It strengthens families. It empowers the extraordinary. The spirit of heroism inspires us to act when others are in need, to do the right thing. Join us tonight. Dream heroic dreams. Celebrate America, land of the free, home of the brave.

Speaker 2: (00:52)
From Washington DC, welcome to the 2020 Republican National Convention. Tonight, celebrating America, the land of heroes.

Speaker 3: (01:19)
Lord, all mighty God, we come before you this evening and pray for your divine protection over our brothers and sisters in the path of storms along our Gulf Coast. You are our rock and our shelter in the midst of the storms of life. You are the God who commands the winds and the waves, and we pray that you will provide refuge to our people. Oh Lord, you have granted us certain natural rights, such as the right to speak freely, life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, as well as religious freedom, the right to assemble and the right to self-defense. Only in America have these God-given rights so flourished and been categorized as belonging to the people, embodying the very essence of our government. Father, we pray that this outlook and mindset, this form of government continues, as has been our history, especially now when to our horror, it is being challenged.

Speaker 3: (02:29)
So, we pray that God gives strength and health to our President, who has splendidly demonstrated daily, his determination to defend and maintain the God-given rights of our citizens as enshrined in our constitution, and in our declaration, eloquently passed down through our Judeo-Christian tradition. President Trump has stood up fearlessly against those who are corrupting the term social justice, so as to deny Americans, their birthright and these divine gifts. May God protect him. May God bless all those in government and among our citizens who seek to honor, defend and preserve our heritage.

Speaker 3: (03:19)
This land was founded in an epic and providential moment. Like the revelation at Sinai, it was the moment when the vision of God rendezvoused with this soaring and Nobel plans of appointed men. Yet, every so often, a pace, various generations, we are compelled to resurrect and give rebirth to our providential beginning, to renew our present days with the exuberance of those founding days. Perhaps that is what is meant when we say make America great again. We pledge to vigilantly protect and tend the garden, so as to imbibe its blessed fruits. May God continue to make America great, and may we continue to be his people, one nation, under God. Let us say, amen.

Speaker 4: (04:24)
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

Kristi Noem: (04:50)
Good evening. I’m Governor Kristi Noem, of South Dakota. I’m here tonight because I believe America is an exceptional nation, founded on three principles, equality, freedom, and opportunity. But today, our founding principles are under attack. This year, the choice for Americans is between a man who values these ideals and all that can be built because of them and a man who isn’t guided by these ideals, and coincidentally has built nothing. Remember, America’s battle for independence and fight for self-governance was something that had never been done before. Men of great intellect and wisdom like James Madison, the father of our constitution, hoped our constitutional republic would last for ages, mitigate the problems that would naturally arise from political factions and prevent tyranny. Madison also authored much of the Bill of Rights, because he understood the natural tendency of government to increasingly encroach on the people’s consent and thus, our freedom.

He urged his colleagues to adopt these amendments to enshrine in our constitution the ideals laid out in the Declaration of Independence, that all power comes from the people, that the government is created and ought to be exercised for the benefit of the people. Our constitution guarantees the right to speak, to assemble, and to worship, the right to arm ourselves as a counterbalance to a standing army and the right to a fair and equitable criminal justice system. We must fight to protect these foundational rights from government interference and indifference. America is unique in the world. Governments power at all levels is limited to the confines of our constitution, which protects our God-given liberties and civil rights. We are not, and will not be the subjects of an elite class of so- called experts. We, the people are the government. Now at times, our country has struggled to live up to our founding principles. Another great American, Abraham Lincoln, knew that struggle better than anybody. When he was just 28 years old, Honest Abe saw wild and furious passion’s worse than savage mobs, he said, taking the place of reasoned judgment. He was alarmed by the increasing disregard for the rule of law throughout the country. He was concerned for the people that had seen their property destroyed, their families attacked and their lives threatened, or even taken away. These good people were becoming tired of and disgusted with a government that offered them no protection. Sound familiar? It took 244 years to build this great nation, flaws and all, but we stand to lose it in a tiny fraction of that time, if we continue down the path taken by the Democrats and their radical supporters. From Seattle and Portland to Washington and New York, Democrat-run cities across this country are being overrun by violent mobs.

The violence is rampant. There’s looting, chaos, destruction, and murder. People that can afford to flee, have fled, but the people that can’t, good, hardworking Americans are left to fend for themselves. The Republican Party’s commitment to individual rights and self-government is as necessary today as it was in 1860, when we won our first presidential election. Our party respects individuals, based on who they are. We don’t divide people based on their beliefs or their roots. We don’t shun people who think for themselves. We respect to everyone equally under the constitution, and we treat them as Martin Luther King, Jr. wished, according to the content of their character, not the color of their skin. In just four years, President Trump has lifted people of all races and backgrounds out of poverty. He shrunk government. He put money back into the pockets of hardworking, ordinary Americans. He has advanced religious liberty.

He protected the Second Amendment. You can look back 50 years. You won’t find anyone that has surpassed President Trump’s success on these four issues alone. History chooses its heroes for the time in which they live. At our founding, Madison was one of the chosen. When the nation’s very existence was challenged, it was Lincoln’s turn. Thanks to these men, america is a land of hope. Their examples have been repeated in countless ways by simple Americans following their conscience, but there is another American hero to be recognized, and that is the common American. This is who President Trump is fighting for. He is fighting for you.

Speaker 5: (09:56)
I’m Scott Dane. I represent loggers and truckers in Minnesota, but I also represent a way of life. Logging has been a part of the great American story from the beginning. In fact, if you go to the Capitol rotunda and look up, you can see loggers on one of the panels, New England settlers carving out a new world from the wilderness. But logging is the most dangerous job in the country, but we embrace that risk because we know America was built by strong people, building things together. America needs us to keep building and we can’t wait to be a part of it. But the last time Joe Biden was in the White House, Minnesota lost nearly half of its mills, thousands of jobs and experienced nearly a decade of decline. It was a similar story in other parts of the country. The administration just didn’t seem to care.

Speaker 5: (11:06)
In 47 years in Washington, Joe Biden, hasn’t done anything for the timber industry. When plants closed in Duluth, Sartell, Cook and Bemidji, they were just numbers on a paper to the Obama Biden administration. To me, they were people in jobs and families. Under Obama-Biden, radical environmentalist, who were allowed to kill the forests, wildfire after wildfire shows the consequences. Managed forests, the kind of my people work in, are healthy forests. Under President Trump, we’ve seen a new recognition of the value of forest management in reducing wildfires. We’ve seen new support for our way of life, where a strong back and a strong work ethic can build a strong middle class. We want to build families where we were raised and stand by communities that stood by us. We want that way of life available for the next generation, and we want our forests there too. President Trump, thank you for helping us do just that

Marsha Blackburn: (12:28)
Hi, I’m US Senator Marsha Blackburn from Tennessee. America is a nation of heroes. In times of difficulty, we’re reminded that they’re all around us. They’re in the line with us at the grocery store, in the pew with us at church. They’re the regular Americans who step up to volunteer and serve when we need them most. They’ve stood at the forefront throughout this pandemic. The emergency room nurses who go back shift after shift, the medical researchers, developing a vaccine and therapies to combat what the Chinese communist regime unleashed on the world. Cookeville’s Double Springs Church of Christ members, lifting our country up in prayer and providing for those impacted by tragedy. But tonight I want to talk to you about another kind of hero. The kind Democrats don’t recognize because they don’t fit into their narrative. I’m talking about the heroes of our law enforcement and armed services.

LeftistS try to turn them into villains. They want to cancel them, but I’m here to tell you these heroes can’t be canceled. Tennessee is full of them. After all, we’re the Volunteer State. My dad served in the army in World War II. When he came home, he put on another uniform and for 30 years volunteered to help our underfunded Sheriff’s Department. I’m reminded of him when ever I see compassion and selflessness and others. When I see law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every single day to keep our community safe, in spite of the hatred thrown at them. When I see the heroes who volunteer to serve our country, putting their lives on the line for our freedom, many of these heroes called Tennessee home, and we could not be more proud of the brave men and women of the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell. The common thread between them is a deep-seated desire to serve a cause larger than themselves. They don’t believe their country owes them anything. They believe they owe their country and their fellow man. As hard as Democrats try, they can’t cancel our heroes. They can’t contest their bravery and they can’t dismiss the powerful sense of service that lives deep in their souls. They tried to defund them, our military, our police, even ICE, to take away their tools to keep us safe. Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and their radical allies, try to destroy these heroes because if there are no heroes to inspire us, government can control us. They close our churches, but keep the liquor stores and abortion clinics open. They say we can’t gather in community groups, but encourage protests, riots and looting in the streets.

If the Democrats had their way, they would keep you locked in your house until you become dependent on the government for everything. That sounds a lot like Communist China, to me. Maybe that’s why Joe Biden is so soft on them. Why Nancy Pelosi says that China would prefer Joe Biden. Yeah. I bet they would. But, President Trump has stood up for our heroes every day. He stood by our law enforcement, our military and the freedoms we hold dear. He’s made good on his promise to put America first. I hope you will stand with me, as we send him back for four more years, with the clear message to the Democrats, you will never cancel our heroes.

Dan Crenshaw: (17:18)
Hi, I’m Congressman Dan Crenshaw. Eight years ago in the fields of Helmand Province, Afghanistan, a close friend and teammate laid down, cover fire against Taliban and surgeons so that I could walk, blind and bloodied to the medevac helicopter and survive. But he didn’t. Dave Orson was killed two months later. He died a hero to this great country. Here’s the truth about America. We are a country of heroes. I believe that. So should you. We are a people with a common set of ideals, conceived in liberty, people that have sacrificed time and again for our freedom and the freedom of others. That’s something no other country ever, anywhere can claim. Since 911, I’ve seen America’s heroes up close. Some of them saved my life. Some of them saved many other’s lives. Many of them never made it home. These heroes acted as if the whole struggle depended on them alone, as if any weakness on their part would be a reflection of the whole nation.

That’s called duty, and America has a long history of it. Our enemies fear us because Americans fight for good, and we know it. It gives us strength. When our heroes are trusted and equipped, then freedom prevails. The defeat of ISIS was the result of America believing in our heroes, our President having their backs and rebuilding our military, so we’d have what we needed to finish the mission. The cowering of the Iranian regime and the restoration of the deterrence once lost is the result of America believing in her own might again. America’s heroism isn’t relegated to the battlefield. Every single day we see them, if you just know where to look. It’s the nurse, who volunteers for back to back shifts, caring for COVID patients because she feels that’s her duty. It’s the parent who will relearn algebra because there’s no way they’re letting their kid fall behind while schools are closed.

It’s the cop that gets spit on one day and will save a child’s life the next, America is the country where the young military wife with two young children answers the unexpected knock at the door, looks the man in uniform in the eye, and even as her whole world comes crashing down, she stands up straight. She holds back tears and takes care of her family because she must. This is what heroism looks like. It’s who we are, a nation of heroes and we need you now more than ever. We need to remind ourselves what heroism really is. Heroism is self-sacrifice. It’s not moralizing and lecturing over others when they disagree. Heroism is grace, not perpetual outrage. Heroism is rebuilding our communities, not destroying them. Heroism is renewing faith in the symbols that unite us, not tearing them down. You see, America is a fabric that’s woven from the threads of history’s best stories, best attributes and greatest ideas.

The American spirit reflects the oldest and most important virtues, self-sacrifice, courage, tolerance, love of country, grace and passion for human achievement. We can decide right now, that American greatness will not be rejected nor squandered, because the American founding was grounded in individual liberty. So, it will be our future. But if we are to rediscover our strength, then it must be an endeavor undertaken by each and one of us. We must become the heroes that we so admire. America was built by them and our future will be protected by them. It will be protected by you. So, God bless America.

Keith Kellogg: (21:09)
Good evening. I’m retired Lieutenant general, Keith Kellogg. In 1967, at the age of 22, I volunteered to serve my country in Vietnam. From the jungles of Vietnam to the deserts of Iraq, I have gone where my nation asked. I have borne witness to soldier’s last moments on earth, their lives spent in hope and promise of a better future for all Americans. I was in the Pentagon on September 11th, 2001. I lost friends there that day. In the years that followed, I watched my daughter, son and son-in-law deploy to Afghanistan. I have looked into the eyes of my grandchildren, as they said goodbye to their fathers and hugged them one last time. I live to service. I understand sacrifice. I know leadership. Over the past three and a half years, I have witnessed every major foreign policy and national security decision by the President. I have been in the room where it happened.

I saw only one agenda, and one guiding question when tough calls had to be made. Is this decision right for America? When President Donald Trump took office decades of failed foreign policy had crippled us. He faced wars without end in sight, creation of failed states like Libya and Syria, a pass that allowed a terrorist caliphate to grow and leadership in Washington that allowed our military to atrophy, while we spent trillions of dollars abroad, instead of investing at home. President Trump has reversed the decline of our military and restructured our national security strategy with historic investment and vision.

Our military is now better equipped, better resourced and better manned than any military in the world. President Trump demolished the terrorist ISIS caliphate in the Middle East and eliminated its leader, al-Baghdadi, one of the world’s most brutal terrorists. President Trump took decisive action against Iranian terrorist mastermind, Qasem Soleimani, a man responsible for deaths of hundreds of American service men in Iraq. When our NATO allies failed to meet their commitments, as we upheld ours, President Trump demanded parody. NATO members have now increased their contributions over $100 billion this year, and NATO’s secretary general credits President Donald J. Trump.

President Trump challenged and continues to challenge an ever- increasingly provocative and militant China, but make no mistake. President Trump is no Hawk. He wisely wheels the sword when required, but believes in seeking peace instead of perpetual conflict. Just over a week ago, our President brokered a peace agreement between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, the first in the Middle East in over 25 years. This week, Afghan negotiators, with help from American officials, will start peace negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government to end America’s longest war. Ask yourself, has this President kept his promises to keep us out of needless conflicts and to pursue ending wars without end? Has he defended your interests in renegotiating trade deals that previously hurt Americans international security?

Has he fulfilled his Commander in Chief role, by decisively going after our nation’s enemies? You and I know, the answer is yes. The choice is clear. This is the most important election of our lifetime. The next four years will decide the course of our country for decades to come. I am asking you to stand up and be counted, so we never have to look back and recall what it was once like in America when men and women were free, our families were secure and we had a President who served the people. God bless America. Thank you, and goodnight.

Tera Myers: (26:23)
Good evening. My name is Tara Myers. Tonight, I am here as a wife and mother, to share how education freedom has personally impacted my family, especially the life of my son, Samuel. Before Samuel was even born, I was told his life wouldn’t be worth living. When early tests revealed he had Down syndrome, our doctor encouraged me to terminate the pregnancy. He said, “If you do not, you will be burdening your life, your family, and your community.” I knew my baby was a human being, created by God and that made him worthy of life. I am thankful that President Trump values the life of the unborn. When we went to register Samuel for kindergarten, we were told to just put him where he would be comfortable. Don’t stress him out by trying to teach him. When we pushed for him to attend his neighborhood school with his sisters, we were told, “Just go home and let us do what we do.”

Tera Myers: (27:28)
When I inquired about functional learning, I was told, “This is all you get, like it or not.” Well, I did not like it. One size did not fit all. So, I helped fight to pass legislation in Ohio for a special needs scholarship, so that all students could choose the right program for their needs. I worked to start a new functional learning program at our local private school. Finally, Samuel had an appropriate place to learn. Last December, Samuel was invited to the White House to meet our President and share his thoughts on education freedom. He said, “School choice helped my dreams come true. My school taught me the way I learn best. I was able to fit in. I made many friends. I became a part of my community. My teachers helped me become the best I can be.”

Tera Myers: (28:25)
President Trump shook my hand and said, Wonderful job, mom. Your son is amazing.” Unlike the doctor who told me to end Samuel’s life before it even began, President Trump did not dismiss my son. He showed Samuel, he valued him and was proud of what he accomplished. President Trump gave Samuel an equal seat at the table. Tonight, I would like to extend my thanks to President Trump and his administration for their work towards making every student’s dream of a meaningful education, a reality, and for fighting to ensure every child in America has an equal seat at the table of education freedom, and an equal opportunity in life. Thank you, and may God bless America.

Speaker 6: (29:40)
It all started at a tea party. 13 years before the American Civil War, civil unrest and division separated countrymen into two opposing camps, one determined to keep African-American people enslaved. The other, determined to see all people free. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott felt the call to fight for that freedom, when they were selected as delegates for an anti-slavery convention. But, upon arrival, were told they could not speak or vote at the male-dominated event. On July 9th, 1848, Mott, Stanton, and three other women met for tea. By the end of the day, they’d formed a coalition with the sole purpose of gaining the right for women to vote, so they in turn would be free to fight for the freedoms of others. Women across America united and formed activist groups, working tirelessly to win the vote for American women. The unconquerable Susan B. Anthony became one of the most visible leaders of women’s suffrage, when in 1872, she registered and voted for every Republican on the ballot.

Speaker 6: (30:50)
As punishment for her actions, she was arrested for illegal voting. At the request of Susan B. Anthony, Senator A. A. Sergent introduced the 19th amendment in 1878. The Susan B. Anthony amendment was submitted and defeated four times, but women continue to fight. Sojourner Truth and many other black suffragettes defied segregation, fighting for all women’s voices to be heard and allowed to vote. For the two years prior to ratification, the Silent Sentinels quietly picketed the White House. Finally, when Republicans regained control of Congress on August 26, 1920, the Equal Suffrage amendment was signed into law. Women’s suffrage movement took 72 years and would change the lives of women forever.

Speaker 6: (31:39)
The victory was achieved peacefully through the valiant efforts of women patriots and the democratic process. 100 years later, in a bold declaration of rights for women, President Trump granted a full pardon to Susan B. Anthony, on the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment ratification. Women’s suffrage was born from a desire to fight for the freedom of others. Now we, the great patriots of America will band together once again, and with one unified voice, we will vote for freedom.

Kayleigh McEnany: (32:24)
I’m Kayleigh McEnany. You may know me as a supporter of President Trump, but tonight I’m here to share with you how he supported me, both as a new mom and as an American with a preexisting condition. When I was 21 years old, I got a call that changed my life. It was my doctor informing me that I had tested positive for the BRCA-2 genetic mutation, a mutation that put my chances of breast cancer at 84%. It was the same mutation that my mom, had compelling her to get a preventative, double mastectomy, removing her breast tissue, but protecting her from a disease that has taken far too many of our mothers, our sisters, our friends. In my family, eight women alone were diagnosed with breast cancer, several in their young twenties. I now faced the same prospect.

For nearly a decade. I was routinely at Moffitt Cancer Center, getting MRIs, ultrasounds, and necessary surveillance. During these visits, I crossed paths with brave women battling cancer and fighting through chemotherapy. They were a testament to American strength. They are American heroes. On May 1st, 2018, I followed in my mother’s footsteps, choosing to get a preventative mastectomy. I was scared. The night before I fought back-

I was scared. The night before I fought back tears as I prepared to lose a piece of myself forever, but the next day, with my mom, dad, husband and Jesus Christ by my side, I underwent a mastectomy, almost eliminating my chance of breast cancer, a decision I now celebrate.

Breast reconstruction has advanced remarkably. While it is an individual’s decision, my doctor and I chose a course of surgery that left me virtually unchanged, but more important than physical results, I developed a strength and a confidence that I carry with me. During one of my most difficult times, I expected to have the support of my family, but I had more support than I knew. As I came out of anesthesia, one of the first calls I received was from Ivanka Trump. As I recovered, my phone rang again. It was President Trump, calling to check on me. I was blown away. Here was the leader of the free world caring about my circumstance. At the time I had only met President Trump on a few occasions, but now, I know him well, and I can tell you that this president stands by Americans with pre-existing conditions. In fact, President Trump called me this morning, I spoke with him several times today and he told me how proud he was of me for sharing this story.

The same way President Trump has supported me, he supports you. I see it every day. I’ve heard him say the hardest part of his job is writing to loved ones of fallen soldiers, I’ve seen him offer heartfelt outreach to grieving parents who lost their children to crime in the streets, and I’ve watched him fight for Americans who lost their jobs. President Trump fights for the American people because he cares about stories like these. I have a nine-month-old daughter. She is a beautiful sweet little girl and I choose to work for this president for her. When I look into my baby’s eyes, I see a new life, a miracle for which I have a solemn responsibility to protect. That means protecting America’s future, a future President Trump will fight for. Where our neighborhoods are protected, where life is sacred, where God is cherished, not taken out of our schools, removed from our pledge, and erased from our history. I want my daughter to grow up in President Donald J. Trump’s America.

Choosing to have a preventative mastectomy was the hardest decision I ever had to make, but supporting President Trump, who will protect my daughter and our children’s future was the easiest.

Karen Pence: (37:27)
Good evening. I’m Karen Pence. My husband is Vice President Mike Pence. 100 years ago today, the 19th Amendment was adopted into the United States Constitution, guaranteeing women the right to vote. Because of heroes like Susan B. Anthony and Lucy Stone, women today like our daughters Audrey and Charlotte and future generations will have their voices heard and their votes count. The women’s suffrage movement was the gateway that led to women having the opportunities to achieve monumental milestones and accomplish significant achievements in both civic and governmental roles. This evening, we look at heroes in our land. As Second Lady of the United States for the past three and a half years, I have had the honor of meeting many heroes across this great country. The Pences are a military family. Our son Michael serves in the United States Marines and our son-in-law Henry serves in the U.S. Navy, and one of my key initiatives is to elevate and encourage military spouses. These men and women, like our daughter Charlotte and our daughter-in-law Sarah, are the home front heroes. I have been privileged to hear so many stories of selfless support, volunteer spirit and great contributions to the armed forces and our communities.

You know military spouses may experience frequent moves and job changes, periods of being a single parent while their loved one is deployed, all while exhibiting pride, strength and determination and being a part of something bigger than themselves. To all of the military spouses, thank you.

President Trump and Vice President Pence have been supporting our United States Armed Forces, including our military families on a significant scale. While traveling throughout our nation to educate military spouses about policy solutions that President Trump has promoted involving real, tangible progress in military spouse employment, I have been inspired to meet heroes like Lisa Bradley and Cameron Cruz. These military spouses decided to start their own business, R. Riveter, named after the Rosie the Riveter campaign used to recruit women workers during World War II. R. Riveter makes beautiful handbags designed and manufactured exclusively by military spouses and many of those spouses live all over the country. They prepare and send their section of the bags to the company located in North Carolina where the final product is assembled.

Military spouse hero Jilan Hall-Johnson in Billings, Montana is a culinary artist who had dreamed of starting her own restaurant. Working with the Small Business Administration’s development center, Jilan started her restaurant, The Sassy Biscuit, and she just opened a second restaurant in Dover, New Hampshire. As the Second Lady, I’ve also been able to bring awareness to a form of therapy for our heroic veterans suffering from PTSD. Art therapy facilitated by a professional art therapist is especially effective with post-traumatic stress disorder. Master gunnery sergeant Chris Stowe, a Marine veteran I met in Tampa, who deployed for combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, said nothing had helped him deal with the trauma from his service in the Marines until he finally agreed to meet with the art therapist at Walter Reed Medical Center. Chris credits art therapy with saving his marriage and his life, and Chris went on to establish a glassblowing workshop to help other vets.

Many of our veteran heroes struggle as they transition back into civilian life and sometimes the stress is too difficult to manage alone. A few weeks ago, I had the honor of speaking with some amazing Americans who answer the veterans crisis line. One in particular, Sidney Morgan, especially impacted me. A veteran herself, Sidney said it is the highest honor of her life until they physically walk into a clinic to receive help they deserve and she can pass their hand to someone ready to help. In these difficult times, we’ve all seen so many examples of everyday Americans reaching out a hand to those in need. Those who in humility have considered others more important than themselves. We’ve seen healthcare workers, teachers, first responders, mental health providers, law enforcement officers, grocery and delivery workers, and farmers and so many others. Heroes all.

100 years ago, women secured the right to vote, so let’s vote America. Let’s honor our heroes, let’s re-elect President Trump and Vice President Pence for four more years. God bless our heroes and God bless the United States of America.

Speaker 7: (43:51)
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Kellyanne Conway: (44:11)
Good evening. I’m Kellyanne Conway. 100 years ago, courageous warriors helped women secure the right to vote. This has been a century worth celebrating but also a reminder that our democracy is young and fragile. A woman in a leadership role can still seem novel. Not so for President Trump. For decades, he has elevated women to senior positions in business and in government. He confides in and consults us, respects our opinions, and insists that we are on equal footing with the men. President Trump helped me shatter a barrier in the world of politics by empowering me to manage his campaign to its successful conclusion. With the help of millions of Americans, our team defied the critics, the naysayers, the conventional wisdom, and we won. For many of us, women’s empowerment is not a slogan. It comes not from strangers on social media or sanitized language in a corporate handbook. It comes from the everyday heroes who nurture us, who shape us, and who believe in us.

I was raised in a household of all women. They were self-reliant and resilient. Their lives were not easy, but they never complained. Money was tight, but we had an abundance of what mattered most, family, faith and freedom. I learned that in America, limited means does not make for limited dreams. The promise of America belongs to us all. This is a land of inventors and innovators, of entrepreneurs and educators, of pioneers and parents, each contributing to the success and the future of a great nation and her people. These everyday heroes have a champion in President Trump. The teacher who took extra time to help students adjust to months of virtual learning. The nurse who finished a 12-hour COVID shift and then took a brief break only to change her mask, gown and gloves to do it all over again. The small business owner striving to reopen after the lockdown was lifted, and then again after her store was vandalized and looted. The single mom with two kids, two jobs, two commutes, who 10 years after that empty promise, finally has health insurance. President Trump and Vice President Pence have lifted Americans, provided them with dignity, opportunity, and results.

I have seen firsthand many times the president comforting and encouraging a child who has lost a parent, a parent who has lost a child, a worker who lost his job, an adolescent who lost her way to drugs. Don’t lose hope, he has told them, assuring them that they are not alone, and that they matter. There always will be people who have far more than us. Our responsibility is to focus on those who have far less than us. President Trump has done precisely that in taking unprecedented action to combat this nation’s drug crisis. He told me, “This is so important, Kellyanne. So many lives have been ruined by addiction and we’ll never even know it because people are ashamed to reach out for help and they’re not even sure who to turn to in their toughest hour.” Rather than look the other way, President Trump stared directly at this drug crisis next door, and through landmark bipartisan legislation, has helped secure historic investments in surveillance, interdiction, education, prevention, treatment, and recovery. We have a long way to go, but the political inertia that cost lives and the silence and the stigma that prevents people in need from coming forward is melting away.

This is the man I know and the president we need for four more years. He picks the toughest fights and tackles the most complex problems. He has stood by me and he will stand up for you. In honor of the women who empowered me and for the future of the children we all cherish, thank you, and God bless you always.

Sister Dede Byrne: (49:27)
Good evening. I’m Sister Dede Byrne and I belong to the Community of the Little Workers of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Last Fourth of July, I was honored to be one of the president’s guests at his salute to America celebration. I must confess that I recently prayed while in chapel, begging God to allow me to be a voice, an instrument for human life, and now here I am, speaking at the Republican National Convention. I guess you better be careful for what you pray for.

My journey to a religious life was not a traditional route if there is such a thing. In 1978 as a medical school student at Georgetown University, I joined the army to help pay for my tuition and ended up devoting 29 years to the military, serving as a doctor and a surgeon in places like Afghanistan and Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. After much prayer and contemplation I entered my religious order in 2002, working to serve the poor and the sick in Haiti, Sudan, Kenya, Iraq and in Washington, D.C. Humility is at the foundation of our order which makes it very difficult to talk about myself but I can speak about my experience working for those fleeing, war-torn and impoverished countries all around the world. Those refugees all share a common experience. They have been all marginalized, viewed as insignificant, powerless and voiceless. And while we tend to think of the marginalized as living beyond our borders, the truth is the largest marginalized group in the world can be found here in the United States, they are the unborn.

As Christians, we first met Jesus as a stirring embryo in the womb of an unwed mother and saw him born nine months later in the poverty of the cave. It’s no coincidence that Jesus stood up for what was just and was ultimately crucified because what he said wasn’t politically correct or fashionable. As followers of Christ, we are called to stand up for life against the politically correct or fashionable of today. We must fight against a legislative agenda that supports and even celebrates destroying life in the womb. Keep in mind the laws we create define how we see our humanity and we must ask ourselves what are we saying when we go into a womb and snuff out an innocent, powerless voice’s life? As a physician I can say without hesitation life begins at conception. While what I have to say may be difficult for some to hear, I am saying it because I’m not just pro-life, I’m pro-eternal life and I want all of us to end up in heaven together some day.

Which brings me to why I’m here today. Donald Trump is the most pro-life president that this nation has ever had, defending life at all stages. His belief in the sanctity of life transcends politics. President Trump will stand up against Biden-Harris, who are the most anti-life presidential ticket ever, even supporting the horrors of late-term abortion and infanticide. Because of his courage and conviction, President Trump has earned the support of America’s pro-life community. Moreover, he has a nationwide of religions standing behind him. You’ll find us here with our weapon of choice, the rosary. So thank you Mr. President. We are all praying for you.

Lou Holtz: (53:22)
I’m Lou Holtz. Many of you might know me as Coach Holtz, or maybe that football guy. It is a pleasure, a blessing and an honor for me to explain why I believe that President Trump is a consistent winner, an outstanding leader, and deserves to be re-elected as our president. First, I want you to know that I grew up in a one bedroom house in West Virginia. I may have been poor, but the lessons my parents taught me were priceless. They taught me that life is about making choices. Wherever you are, good or bad, don’t blame anyone else, go get an education, get to work. You can overcome any obstacles and always remember that in this great country of ours, anyone can amount to something special. I lived by those principles of hard work and responsibility my whole life, living out the American story, and it works.

Lou Holtz: (54:24)
But there are people today, like politicians, professors, protestors, and of course President Trump’s naysayers in the media who like to blame others. They don’t have pride in our country and because they no longer ask what can I do for my country, only what the country should be doing for them. They don’t have pride in themselves. That’s wrong. When I was an officer in the army, I served with so many great Americans who embraced their responsibility to our country. I’m so proud of their sacrifices and the opportunity this provided for so many millions. America remains the land of opportunity, no matter what the other side says or believes. There’s a statue of me at Notre Dame. I guess they needed a place for the pigeons land, but if you look closely, you will see these three words there, trust, commitment, and love. All my life, I’ve made my choices based on these three words. I use these three rules to make choices about everything, my beloved wife of 59 years, athletes I coached, and of course, politicians, even President Trump. I ask myself three things, one, can I trust them? When a leader tells you something, you got to be able to count on it. That’s President Trump. He says what he means, he means what he say and he’s done what he said he would do at every single turn. One of the important reasons he has my trust is because nobody has been a stronger advocate for the unborn than President Trump. The Biden-Harris ticket is the most radically pro-abortion campaign in history. They and other politicians are Catholics in name only and abandoned innocent lives. President Trump protects those lives. I trust President Trump.

Lou Holtz: (56:36)
The second question I ask is are they committed to doing their very best. President Trump always finds a way to get something done. If you want to do something bad enough, you’ll find a way. If not, you’ll find an excuse and excuses are a lot easier to find than solutions. President Trump finds solutions. President Trump is committed. A third question I ask is do they love people. Do they care about others? To me this is very clear. President Trump has demonstrated through his prison reform, advocating for school choice, and welfare reform that he wants Americans from all walks of life to have the opportunity to succeed and live the American dream. President Trump loves our country and our great people. Trust, commitment, and love. In President Trump we have a president we can trust, who works hard at making America greater and who genuinely cares about people. I

Lou Holtz: (57:46)
If I apply this test to Joe Biden, I can’t say yes to any of these three questions. I used to ask our athletes at Notre Dame, “If you did not show up, who would miss you and why?” Can you imagine what would happen to us if President Trump had not shown up in 2016 to run for president? I’m so glad he showed up. Thank you for showing up, Mr. President. I encourage everyone who loves this country, who loves America, to show up in November, for President Trump. Thank you.

Michael McHale: (58:31)
Hi. I’m Michael McHale but my friends call me Mick. I’m a 30-year active duty member of law enforcement in the state of Florida. I am also the president of the National Association of Police Organizations, NAPO. Our organization recently endorsed Donald Trump for re-election as President of the United States. Our endorsement recognized his strong support for the men and women on the frontlines, particularly during these challenging times. We value his support of aggressive federal prosecution of those who attack our police officers. His signing of the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act and his support for permanently authorizing funds to support 911 first responders and their families.

Law enforcement officers across the nation take an oath to run towards danger when everyone else is running away. They do so willingly to protect our families and communities. I’m proud that the overwhelming majority of American police officers are the best of the best and put their lives on the line without hesitation, and good officers need to know their elected leaders and the department brass have their backs.

Unfortunately, chaos results when failed officials in cities like Portland, Minneapolis, Chicago and New York make the conscious decision not to support law enforcement. Shootings, murders, looting and rioting occur unabated. The violence and bloodshed we are seeing in these and other cities isn’t happening by chance. It’s the direct result of refusing to allow law enforcement to protect our communities. Joe Biden has turned his candidacy over to the far left, anti-law enforcement radicals, and as a senator, Kamala Harris pushed to further restrict police, cut their training, and make our American communities and streets even more dangerous than they already are. Conversely, President Trump supports the creation of a national standard for training on de-escalation and communication to give officers more tools to resolve conflict without violence.

Michael McHale: (01:01:12)
The differences between Trump-Pence and Biden-Harris are crystal clear. Your choices are the most pro-law enforcement president we’ve ever had or the most radical anti-police ticket in history. We invite those who value the safety of their family and loved ones to join the hundreds of thousands of members of the National Association of Police Organizations and support the re-election of President Donald J. Trump. Thank you and God bless America.

Elise Stefanik: (01:02:08)
I’m Congresswoman Elise Stefanik and I am honored to represent New York’s 21st Congressional District, the cradle of the American revolution. It’s where almost 250 years ago, brave patriots fought in the Battles of Saratoga to turn the tide of the Revolutionary War. It’s where 40 years ago in Lake Placid a team of amateur hockey players out-hustled, out-skated and defeated the Soviet Union, stunning the world and giving us the unforgettable Miracle on Ice, and today, it’s home to Fort Drum and the historic 10th Mountain Division, the most deployed unit in the U.S. Army since 9/11, where I saw firsthand President Trump graciously thank and honor our men and women in uniform and sign the largest pay raise for our troops in a decade. Since our nation’s founding, generation after generation of everyday Americans served and sacrificed to preserve and strengthen the American dream. The vision of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and the idea that if you work hard and dream big, you can achieve anything you imagine. I believe in the American dream because I’ve lived it. Like millions of Americans, I grew up in a small business family where I learned the values of hard work and determination. I was the first person in my immediate family to graduate from college, ran for Congress to serve Upstate New York, and am proudly the youngest Republican woman elected to Congress in history. I am honored to support President Trump for re-election because I know that he is the only candidate who will stand up for hardworking families and protect the American dream for future generations. Since his first day in office, President Trump has fought tirelessly to deliver results for all Americans, despite the Democrats’ baseless and illegal impeachment sham and the media’s endless obsession with it. I was proud to lead the effort standing up for the Constitution, President Trump, and most importantly, the American people.

Elise Stefanik: (01:04:26)
This attack was not just on the president. It was an attack on you, your voice and your vote, but the American people were not swayed by these partisan attacks. Our support for President Trump is stronger than ever before. We know what’s at stake in this historic election. Americans from all walks of life are unified in support of our president. It’s why more Republican women than ever are running for office this year. We understand that this election is a choice between the far left Democratic socialist agenda versus protecting and preserving the American dream. President Trump is working to safely reopen our main street economy. He understands that the engine of our country is fueled by the ingenuity and determination of American workers, entrepreneurs, and small businesses. Joe Biden wants to keep them locked up in the basement and crush them with $4 trillion in new taxes. We face a critical choice. Joe Biden’s far left failed policies of the past 47 years, or President Trump who will stand up for the American people and the Constitution. I believe in the wisdom and spirit of the American people to elect the only candidate who is capable of protecting the American dream, President Donald J. Trump. Thank you to the North Country for the opportunity to serve as your voice supporting his re-election. God bless the United States of America, the greatest country on earth.

Madison Cawthorn: (01:06:19)
Good evening. I’m Madison Cawthorn and I’m running to represent North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District. This is a time of great adversity for our country and I know something about adversity. At 18 years old, I was in a horrific car accident that’s left me paralyzed from the waist down. Instantly, my hopes and dreams were seemingly destroyed. I was given a 1% chance of surviving but thanks to the power of prayer, a very loving community and many skilled doctors, I made it. It took me over a year to recover. My first public outing in a wheelchair was to a professional baseball game. Before my accident I was 6’3″, I stood out in a crowd, but as I wheeled through the stadium, I felt invisible. At 20, I thought about giving up. However, I knew I could still make a difference and my accident has given me new eyes to see and new ears to hear. God protected my mind and my ability to speak, so I say to people who feel forgotten, ignored and invisible, I see you. I hear you.

At 20, I made a choice. In 2020 our country has a choice. We can give up on the American ideal or we can work together to make our imperfect union more perfect. I choose to fight for the future, to seize the high ground and retake the shining city on a hill. While the radical left wants to dismantle, defund and destroy, Republicans, under President Trump’s leadership want to rebuild, restore and renew. I just turned 25. When I’m elected this November, I’ll be the youngest member of Congress in over –

When I’m elected this November, I’ll be the youngest member of Congress in over 200 years. And if you don’t think young people can change the world, then you just don’t know american history. George Washington was 21 when he received his first military commission. Abe Lincoln, 22 when he first ran for office. And my personal favorite, James Madison was just 25 years old when he signed the Declaration of Independence. In times of peril, young people have stepped up and saved this country abroad and at home. We held the line, scaled the cliffs, crossed oceans, liberated camps and cracked codes. Yet today, political forces want to usher in the digital dark ages, a time of information without wisdom, and tribalism without truth. National leaders on the left have normalized emotion-based voting and a radicalized identity politics that rejects Martin Luther King’s dream. MLK’s dream is our dream, for all Americans to be judged solely on their character. Millions of people risk their lives every year to come here because they believe in the dream of MLK and the American dream.

Join us as we, the party of freedom, double down on ensuring the American dream for all people. We are committed to building a new town square. It welcomes all ideas and all people. Here, we will have freedom of speech, not freedom from speech. To liberals, I say, “Let’s have a conversation. Be a true liberal, listen to other ideas and let the best ones prevail.” And to Conservatives, I say, “Let’s define what we support and win the argument in areas like healthcare and on the environment.” In this new town square, you don’t have to apologize for your beliefs or cower to a mob. You can kneel before God, but stand for our flag. The American idea my ancestors fought for during the revolutionary war is just as exciting and revolutionary today as it was 250 years ago. I say to Americans who love our country, young and old, “Be a radical for freedom, be a radical for liberty and be a radical for our republic for which I stand. One nation under God with liberty and justice for all.”

Thank you, and may God bless America.

Jack Pruitt: (01:10:49)
I’m Jack Pruitt, a former three time NFL team captain, college professor, coach, husband, son, and father. I’m also a lifelong Democrat, but I support Donald Trump. Let me be clear, I didn’t come here for the popularity or the praise, the likes or the retweets. I’m here as a servant to God, a servant to the people of our nation and a servant to our president. I grew up in Grapevine, Texas, a town that my great grandfather was the first black man to settle as a sharecropper in 1896. My early high school experience included fighting with skinheads and being a witness in an attempted murder trial, after my friend shot a skinhead in self defense. I remember my dad’s bravery when he personally stood up against a KKK rally in my town. In my house, my father taught me to back down from no one. I know what racism looks like, I’ve seen it firsthand. In America, it has no resemblance to president Trump and I’m fed up with the way he’s portrayed in the media, who refuse to acknowledge what he’s actually done for the black community. It’s confusing the minds of our innocent children.

Before I left to come deliver this message, my energetic eight year old son, Jackson, stopped me and said, “Dad, can you please just tell everyone that all lives need to matter and that God loves everyone?” In that moment, I realized that my eight year old had figured out what so many adults have seemed to forget, we are not as divided as our politics suggests. At some point, for the sake of our children, the policies must take priority over the personalities. So, because you have an issue with president Trump’s tone, you’re going to allow Biden and Harris to deny our underserved black and brown children school choice? Are we so offended by the president’s campaign slogan, Make America Great Again, that we’re going to ignore that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have collectively been responsible for locking up countless black men for nonviolent crimes?

Are you going to allow the media to lie to you by falsely claiming that he said there were very fine white supremacists in Charlottesville. He didn’t say that, it’s a lie. And ignore the so called Black Lives Matter organization that openly on their website called for the destruction of the nuclear family. My fellow Americans, our families need each other. We need black fathers in the homes with their wives in children. The future of our communities depend on it. I’m blessed to be able to run inner city youth programs and to also teach in prisons across America. The inmates in my federal prison program literally received days off their sentence just for attending my class, and that’s thanks to president Donald Trump in his First Step Act. President Trump cared about these Americans and their families, even when so many others had left them behind and had written them off.

I’m forever grateful for president Trump for that. He endures relentless attacks, and so do many of us like myself who support him. But my momma always told me, “When the Lord starts blessing, the devil starts messing.” This convention marks a time to celebrate our history. Republicans are the party that freed the slaves and the party that put the first black men and women in Congress. It’s the party of Frederick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln, and now Tim Scott and Donald Trump. Our president has made incredible strides to end mass incarceration and give unprecedented opportunities for blacks in America to rise. America, let this election be a call for all God’s people who are called by his name to humble ourselves and pray together and to seek his face to return from our wicked ways. Then, he will hear us from heaven and he will forgive our sins and he will heal our land. Amen, and God bless America.

Chen Guangcheng: (01:15:37)
Greetings. My name is Chen Guangcheng. Standing up to tyranny is not easy, I know. When I spoke out against China’s One Child Policy and other injustices, I was prosecuted, beaten, sent to prison and put under house arrest by the Chinese Communist Party, the CCP. In April, 2012, I escaped and was given shelter in the American embassy in Beijing. I’m forever grateful to the American people for welcome me and my family to the United States, where we are now free. The CCP is an enemy of humanity. It is terrorizing its own people and it is threatening the wellbeing of the world. In China, expressing beliefs or ideas not approved by the CCP, religion, democracy, human rights, can lead to prison. The nation lives under mass surveillance and censorship. The US must use its values of freedom, democracy, and the rule of law to gather a coalition of other democracies to stop CCP’s aggression. President Trump had led on these and we need the other countries to join him in this fight, a fight for our future. Standing up to fight unfairness isn’t easy, I know. So does president Trump, but he has shown the courage to win that fight. We need to support, vote and fight for president Trump, for the sake of the world. Thank you.

Lee Zeldin: (01:18:29)
I’m Congressman Lee Zeldin. Tonight, as we celebrate America as a land of heroes, I’m here at a VFW post of heroes in West Hamptonbeach, New York. I’ve seen amazing Americans in action. Raised in a law enforcement family, deployed to Iraq as an 82nd airborne paratrooper and serving today in the army reserve, my generation of post 9/11 veterans has huge shoes to fill, following our greatest generation that fought tyranny and saved the world. All over our country, every day heroes serve and sacrifice for the greater good. Farmers, truckers, craftsmen. These heroes keep America running and president Trump fights for them every day. This year, we’ve especially relied on one particular group of heroes, frontline medical workers. My twin daughters, McKayla and Ariana, were born over 14 weeks early. They weighed just a pound and a half. At two weeks, McKayla went into septic shock, had a stroke and underwent brain surgery, leaving a third of the left side of her brain a hole.

Her doctors didn’t believe McKayla would survive, fearing dire, permanent consequences even if she did. Through the miracles of modern medicine, power of prayer and her will to live, my daughters are now starting high school and doing great, with no longterm effects from those frightful months in the NICU. So, when I learned my county’s PPE stockpile was depleted, I immediately thought of those healthcare workers who saved my baby girls. Jerry Kushner and I were on the phone late into that Saturday night. The very next day, president Trump announced he was sending us 200,000 N95 masks. He actually delivered almost 400,000. That number quickly grew to 1.2 million masks, gowns and more. The president sent thousands of ventilators to New York, he deployed the USS Comfort and converted the Javits Center to a field hospital. His administration authorized our lab testing requests at blinding speed. During a once in a century pandemic, an unforeseeable crisis sent to us from a far away land, the president’s effort for New York was phenomenal.

For our nation to emerge even stronger, more prosperous, freer and more secure than ever, to make our country greater than ever before, we must reelect president Trump. We are the land of the free because of the brave, and we are the land of opportunity because we have a president who wants to empower the best of who we are to be the best of what we can be. There’s never been a nation greater than ours, never a people more resilient than ours and never a future for America more promising than ours right now. Keeping America great is up to us and losing is not an option.

Ralph Case: (01:21:59)
And I’m very proud to have president Trump in office here, since he’s the best we’ve ever had. He’s done the most for any president ever has done.

Tim Woods: (01:22:08)
He’s always there, trying to take care of veterans, giving veterans what they need. And the turnaround times have increased since Trump has taken over, you had to fight 15 years for benefits, but once he came to office you had 90 days, you turned your paperwork in, at least you had some answer.

Mike Verardo: (01:22:24)
I waited months for a signature on a piece of paper to get a prosthetic leg fixed. Now, it’s a lot better turnaround.

Tim Woods: (01:22:31)
But before it was five-year waiting process to appeal. So, how long do we have to wait for benefits?

Brian Ballard: (01:22:38)
I waited 20 years to file. Rapidly was approved for medical and then turned right around and got disability. I was thinking it was going to be a several years worth of waiting to hear.

Ed Clayton: (01:22:51)
He’s accomplished a lot in three and a half years, and it helps the American people. And he has done a lot for veterans, for the middle class.

Tim Woods: (01:22:59)
I chose to serve my country. If I could do it, I would do it all over again. Especially for this president, he’s the kind of president you’d run through a brick wall if he asked you to.

Ralph Case: (01:23:09)
Went through many presidents, but this one I can say is the best president we’ve ever had and ever will have, I believe.

Joni Ernst: (01:23:28)
Hello everyone, and thank you for inviting me into your home this evening. It’s truly a privilege. My name is Joni Ernst, I was raised on a small family farm here in Iowa, where I learned the importance of faith, hard work and service. I worked my way through college, then dedicated my life to serving my country as a local official, a battalion commander in the military, and as a US Senator. Service, it’s more than a word to me. It’s a mission, a way of life, it’s what brought me to Cedar Rapids Iowa in 2008, when I was in the National Guard. We saw historic floods that swept through the communities. We lent a helping hand to our fellow Iowans who were literally underwater. We thought we had seen the worst, but 12 years later these same communities have faced an even more devastating disaster, the recent derecho storm. If you don’t live in Iowa, you may not have heard much about it at first. While reporters here in the state were in the trenches, covering the equivalent of a category two hurricane, most of the national media looked the other way. To them, Iowa’s still just fly-over country.

House, farms were destroyed. About one third of our crops here were damaged. In some cases, these storms wiped out a lifetime of work, and yet Iowa farmers didn’t hesitate to grab their chainsaws and check on their neighbors. Our farmers live every day with that sense of service. The stewards of the land, the ones who feed and fuel the world. President Trump quickly signed an emergency declaration for Iowa to provide relief. And of course, when president Trump came to Cedar Rapids, the national media finally did too.

For years, I’ve worked closely with the president, for farmers in Iowa and across the country. We scrapped Obama and Biden’s punishing Waters of the United States Rule, which would have regulated about 97% of land in Iowa. In some cases, even puddles. It would have been a nightmare for farmers. The president delivered on major trade deals with Japan and the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. And he implemented the sale of E15 fuel year round. That means more choices for you at the pump and more jobs for farmers in the heartland. This is something the Obama Biden administration failed to do in eight years. In fact, I can’t recall an administration more hostile to farmers than Obama/Biden, unless you count the Biden/Harris ticket. The democratic party of Joe Biden is pushing this so-called Green New Deal. If given power, they would essentially ban animal agriculture and eliminate gas powered cars. It would destroy the agriculture industry not just here in Iowa, but throughout the country.

When the pandemic hit, president Trump heard us in our call for assistance for our farmers. Knowing we have an ally in the white house is important. Folks, this election is a choice between two very different paths. Freedom, prosperity, and economic growth under a Trump/Pence administration or the Biden/Harris path, paved by liberal coastal elites and radical environmentalist. An America where farmers are punished, jobs are destroyed and taxes crush the middle class. That is our choice, and it’s a clear one. Thank you and God bless.

Burgess Owens: (01:27:33)
Ladies and gentlemen, I’m Burgess Owens. Shackled in the belly of a slave ship, an eight year old boy named Sals Burgess came to America to be sold on an auction block. By the grace of God and the courage of slaves who believed in freedom, Sals escape through the underground railroad and settled in the great state of Texas. He wanted to become a successful entrepreneur. He built his community’s first church, first elementary school, and purchased 102 acres of farmland, which he paid off in two years. I’m here today, a candidate for Congress, because of my great great grandfather Sals Burgess. I was raised in the South during the days of Jim Crow and the KKK. Even through the challenges of segregation, we were taught that anything is possible in America. When I was 22 years old, I thought all my dreams had come true when I was drafted by the New York Jets. 10 years later, with a Pro Bowl nod and a Super Bowl championship under my belt, I left the NFL to start a business.

I thought I could never fail, but years later I did and I lost everything. As I moved my family of six into a one bedroom basement apartment in Brooklyn, New York, I had a choice. To feel sorry for myself or get to work. I worked as a chimney sweep during the day and a security guard at night. It was humbling to be recognized cleaning a chimney by someone who has cheered me as an NFL fan. But those hard days would pay off, and eventually I started a rewarding career in the corporate world. We live in a country where we’re encouraged to dream big, where second chances are at the core of our American DNA. We don’t hear that same message from Nancy Pelosi’s Congress. Career politicians, elitists, and even a former bartender want us to believe it’s impossible. They want us to believe that what I did, what my great great grandfather did, is impossible for ordinary Americans. As Patriots, we know better.

This November, we stand at a crossroad. Mobs torch our cities while popular members of Congress promote the same socialism that my father fought against in World War II. We have a Democratic candidate for president who says that I’m not black if I don’t vote for him. Now more than ever, we need leaders who stand by their principles, they won’t compromise their values for political opportunities. Now more than ever, we need leaders who will stand up to the lawlessness supported by the radical left. This November, we have an opportunity to reject the mob mentality and once again be the America that my great great grandfather believed in. During the Trump administration, business ownership among blacks, Hispanics, and females have reached all time highs. Those same groups enjoyed record low unemployment and unprecedented prosperity, and we’re just getting started. I ran for Congress because we don’t need more career politicians, we need a few more chimney sweeps. We need more leaders like president Trump, who understand the freedoms that make up the fabric of America. My fellow Americans, specifically my Democrat and Independent friends, it is now time for us to unite and put aside partisan barriers. Help us win back the House, keep the Senate and give our president four more years, and I promise you we will make you proud. Thank you, and God bless the United States of America.

Sam Vigil: (01:31:08)
Standing guard over Baltimore Harbor is the remains of an earthen star, a relic of time passed. It recalls a time when the spirit of Liberty stirred in men of renown, who stood in the gap against the most powerful force in the world. 27 hours, 1000 men, low on ammunition, firing scrap metal. The battle raged, insurmountable odds, a darkness fell upon this new nation. In the midst of the fight, the heroes of Fort McHenry were unmoved. The light of dawn overcame the darkness, the gallon flag hoisted above Fort McHenry, torn and battered stood, victoriously observing a dejected enemy slowly retreating into the rising sun, inspiring the anthem of our nation. The spirit of liberty, not to be denied, the earthen star, Fort McHenry. A reminder of those brave patriots who having done all, stood and prevailed. It is why we stand today honoring past, present and future generations of freedom loving Americans when we hear the Anthem, and raise the Star-Spangled Banner.

Good evening, America. I’m Lara Trump, daughter of Bob and Linda UNESCA, sister to Kyle, mother to Luke and Carolina and the daughter in law of our 45th president, Donald J. Trump. But tonight, I come to you simply as an American. My life began like many in our country. I grew up in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. My parents were small business owners and worked hard to make sure that my brother and I had everything we needed, but not everything we wanted. My parents raised me to believe that in America, I could achieve anything with hard work and determination, that the opportunities available to me were limited only by the size of my ambition, that I should dream big. And I did. Those very dreams are what led me to New York City. I’d heard the adage, “If I can make it there, I can make it anywhere.” And I intended to do just that. Never in a million years did I think that I would be on this stage tonight, and I certainly never thought that I’d end up with the last name Trump.

My seventh grade English teacher, Mrs. B used to tell us, “Believe none of what you hear, half of what you read and only what you’re there to witness firsthand.” The meaning of those words never fully weighed on me until I met my husband and the Trump family. Any preconceived notion I had of this family disappeared immediately. They were warm and caring, they were hard workers and they were down to earth. They reminded me of my own family. They made me feel like I was home. Walking the halls of the Trump organization, I saw the same family environment. I also saw the countless women executives who thrived there year after year. Gender didn’t matter, what mattered was the ability to get the job done. I learned this directly when, in 2016, my father-in-law asked me to help him win my cherished home state and my daughter’s namesake, North Carolina. Though I had no political experience, he believed in me. He knew I was capable, even if I didn’t.

So, it didn’t surprise me when president Donald Trump appointed so many women to senior level positions in his administration. Secretary of the United Nations, secretary of the Air Force, the first female CIA director, the first black female director of the Fish and Wildlife Service and countless ambassadors, just to name a few. Under president Trump’s leadership, women’s unemployment hit the lowest level since World War II. 4.3 million new jobs have been created for women. In 2019 alone, women took over 70% of all new jobs. Female small business ownership remains at an all time high and 600,000 women have been lifted out of poverty, all since president Trump took office. He didn’t do these things to gain a vote or check a box. He did them because they’re the right things to do.

100 years ago today, the 19th Amendment was ratified, granting the right to vote to every American woman. And since that day, incredible strides have been made by women in America. From Amelia Earhart to Rosa Parks and Sally Ride, women shaped our history and are part of what has made our country the most exceptional nation in the world. I often think back to my 24 year old self, driving alone in my car from North Carolina to New York City. And I think about what I’d tell myself now, as we head towards the most critical election in modern history. This is not just a choice between Republican and Democrat or left and right, this is an election that will decide if we keep America America, or if we head down an uncharted frightening path towards socialism.

Abraham Lincoln once famously said, “America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroy it ourselves.” While those words were spoken over 150 years ago, never have they been more relevant. Will we choose the right path and maintain the unique freedoms and boundless opportunities that make this country the greatest in the history of the world? Will we remain the beacon of hope for those around the world fighting oppression, communism, and tyranny? The choice is ours. I know the promise of America because I’ve lived it. Not just as a member of the Trump family, but as a woman who knows what it’s like to work in blue collar jobs, to serve customers for tips and to aspire to rise. When I look at my son, Luke, and my daughter, Carolina, I wonder what sort of country will I be leaving for them, for our future generations? In recent months, we’ve seen weak spineless politicians seek control our great American cities to violent mobs.

“Defund The Police,” is the rallying cry for the new radical Democrat Party. Joe Biden will not do what it takes to maintain order, to keep our children safe in our neighborhoods and in their schools, to restore our American way of life. We cannot dare to dream our biggest dreams for ourselves or for our children while consumed by worry about the safety of our families. President Trump is the law and order president, from our borders to our backyards. President Trump will keep America safe, president Trump will keep America prosperous, president Trump will keep America America. If you’re watching tonight and wrestling with your vote on November 3rd, I implore you, tune out the distorted news and biased commentary and hear it straight from someone who knows. I wasn’t born at Trump, I’m from the South. I was raised a Carolina girl. I went to public schools and worked my way through a state university.

Mrs. B from my seventh grade English class was right, what I learned about our president is different than what you might have heard. I learned that he’s a good man, that he loves his family, that he didn’t need this job, that no one on earth works harder for the American people, that he’s willing to fight for his beliefs and for the people and the country that he loves. He is a person of conviction, he is a fighter and will never stop fighting for America. He will uphold our values, he will preserve our families and he will build upon the great American edict that our union will never be perfect until opportunity is equal for all, including and especially for women. Our 40th president, Ronald Reagan, said it best. “The dreams of people may differ, but everybody wants their dreams to come true and America above all places gives us the freedom to do that. It’s up to us to keep this country a place where no dream is out of reach for our children and generations beyond.”

To my father-in-law, thank you for believing in me. Thank you for bravely leading this country and thank you for continuing to fight every day for America. May God bless and protect the Gulf states in the path of the hurricane, may God bless our troops and may God continue to bless this incredible country.

Sam Vigil: (01:40:17)
Good evening. My name is Sam Vigil. There is a hole in my heart since my beloved was taken from me, this is her story. There were two things that Jackie loved to do every day, one was to go to the gym and tweet out Bible verses and prayers to her friends. On November 19th, the tweets stopped. That day started out like any other day, she left for the gym early in the morning, I heard the garage door open. Seconds later, I heard the car horn. I went outside to see if she had forgotten something. What I saw was a Jeep blocking her car in the driveway. I noticed the bullet hole in Jackie’s window. I saw someone jumping into the Jeep and speeding away. Jackie had just been shot and killed in cold blood. We think this was a carjacking gone very wrong. Every time I open the garage door or stand in the driveway, I hear that horn. I see her slumped in the seat. When I go to bed at night, that sound and image haunt me. That’s my life sentence. It’s a sentence being served by too many families left behind by senseless killings. Albuquerque, where I live, is one of the most violent cities in the country. Fewer than 50% of homicides are solved. It is a sad irony that Jackie immigrated-

Speaker 8: (01:42:03)
It is a sad irony that Jackie immigrated to the US for a better life than her native Columbia, only to be gunned down in her own driveway. For eight months, there were no arrests, no leads in connection with Jackie’s murder. The Albuquerque Police were overwhelmed. They needed help. Help arrived when President Trump launched Operation Legend in July of this year. Almost immediately, the FBI took over Jackie’s case. In a matter of days, they arrested four people. The fifth suspect killer was arrested in Texas on unrelated charges. He is an illegal immigrant with a long criminal record.

Speaker 8: (01:42:46)
He had been deported in September and had come back in October to terrorize our community. I am extremely grateful to President Trump and the FBI for their efforts to deliver justice for Jackie and all of the other innocent victims of violent crime. I am honored to support the President because he is supporting us. I know he will never stop fighting for justice, for law and order, for peace, security in our communities.

Clarence Henderson: (01:43:18)
Greetings my fellow Americans. I am Clarence Henderson. There have been movements that have changed the course of history. Among the most extraordinary was the Civil Rights movement. 60 years ago, segregation was legal and enforced. The simple act of sitting at a lunch counter could lead to physical harm, jail time, or worse. I know from personal experience walking into Woolworth Department Store on February 2nd, 1960, I knew it was unlike any day I had experienced before. My friends had been denied service the day before because of the color of their skin. We knew it wasn’t right, but when we went back the next day, I didn’t know whether I was going to come out in a vertical or prone position in handcuffs, or on a stretcher, or even in a body bag. By sitting down to order a cup of coffee, we challenged injustice.

We knew it was necessary, but we didn’t know what would happen. We faced down the KKK. We were cursed at and called all kinds of names. They threatened to kill us and some of us were arrested, but it was worth it. Our actions inspired similar protests throughout the South against racial injustice. In the end, segregation was abolished and our country moved a stepped closer to true equality for all. That’s what actual peaceful protest can accomplish. America isn’t perfect. We’re always improving. But the great thing about this country is that it’s not where you come from, it’s where you’re going. I was born on what some would call the wrong side of the tracks. I don’t even have a birth certificate. I never attended an integrated school. I’m the only one out of my immediate family who graduated from college in HBCU. I’m a military veteran and a civil rights activist, and you know what else?

I’m a Republican, and I support Donald Trump. If that sounds strange, you don’t know your history. It was the Republican Party that passed the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery. It was the Republican Party that passed the 14th Amendment, giving black men citizenship. It was the Republican Party that passed the 15th Amendment, giving black men the right to vote. Freedom of thought is a powerful thing. There are Americans, voters all over the country who media is trying to convince to conform to the same old democratic talking points. You know what that will get you? The same old results. Joe Biden had the audacity to say, if you don’t vote for him, you ain’t black. Well, to that, I say, if you do vote for Biden, you don’t know history. Donald Trump is not a politician. He’s a leader. Politicians are a dime a dozen, leaders are priceless. The record funding Trump gave HBCUs is priceless, too.

So are the record number of jobs he created for the black community and the investment he drove into our neighborhoods with tax incentives and opportunity zones. So are the lives he restored by passing Criminal Justice Reform, where 91% of the inmates released are black. These achievements demonstrate that Donald Trump truly cares about black lives. His policies show his heart. He has done more for black Americans in four years than Joe Biden has done in 50. Donald Trump is offering real and lasting change, an unprecedented opportunity to rise a country that embraces the spirit of the Civil Rights movement of the 60s. A place where people are judged by the content of their character, their talents and abilities, not by the color of their skin. This is the America I was fighting for 60 years ago. This is the America Donald Trump is fighting for today. Let’s all join in this fight for re-electing president Trump on November 3rd. Thank you.

Richard Grenell: (01:47:57)
During the presidential primary debates, four years ago, one outsider stood alone and said in public what most Americans thought in private. It was 14 years after the start of the war in Afghanistan and 12 years after the invasion of Iraq, where thousands of American troops had died and trillions in taxpayer dollars had been spent. Yet, no candidate could bring themselves to admit that something had gone badly wrong with American foreign policy, that the American voter, the American soldier, and the American taxpayer had all been let down, except for one, Donald Trump. He called America’s endless wars what they were, a disaster. The media was shocked because Donald Trump was running as a Republican, and yet, he said out loud what we all knew, that American foreign policy was failing to make Americans safer.

After the end of the Cold War, Democrats and Republicans in Washington bought into the illusion that the whole world would start to resemble America. So, they started to pursue unlimited globalization. They welcome China into the world trade organization. They engaged in nation building in Afghanistan and tried to export democracy to Iraq. They signed a nuclear deal with Iran and a global climate agreement in Paris, but they didn’t ground any of it in the interest of the average American. So, for decades, while Washington politicians built a global system, American wages stagnated. Our great cities and industries were hollowed out. Entire communities were devastated and our manufacturing plants were shipped off to China. That’s what happened when Washington stopped being the capital of the United States and started being the capital of the world. As US Ambassador to Germany, I had a front row seat to Donald Trump’s America first foreign policy.

I wish every American could see how President Trump negotiates on their behalf. I’ve watched President Trump charm the Chancellor of Germany while insisting that Germany pay its NATO obligations. I was proud to witness President Trump say to foreign leaders, “I don’t blame you for wanting America to pay for your security. I actually respect you for out negotiating the presidents before me, but it stops with me. I won’t let the American taxpayer be taken advantage of.” Donald Trump’s Administration has always made clear that our priority is the American people’s security. That’s the job of all leaders, to put their people first. We’ve seen how this strategy has succeeded. In four short years, Donald Trump has led even some Washington Democrats to agree on the Chinese threat, on trade deals that benefit America first, on alliances that share responsibility.

In four years, Donald Trump didn’t start any new wars. He brought troops home. He rebuilt the military and signed peace deals that make Americans safer. The Washington elites want you to think this kind of foreign policy is immoral. So, they call it nationalist. That tells you all you need to know. The DC crowd thinks when they call Donald Trump a nationalist, they’re insulting him. As if the American President isn’t supposed to base foreign policy on America’s national interests. A return to the Biden way of thinking means America gives the radical terrorist regime in Tehran a plane load of cash in the middle of the night. Well, you see, President Trump also sent an aircraft in the middle of the night to deal with Iran, but that plane was on a different mission. An airstrike to take out the head of Iran’s terror machine who plotted the deaths of Americans.

But we also must be clear that when those who seek freedom take tremendous personal risk in places like Hong Kong, Tehran, or Minsk, there is no doubt who President Trump’s Administration supports. We will always stand with the people who fight for their God given freedoms. Don’t be fooled. The Washington establishment is trying to sell you on their candidate. Joe Biden was first elected to the Senate in 1972, 48 years ago. Well, it’s actually the typical Washington story. Just this year 22 Democrats ran for president. They rejected all of the outsiders and nominated the ultimate Washington insider, someone they had to pull out of retirement. Every time Joe Biden offers a new idea, you should ask yourself, why didn’t he try that over the last 48 years? Today, the Democrats blame a global pandemic that started in China on President Trump. They still blame Russia for Hillary Clinton’s loss in 2016. As Acting Director of National Intelligence, I saw the Democrat’s entire case for Russian collusion.

What I saw made me sick to my stomach. The Obama-Biden administration secretly launched a surveillance operation on the Trump campaign and silenced the many brave intelligence officials who spoke up against it. They presented bogus information as facts. They lied to judges. Then, they classified anything that undermined their case. After Donald Trump won the election, when they should have continued the American tradition of helping the president elect transition into the White House, they tried instead to undercut him even more. Former Vice President Joe Biden asked intelligence officials to uncover the hidden information on President Trump’s incoming National Security Advisor three weeks before the inauguration. That’s the Democrats. Between surveillance, classifications, leaks, and puppet candidates, they never want the American people to know who’s actually calling the shots.

But with Donald Trump, you always know exactly who is in charge, because the answer is you. You’re in charge, not lobbyists, not special interests, not warmongers, or China sympathizers, or globalization fanatics. With Donald Trump and Mike Pence in the white house, the boss is the American people. President Trump rightly calls his foreign policy America First. America First does not advance the interests of one group of Americans at the expense of another. It has no bias about red or blue, educated or not educated, urban or rural. America First is simply the belief that politicians should focus on the equality and dignity of every American, and that this duty is fulfilled by promoting the safety and wealth of the American people above all else. That’s America First, that’s the Trump doctrine, and that my friends is four more years.

Narrator: (01:56:17)
By dawn’s early light, millions of Americans give thanks for this land, our liberties, and those who defend it. That same pride inspired the words of our national anthem, penned here as the smoke of battle lifted over two centuries ago. When those American soldiers bravely fought and died, repelling the British on spot, they did so not only for our people, which that flag represented, but for our principles for which the flag stood. Our God-given freedoms, the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Equality under the law government, by the people. These are the threads that bind us together as Americans, for we are not a nation born of blood, but a belief. Even though that old flag has sometimes been battered and beaten, faded and forgotten, fired upon and set ablaze, there are heroes throughout our history who have picked up those tattered strands, mended them, and raised our flag anew.

Just as the soldiers at Fort McHenry fought in defense of the beliefs that bind us today, there are new leaders who have devoted their life to do the same.

Mike Pence: (01:57:39)
Greetings across the amber waves of grain, this is Mike Pence.

Across Indiana highways and homes, his voice warmly welcomed Hoosier’s each morning. Mike Pence filled the radio waves with conservative commentary, guarding our American ideals, but much like the man who inspired him, Mike didn’t grow up a Republican.

As President Reagan said, freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.

His grandfather was a hardworking Irish immigrant who drove a bus to provide for his family. His father served our nation bravely in the Korean War and earned a Bronze Star. Mike was the third of six children, raised here in Columbus, Indiana with a cornfield in his backyard.

The foundation of America is freedom, and the foundation of freedom is faith.

It was in this small Indiana town, his foundation of faith in Jesus Christ was laid. From that conviction sprung his love of people and service to others. It was at a church service where Mike met the love of his life, Karen. They married and have three children, Michael, Charlotte, and Audrey.

I’m a Christian, a Conservative, and a Republican in that order.

Mike became the president of a free market think tank, the host of a statewide conservative radio show, and then, a Congressman. In Washington, Mike quickly became known as a foremost defender of freedom. He led Conservatives in the fight to protect our time honored values of family, faith, life, liberty, and limited government.

Our nation’s strength begins at home because strong families make a strong America.

Mike earned the trust of the people of his State and became the 50th Governor of Indiana. He delivered the largest state tax cut in Indiana history, expanded school choice, led the country in manufacturing, and helped more Hoosiers get to work than ever before, but he wasn’t through.

Speaker 9: (01:59:40)
ABC News has learned that Donald Trump will choose Indiana Governor Mike Pence to be his running mate.

Donald Trump: (01:59:44)
I would like to introduce a man who I truly believe will be the next Vice President of the United States. Governor Mike Pence.

As our Vice President, Mike Pence has held tightly to those threads of freedom woven through our history. Leading with those principles alongside President Trump, our nation experienced prosperity like never before.

Donald Trump: (02:00:09)
He is solid as a rock, he’s been a fantastic Vice President.

Now, in these uncertain days, we are equipped to overcome. In times of trouble, some call to retreat from those ideals, but Americans throughout history have lifted them in triumph, hope, and resilience. Mike Pence knows those stars and stripes do not merely represent who we are, but more importantly, what we can be. As the sun rises again on America, we lift our eyes to those lofty truths to guide our country and every one of us to greater heights. In this land of the free and home of the brave Vice President Mike Pence.

Speaker 10: (02:01:20)
Please welcome the Vice President of the United States, Mike Pence, accompanied by the Second Lady, Mrs. Karen Pence.

Good evening, America. It’s an honor to speak to you tonight from the hallowed grounds of Fort McHenry. The site of the very battle that inspired the words of our national anthem. Those words have inspired these land of heroes in every generation since. It was on this site, 206 years ago, when our young republic heroically withstood a ferocious naval bombardment from the most powerful empire on earth. They came to crush our revolution, to divide our nation, and to end the American experiment. The heroes who held this Fort took their stand for life, liberty, freedom, and the American flag. Those ideals have defined our nation, but they were hardly ever mentioned at last week’s Democratic National Convention. Instead, Democrats spent four days attacking America.

Joe Biden said that we were living through a season of darkness, but as President Trump said, where Joe Biden sees American darkness, we see American greatness. In these challenging times, our country needs a president who believes in America, who believes in the boundless capacity of the American people to meet any challenge, defeat any foe, and defend the freedoms we hold dear. America needs four more years of President Donald Trump in the White House. Before I go further, allow me to say a word to the families and communities in the path of Hurricane Laura. Our prayers are with you tonight. Our administration is working closely with authorities in the States that will be impacted. FEMA has mobilized resources and supplies for those in harm’s way.

This is a serious storm, and we urge all those in the affected areas to heed State and local authorities. Stay safe and know that we’ll be with you every step of the way to support, rescue, respond, and recover in the days and weeks ahead. That’s what Americans do. Four years ago, I answered the call to join this ticket because I knew that Donald Trump had the leadership and the vision to make America great again. For the last four years, I’ve watched this President endure unrelenting attacks, but get up every day and fight to keep the promises that he made to the American people. So, with gratitude for the confidence President Donald Trump has placed in me, the support of our Republican Party, and the grace of God, I humbly accept your nomination to run and serve as Vice President of the United States. Serving the American people in this office has been a journey. I never expected. It’s a journey that would not have been possible without the support of my family. Beginning with my wonderful wife, Karen. She’s a lifelong school teacher, an incredible mother to our three children, and she is one outstanding Second Lady of the United States. I’m so proud of you. We couldn’t be more proud of our three children, Marine Corps Captain Michael J. Pence and his wife, Sarah. Our daughter, Charlotte Pence Bond, an author, and the wife to Lieutenant Henry Bond who is currently deployed and serving our nation in the United States Navy. Our youngest, a recent law school grad, our daughter Audrey and her fiance who like so many other Americans had to delay their wedding this summer. But we can’t wait for Dan to be a part of our family. In addition to my wife and kids, the person who shaped my life the most is also with us tonight. My mom, Nancy. She is the daughter of an Irish immigrant, 87 years young, and mom follows politics very closely. The truth be told, sometimes I think I’m actually her second favorite candidate on the Trump-Pence ticket. Thank you, mom. I love you. Over the past four years, I’ve had the privilege to work closely with our President. I’ve seen him when the cameras are off. Americans see President Trump in lots of different ways, but there’s no doubt how President Trump sees America. He sees America for what it is, a nation that has done more good in this world than any other, a nation that deserves far more gratitude than grievance. If you want a President who falls silent when our heritage is demeaned or insulted, he’s not your man. Now, we came by very different routes to this partnership, and some people think we’re a little bit different. I’ve learned a few things watching him, watching him deal with all that we’ve been through over the past four years, he does things in his own way, on his own terms. Not much gets past him. When he has an opinion, he’s liable to share it. He certainly kept things interesting, but more importantly, President Donald Trump has kept his word to the American people. In a city known for talkers, President Trump is a doer, and few presidents have brought more independence, energy, or determination to that office. Four years ago, we inherited a military hollowed out by devastating budget cuts, an economy struggling to break out of the slowest recovery since the great depression, ISIS controlled a land mass twice the size of Pennsylvania.

We witnessed a steady assault on our most cherished values, freedom of religion, and the right to life. That’s when President Donald Trump stepped in. From day one, he kept his word. We rebuilt our military. This President signed the largest increase in our national defense since the days of Ronald Reagan, and created the first new branch of our armed forces in 70 years, the United States Space Force. With that renewed energy, we also returned American astronauts to space on an American rocket for the first time in nearly 10 years. After years of scandal that robbed our veterans of the care that you earned in the uniform of the United States, President Trump kept his word again. We reformed the VA and Veterans Choice is now available for every veteran in America. Our armed forces and our veterans fill this land of heroes, and many joined us tonight in this historic Fort.

Tonight, we have among us four recipients of the Medal of Honor, six recipients of the Purple Heart, a Gold Star mother of a gallant Navy SEAL, and wounded warriors from SoldierStrong, a group that serves our injured veterans every day. We are honored by your presence and we thank you for your service. With heroes just like these, we defend this nation every day. Under this Commander in Chief, we’ve taken the fight to radical Islamic terrorists on our terms on their soil. Last year, American armed forces took the last inch of ISIS territory, crushed their califate, and took down their leader without one American casualty. I was there when President Trump gave the order to take out the world’s most dangerous terrorist, Iran’s top general will never harm another American because Qasem Soleimani is gone.

My fellow Americans, you deserve to know, Joe Biden criticized President Trump following those decisions, decisions to rid the world of two terrorist leaders. But it’s not surprising because history records that Joe Biden even opposed the operation that took down Osama bin Laden. It’s no wonder that the Secretary of Defense under the Obama-Biden Administration once said that Joe Biden has been, and I quote, “Wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades.” So, we’ve stood up to our enemies and we’ve stood with our allies. Like when President Trump kept his word and moved the American embassy to Jerusalem, the capital of the State of Israel, setting the stage for the first Arab country to recognize Israel in 26 years.

Closer to home, we appointed more than 200 Conservative judges through our federal courts. We supported the right to life and all the God-given liberties enshrined in our constitution, including the Second Amendment, right to keep and bear arms. When it came to the economy, President Trump kept his word and then some. We passed the largest tax cut and reform in American history. We rolled back more federal red tape than any administration ever had. We unleashed American energy and fought for free and fair trade. In our first three years, businesses, large and small, created more than seven million good-

Businesses large and small created more than seven million good paying jobs, including 500,000 manufacturing jobs all across America. Our country became a net exporter of energy for the first time in 70 years. Unemployment rates for African Americans and Hispanic Americans hit the lowest level ever recorded. And on this 100th anniversary of a woman’s right to vote, I’m proud to report that under president Donald Trump, we achieved the lowest unemployment rate for women in 65 years, and more Americans working than ever before. In our first three years, we built the greatest economy in the world. We made America great again. And then the Coronavirus struck from China. Before the first case of the Coronavirus spread within the United States, the president took unprecedented action and suspended all travel from China, the second largest economy in the world. Now that action saved untold American lives. And I can tell you firsthand, it bought us invaluable time to launch the greatest national mobilization since World War II.

President Trump marshaled the full resources of our federal government from the outset. He directed us to forge a seamless partnership with governors across America, in both political parties. We partnered with private industry to reinvent testing and produce supplies that were distributed to hospitals around the land. Today we’re conducting more than 800,000 tests a day, and we have coordinated the delivery of billions of pieces of personal protective equipment for our amazing doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers. We saw to the manufacture of 100,000 ventilators in a hundred days. And no one who required a ventilator was ever denied a ventilator in the United States. We build hospitals, surged military medical personnel, and enacted an economic rescue package to save 50 million American jobs. As we speak, we’re developing a growing number of treatments known as therapeutics, including convalescent plasma that are saving lives all across America.

Now last week, Joe Biden said that no miracle is coming. Well what Joe doesn’t seem to understand is that America is a nation of miracles. And I’m proud to report that we’re on track to have the world’s first safe, effective Coronavirus vaccine by the end of this year. After all the sacrifice in this year like no other, and all the hardship, we’re finding our way forward again. But tonight, our hearts are with all the families who’ve lost loved ones and have family members still struggling with serious illness. In this country we mourn with those who mourn, we grieve with those who grieve. And this night, I know that millions of Americans will pause and pray for God’s comfort for each of you. A country doesn’t get through such a time unless its people find strength within. The response of doctors, nurses, first responders, farmers, factory workers, truckers, and everyday Americans who put the health and safety of their neighbors first has been nothing short of heroic.

Veronica Sayez put on her scrubs every day, day in and day out went to work in one of New York City’s busiest hospitals. She stayed on the job, put in the long hours until it was done and then, got back in her neighborhood and helped neighbors and friends struggling. Her brother William is a New York City firefighter, and they’re both emblematic of heroes all across this country. They’re with us tonight. And I say to them and to all of you; you have earned the admiration of the American people, and we will always be grateful for your service and care. Thanks to the courage and compassion of the American people, we’re slowing the spread, we’re protecting the vulnerable, and we’re saving lives, and we’re opening up America again. Because of the strong foundation that president Trump poured in our first three years, we’ve already gained back 9.3 million jobs in the last three months alone. And we’re not just opening up America again, we’re opening up America’s schools. And I’m proud to report that my wife Karen, that school teacher I’ve been married to, will be returning to her classroom next week.

And so to all of our heroic teachers, and faculty, and staff, thank you for being there for our kids. We’re going to stay with you every step of the way. In the days ahead as we open up America again, I promise you, we’ll continue to put the health of America first. And as we’ve worked to bring this economy back, we all have a role to play, and we all have a choice to make. On November 3rd, you need to ask yourself, who do you trust to rebuild this economy? A career politician who presided over the slowest economic recovery since the Great Depression, or a proven leader who created the greatest economy in the world? The choice is clear, to bring America all the way back, we need four more years of president Donald Trump in the White House. My fellow Americans, we’re passing through a time of testing, but in the midst of this global pandemic, just as our nation had begun to recover, we’ve seen violence and chaos in the streets of our major cities.

President Trump and I will always support the right of Americans to peaceful protest, but rioting and looting is not peaceful protest. Tearing down statues is not free speech, and those who do so will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Last week, Joe Biden didn’t say one word about the violence and chaos engulfing cities across this country. So let me be clear. The violence must stop. Whether in Minneapolis, Portland, or Kenosha. Too many heroes have died defending our freedom to see American strike each other down. We will have law and order on the streets of this country for every American of every race and creed and color. President Trump and I know that the men and women that put on the uniform of law enforcement are the best of us. Every day when they walk out their door, they consider our lives more important than their own. People like Dave Patrick Underwood, an officer in the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Protective Service, who was shot and killed during the riots in Oakland, California.

Dave’s heroism is emblematic of the heroes that serve in blue every day, and we’re privileged tonight to be joined by his sister, Angela. Angela, we say to you, we grieve with your family, and America will never forget or fail to honor Officer Dave Patrick Underwood. The American people know, we don’t have to choose between supporting law enforcement and standing with our African American neighbors to improve the quality of their lives, education, jobs, and safety. And from the first days of this administration, we’ve done both, and we will keep supporting law enforcement and keep supporting our African American and minority communities across this land for four more years. Joe Biden says that America is systemically racist and that law enforcement in America is, and I quote, an implicit bias against minorities. When asked whether he’d support cutting funding of law enforcement, Joe Biden replied, “Yes, absolutely.” Joe Biden would double down on the very policies that are leading to violence in America’s cities. The hard truth is, you won’t be safe in Joe Biden’s America.

Under president Trump, we will always stand with those who stand on the thin blue line, and we’re not going to defund the police, not now, not ever. My fellow Americans we’re passing through a time of testing, but soon we will come to a time for choosing. Joe Biden has referred to himself as a transition candidate, and many were asking, “Transition to what?” But last week, Democrats didn’t talk very much about their agenda and if I were them, I wouldn’t either. I mean, Bernie Sanders did tell his followers that Joe Biden would be the most liberal president in modern times. In fact, he said, and I quote, that many of the ideas he fought for, that just a few years ago were considered radical, are now mainstream in the Democratic Party. At the root of their agenda is the belief that America is driven by envy, not aspiration, that millions of Americans harbor ill will toward our neighbors, instead of loving our neighbors as ourselves.

The radical left believes that the federal government must be involved in every aspect of our lives to correct those American wrongs. They believe the federal government needs to dictate how Americans live, how we should work, how we should raise our children, and in the process deprive our people of freedom, prosperity, and security. Their agenda is based on government control. Our agenda is based on freedom. Where president Trump cut taxes, Joe Biden wants to raise taxes by nearly $4 trillion. Where this president achieved energy independence for the United States, Joe Biden would abolish fossil fuels, and fracking, and impose the regime of climate change regulations that would drastically increase the cost of living for working families. Where we fought for free and fair trade, and this president stood up to China and ended the era of economic surrender, Joe Biden has been a cheerleader for communist China. He wants to repeal all the tariffs that are leveling the playing field for American workers. And he actually criticized president Trump for suspending all travel to China at the outset of this pandemic.

Joe Biden is for open borders, sanctuary cities, free lawyers and healthcare for illegal immigrants. And president Trump, he secured our border and built nearly 300 miles of that border wall. Joe Biden wants to end school choice, and president Trump believes that every parent should have the right to choose where their children go to school regardless of their income or area code. President Trump has stood without apology for the sanctity of human life, every day of this administration. Joe Biden, he supports taxpayer funding of abortion, right up to the moment of birth. When you consider their agenda, it’s clear, Joe Biden would be nothing more than a Trojan horse for the radical left. The choice in this election has never been clearer, and the stakes have never been higher. Last week, Joe Biden said democracy is on the ballot and the truth is, our economic recovery is on the ballot, law and order are on the ballot, but so are things far more fundamental and foundational to our country.

In this election, it’s not so much whether America will be more conservative or more liberal, more Republican or more Democrat. The choice in this election is whether America remains America. It’s whether we will leave to our children and our grandchildren a country grounded in our highest ideals of freedom, free markets, and the unalienable right to life and liberty, or whether we will leave them a country that’s fundamentally transformed into something else. We stand at a crossroads, America. President Trump has set our nation on a path of freedom and opportunity, Joe Biden would set America on a path of socialism and decline. But we’re not going to let it happen. President Donald Trump believes in America, and in the goodness of the American people, the boundless potential of every American to live out their dreams and freedom. And every day, president Trump has been fighting to protect the promise of America. Every day, our president has been fighting to expand the reach of the American dream. Every day, president Donald Trump has been fighting for you, and now it’s our turn to fight for him.

On this night, in the company of heroes, I’m deeply grateful, deeply grateful for the privilege of serving as vice president of this great nation, and to have the opportunity to serve again. I pray to be worthy of it, and I will give that duty all that’s in me. In the year 2020, the American people have had more than our share of challenges, but thankfully, we have a president with the toughness, energy, and resolve to see us through. Those traits actually run in our national character, as the invading force learned on approach to this Fort, in September of 1814, against fierce and sustained bombardment, our young country was defended by heroes, not so different from those who are with us tonight. The enemy was counting on them to quit, but they never did. Fort McHenry held, and when morning came, our flag was still here.

My fellow Americans, we’re going through a time of testing. But if you look through the fog of these challenging times, you will see, our flag is still there today. That star-spangled banner still waves over the land of the free and the home of the brave. From these hallowed grounds, American Patriots in generations gone by did their part to defend freedom. Now it’s our turn. So let’s run the race marked out for us. Let’s fix our eyes on Old Glory and all she represents. Let’s fix our eyes on this land of heroes, and let their courage inspire. And let’s fix our eyes on the author and perfecter of our faith and our freedom, and never forget, that where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. That means freedom always wins. My fellow Americans, thank you for the honor of addressing you tonight, and the opportunity to run and serve again as your vice president. I leave here today inspired, and I leave here today more convinced than ever that we will do in our time as Americans have done throughout our long and storied past. We will defend our freedom, and our way of life. We will reelect our president, and principled Republican leaders across the land, and with president Donald Trump in the White House for four more years, and with God’s help, we will make America great again, again. Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.

Speaker 11: (02:42:15)
Here to perform our national anthem, please welcome country music superstar, Trace Adkins.

Trace Adkins: (02:42:16)
(Singing)

2020 Republican National Convention (RNC) Night 3 Transcript

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