RNC Day Three: Five takeaways from the Republican National Convention

MILWAUKEE — On the third night of the Republican National Convention, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) gave his first public address as Donald Trump‘s running mate, in the most important speech of his career so far.

Wednesday night’s theme was “Make America Strong Once Again” and featured former Trump administration official Peter Navarro receiving raucous applause and a standing ovation from the crowd. Navarro was just released Wednesday after serving four months in prison for being held in contempt of Congress after he snubbed a subpoena from the Jan. 6 congressional committee. “I went to prison so you won’t have to,” Navarro said.

An emotional moment featuring the testimony of Gold Star families remained one of the most memorable events of the night. Donald Trump Jr. and his daughter, Kai Trump, both took to the stage while his father appeared at the convention again. The former president is set to speak on Thursday when he officially accepts the GOP nomination.

J.D. Vance gives first major speech as Trump’s running mate

Vance officially accepted the vice presidential nomination during his speech where he spoke about a message of hope after Trump’s near-death experience over the weekend.

“As we meet tonight, we cannot forget that this evening could have been much different. Instead of a day of celebration, this could have been a day of heartache and mourning,” said the Ohio senator. “For the last eight years, President Trump has given everything he has to fight for the people of our country. He didn’t need politics, but the country needed him.”

Like so many other speakers who appeared onstage before him, Vance preached a message of unity among GOP members before he spoke about the struggles of working-class America in a message of economic populism. “I grew up in Middletown, Ohio, a small town where people spoke their minds, built with their hands, and loved their God, family, community, and country with their whole hearts,” he said of his humble background. “But it was also a place that had been cast aside and forgotten by America’s ruling class in Washington.

Vance later excoriated Biden for supporting the NAFTA trade deal and the Iraq war, while giving China a “sweetheart deal” rejecting the president’s claims that he is the president of the working class. “But my fellow Americans, this moment is not about me, it’s about all of us, and who we’re fighting for,” said Vance. “It’s about the auto worker in Michigan, wondering why out of touch politicians are destroying your jobs. It’s about the factory worker in Wisconsin, who makes things with their hands and is proud of American craftsmanship.”

Many delegates told the Washington Examiner they supported Trump’s decision to add Vance, 39, to the ticket. “I’m getting to know him better,” said Clint Pate, a Florida delegate from Jackson County. Pate called Vance “a real conservative and a lot of people like him.”

“And by the way, J.D. Vance is going to make one hell of a vice president,” said Trump Jr. during his convention speech.

Donald Trump Jr. and daughter take the stage

Donald Trump Jr. and eldest daughter, Kai Trump, both addressed the crowd Wednesday evening, with the younger member touting her grandfather’s survival after an assassination attempt on Saturday. “Grandpa you are such an inspiration and I love you,” Kai Trump said. “The media makes my grandpa look like such a different person, but I know who he is. He’s very caring and loving,” she continued. “He truly wants the best for this country, and he will fight every day to Make America Great Again.”

Kai’s father praised the former president’s tenacious spirit after he refused to “cower” following Saturday’s failed attack against his life. “We will fight with our voices. We will fight with our ideas. And on November 5 we will fight with our vote,” Trump Jr. said.

Trump Jr. also spent a portion of his speech poking fun at Biden’s attempts to hold on as the Democratic presidential nominee after a disastrous debate performance reignited concerns he’s too old to serve as president again. “And honestly who is actually running the country anyway? It’s obviously not Joe Biden?” Trump Jr. questioned. “Seriously who is running things? Does anyone really know? Is it Jill? Is it Hunter? Barack Obama?”

Gold star families give an emotional speech

In a moment that tugged on heartstrings, Gold Star families reflected on the pain of losing loved ones after an ISIS-K suicide bomber attacked Hamid Karzai International Airport’s Abbey Gate during the disastrous American withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. Thirteen service members were killed, as were 169 Afghan civilians, 11 Marines, one soldier from the 8th Psychological Operations Group, and one Navy corpsman, during the attack.

The family members were greeted with chants of “USA!USA!USA!” when they appeared onstage holding photos of their fallen service members.

“[Biden] let my son down. He let the 13 down. He let the 45 wounded down. He let those 174 civilians down. He let our country down,” Kelly Barnett, the mother of Marine Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover, 31, said.

“While Joe Biden has refused to recognize their sacrifice, Donald Trump spent six hours in Bedminster with us,” said Christy Shamblin, who was the mother-in-law of the late Sgt. Nicole Ghee. 

McCarthy foes get elevated

Wednesday saw two of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s foes, Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Nancy Mace (R-SC), get prime speaking opportunities at the convention. Gaetz, who voted to oust McCarthy last year, interrupted McCarthy’s interview with CNN taunting him for not having a speaking slot, just one day prior. The incident led Richard Porter, a Republican national committeeman from Illinois, to tell Gaetz to “shut up” and called the Florida congressman an “a**hole.”

Gaetz spent a portion of his speech taunting Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), who was convicted on bribery charges this week. “Under Biden-Harris, inflation has gotten so bad you can no longer bribe Democrat senators with cash alone. You have to use gold bar just so the bribes hold value,” Gaetz said. He also claimed he would be Trump’s “strongest ally.”

Mace survived a primary challenge from Catherine Templeton, the former director of South Carolina’s Department of Health who McCarthy helped to fund. The South Carolina lawmaker mostly spent her speech appealing to women voters as a “single mom” and “rape survivor.”

Felons get a prominent role at the convention

Three convicted felons were featured at the convention on the third day, including Trump, who was convicted on 34 felony counts by a Manhattan jury. The felony convictions did not deter support from convention attendees who lavished positive attention on Trump and Navarro.

Navarro spent the first part of Wednesday in a Miami correctional facility before heading to Milwaukee for the convention. The former economic adviser in the Trump White House was convicted on two counts of contempt of Congress after refusing to turn over documents to the Jan. 6 committee and declining to testify to the committee. In addition to Navarro, former Trump campaign Chairman Paul Manafort appeared on the convention floor.

Trump’s former lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, was also spotted taking a fall on the convention floor earlier this week. The former New York mayor’s fall from grace culminated when he became a co-defendant in the Fulton County, Georgia, election interference case and was indicted in Arizona.