Melania Trump a lone voice of empathy at Republican convention
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Washington — US First lady Melania Trump capped the second night of the Republican national convention by attempting to soften the image of her highly divisive husband, forgoing attacks on Democrat Joe Biden to focus on the ravaging toll of the coronavirus and the nation’s tortured racial history in a way Donald Trump usually avoids.
She acknowledged the deaths of more than 178,000 Americans and called for national unity in response — a departure from the president’s customary handling of a virus he first downplayed and now seeks to put behind him. In between, Melania Trump called on the nation to see the president as she does, as a leader devoted to the safety of the country and deserving of a second term.
“America is in his heart,” she said in an address delivered in the newly redesigned Rose Garden at the White House. “So while at times we only see the worst of people and politics on the evening news, let’s remember how we come together in the most difficult times.”
The speech was a marked shift from the incendiary partisan tone and revisionist praise of Trump’s first term served up by the almost five hours of events that came before it. Just minutes before the first lady spoke, Donald Trump’s son Eric unleashed a barrage of attacks on Democrats, saying radicals want to “erase history”, and “burn the Stars and Stripes that represent patriotism and the American dream”.
He misstated Biden’s positions, saying that the Democrat nominee “has pledged to defund the police and take away your cherished second amendment” — neither of which are positions Biden holds.
Tuesday’s event also included stark appeals to key facets of the conservative base, including from a former Planned Parenthood worker who offered a graphic description of an abortion she witnessed that led her to become an anti-abortion activist.
The convention’s second night was aimed less at lionising the president’s achievements and more at making the case for his re-election by attempting to shore up weaknesses among crucial voting groups.
It included lengthy testimonials that sought to cast him as a champion of legal immigrants and women, a group that is favouring Biden by double digits nationally. The campaign chose speakers from a map of states he needs to return to the White House — a lobsterman from Maine; a dairy farmer from Wisconsin; a Minnesota mayor; and Iowa’s governor, Kim ...
She acknowledged the deaths of more than 178,000 Americans and called for national unity in response — a departure from the president’s customary handling of a virus he first downplayed and now seeks to put behind him. In between, Melania Trump called on the nation to see the president as she does, as a leader devoted to the safety of the country and deserving of a second term.
“America is in his heart,” she said in an address delivered in the newly redesigned Rose Garden at the White House. “So while at times we only see the worst of people and politics on the evening news, let’s remember how we come together in the most difficult times.”
The speech was a marked shift from the incendiary partisan tone and revisionist praise of Trump’s first term served up by the almost five hours of events that came before it. Just minutes before the first lady spoke, Donald Trump’s son Eric unleashed a barrage of attacks on Democrats, saying radicals want to “erase history”, and “burn the Stars and Stripes that represent patriotism and the American dream”.
He misstated Biden’s positions, saying that the Democrat nominee “has pledged to defund the police and take away your cherished second amendment” — neither of which are positions Biden holds.
Tuesday’s event also included stark appeals to key facets of the conservative base, including from a former Planned Parenthood worker who offered a graphic description of an abortion she witnessed that led her to become an anti-abortion activist.
The convention’s second night was aimed less at lionising the president’s achievements and more at making the case for his re-election by attempting to shore up weaknesses among crucial voting groups.
It included lengthy testimonials that sought to cast him as a champion of legal immigrants and women, a group that is favouring Biden by double digits nationally. The campaign chose speakers from a map of states he needs to return to the White House — a lobsterman from Maine; a dairy farmer from Wisconsin; a Minnesota mayor; and Iowa’s governor, Kim ...
