[UPDATED] Republican National Convention: Immigrant Warns Of Dangers Of Socialism

Day 4

[UPDATE] Trump: Biden Will Be The "Destroyer Of American Greatness"

The president used his speech on the final night of the four-day confab to paint Biden as a candidate who will be subservient to the extreme left of the Democrat Party.

Trump formally accepted his party's nomination as presidential candidate in the upcoming election. He spoke to 2,000 supporters on the South Lawn of the White House, Thursday night.

“This election will decide whether we will defend the American way of life, or whether we allow a radical movement to completely dismantle and destroy it,” Trump said in his 71 minutes speech.

The president charged that "Biden is weak. He takes his marching orders from liberal hypocrites who drive their cities into the ground while fleeing far from the scene of the wreckage."

Trump said that his Democrat "is a trojan horse for socialism."

“At no time before have voters faced a clearer choice between two parties, two visions, two philosophies, or two agendas," the president declared.. "This election will decide whether we save the American dream, or whether we allow a socialist agenda to demolish our cherished destiny.”

Trump earlier in his speech warned that America's historic achievements is now in danger. The upcoming election, he warned, is the "most important election in the history of our country."

The president pointing back to last week’s Democratic convention, argued that “Biden and his party repeatedly assailed America as a land of radical, economic, and social injustice. So tonight, I ask you a very simple question: How can the Democrat Party ask to lead our country when it spends so much time tearing down our country.”

"Our country wasn’t built by cancel culture," he said.

Trump vowed that “as long as I am president, I will defend the absolute right of every American citizen to live in security, dignity, and peace.” He insinuated that the Democrats stand with “anarchists, rioters, looters, and flag-burners,” and pledged that “the Republican Party will remain the voice of the patriotic heroes who keep America safe.”

The president's renomination acceptance speech ended with guests treated to a massive fireworks show -- which included displays of 'Trump' and '2020' -- and an opera performance.

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Day 3

[UPDATE] Mike Pence Says The Choice In November Election Is Whether America Remains America 

In a lengthy speech delivered in front of a crowd in Fort McHenry, Baltimore, the vice president accused Biden and Democrats of demeaning the nation.

“The heroes who held this fort took their stand for Life, liberty, freedom and the American flag. Those ideals have defined our nation,” Pence said. “Yet they were hardly ever mentioned during last week’s Democrat Convention.

“Instead, Democrats spent four days attacking America. Joe Biden said we were living through ‘a season of American darkness,’ but as President Trump said, ‘Where Joe Biden sees American darkness, we see American greatness.’”

Pence attacked Biden’s record, calling him a “career politician who presided over the slowest economic recovery since the Great Depression” and labelled him “nothing more than a Trojan horse for the radical left.”

The vice president condemned Democrats for their silence. over the riots ravaging Democrat-run cities. “Last week, Joe Biden didn’t say one word about the violence and chaos engulfing cities across this country,” Pence said. “Let me be clear: the violence must stop, whether in Minneapolis, Portland or Kenosha.

“Too many heroes have died defending our freedoms to see Americans strike each other down. We will have law and order on our streets.”

The vice president devoted much of the speech touting the accomplishments of the administration. He said the upcoming election, is "not so much whether America will be more conservative or more liberal," but "whether America remains America."

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[UPDATE] Governor Kristi Noem Slams Democrat-run Cities "Overrun By Violent Mob"

Speaking on the third night of the convention, Wednesday, the popular South Dakota Governor tore into the riots which have ravaged cities across America in recent months.

"From Seattle and Portland to Washington and New York, Democrat-run cities across this country are being overrun by violent mobs," she said. "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, hard-working Americans - are left to fend for themselves."

Noem did not implement much of the wuhanvirus lockdown measures enacted by other states. "We are not and will not be the subjects of an elite class of so-called experts," she said in the speech. "We the people are the government."

The Governor said that America's "founding principles[of equality, freedom and opportunity] are under attack."

"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,” Noem said.

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Day 2

[UPDATE] Melania Trump Calls For End To Antifa/BLM Riots

In a compassionate and inspiring speech Tuesday at the RNC, the First Lady expressed her “deepest sympathy” for those suffering or who’ve lost loved ones during the wuhanvirus pandemic. 

Speaking from the recently renovated White House Rose Garden, with President Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and Second Lady Karen Pence in attendance, Melania addressed the nation's racial unrest.

“Like all of you, I have reflected on the racial unrest in our country. It is a harsh reality that we are not proud of parts of our history,” she acknowledged. ”I encourage people to focus on our future while still learning from our past. We must remember that today that we are all one community comprised of many races, religions, and ethnicities.”

Melania defended the president’s performance combating the wuhanvirus, emphasizing, “my husband’s administration will not stop fighting until there’s an effective treatment or vaccine available to everyone. Donald will not rest until he has done all he can to take care of everyone impacted by this terrible epidemic.”

The Slovenian-born former fashion model and businesswoman made the case for her husband. “We all know Donald Trump makes no secrets of about how he feels about things,” she acknowledged. “Totally honesty is what our citizens deserve from our president. Whether you like it or not,  you always know what he’s thinking.”

Melania argued that another 4 years of her husband as president is “what is best for our country.”

The First Lady who became a U.S. citizen in 2006 highlighted her personal story. She said becoming a citizen ”is still one of the proudest moments in my life because with hard work and determination, I was able to achieve my own American dream.”

She also emphasized, “as an immigrant and a very independent woman, I understand what a privilege it is to live here and to enjoy the freedoms and opportunities we have.”

Melania Trump's speech was widely praised across the the political spectrum. Though some in left-wing media attacked her.

Other speakers Tuesday night, include President Trump's son and daughter Eric and Tiffany respectively. Tiffany slammed the media and big tech for censoring political speech. And Eric slammed Biden's socialist policies.

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[UPDATE] Nick Sandmann, 'The Covington Catholic Teen' Blasts Media For Pushing 'Cancel Culture'

The 18-year-old graduate from Covington Catholic High School who was at the center of a nationwide viral video controversy, gave a defiant speech at the RNC, Tuesday.

"I wouldn’t be canceled. I fought back hard to expose the media for what they did to me and won a personal victory. While much more must be done, I look forward to the day that the media returns to providing balanced, responsible and accountable news coverage," Sandmann said. "I know President Trump hopes for that too."

He called on voters to re-elect President Trump in November. "In November, I believe this country must unite around a president who calls the media out and refuses to allow them to create a narrative instead of reporting the facts," Sandmann said. "I believe we must join with a president who will challenge the media to return to objective journalism."

Last year when he was on a trip from his Kentucky school to Washington, D.C. for the March for Life on Jan. 18, a video of Sandmann, wearing a red Make America Great Again Hat, went viral, showing the teenager standing directly in front of Native American elder Nathan Phillips on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

When the video was initially released, many perceived Sandmann to have been mocking Phillips by smirking inches from his face, while the Omaha tribe leader sang and played a drum.

The media reported an inaccurate and libelous account of what happened, and some pundits and celebrities called him a racist, a white supremacist and a bigot.

"I learned that what was happening to me had a name. It was called being cancelled. As in annulled. As in revoked. As in made void," Sandmann said in his speech. "Canceled is what’s happening to people around this country who refuse to be silenced by the far left. Many are being fired, humiliated or even threatened. Often, the media is a willing participant."

Sandmann sued many media outlets and personalities. Earlier this year, he settled for undisclosed amounts with both CNN and The Washington Post.

At the end of his remarks in the convention video, Sandmann put the MAGA hat back on and said, "And one more thing: Let's make America great again."

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[UPDATE] Ex-Planned Parenthood Employee Shares A Harrowing Account Of Her Past Work With The Pro-Abortion Group

Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood director and 'employee of the year,' gave one of the most inspiring and graphic speeches of the night at the RNC, Tuesday.

Recalling a harrowing episode during her time at Planned Parenthood, Johnson described how she saw "an unborn baby fighting back" against an ultrasound-guided abortion.

"Nothing prepared me for what I saw on the screen – an unborn baby fighting back, desperate to move away from the suction ... The last thing I saw was a spine twirling around in the mother’s womb before succumbing to the force of the suction," she said.

Touting Trump's judicial appointments and executive actions, Johnson claimed the president "has done more for the unborn than any other president."

She said the upcoming election is "a choice between two radical, anti-life activists[Biden and Harris], and the most pro-life president we’ve ever had."

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[UPDATE] Billy Graham's Granddaughter Cissie Graham Lynch Blasts Biden's Attack On Religious Liberty

Graham Lynch, the daughter of Franklin Graham in her speech at RNC Tuesday, forcefully advocated for freedom of religious expression.

“As Americans, we know that the first line of the First Amendment protects our freedom of religion," Graham Lynch said. "But what we often forget the actual words are 'free exercise' of religion. That means living out our faith in our daily lives -- in our schools, at our jobs, and yes, even in the public square. Our Founders did not envision a quiet, hidden faith. They fought to ensure that voices of faith were always welcomed, not silenced. Not bullied.”

Graham Lynch noted that during the Obama-Biden administration, "Democrats tried to make faith organizations pay for abortion-inducing drugs; ... Democrats pushed schools to allow boys to compete in girls' sports and use girls' locker rooms."

She said that with the election of Trump, people of faith finally got a champion.

Graham Lynch said the vision -- that the Democrat presidential nominee Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris -- have for America, has no room for people of faith.

“So in the words of my grandfather, Billy Graham: ‘Let us stand for political freedom, moral freedom, religious freedom and the rights of all Americans ... and let’s never give in to those who would attempt to take it from us,'” Graham Lynch said.

"I hope and pray you'll join me in voting to re-elect President Trump," she concluded.

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[UPDATE] Rand Paul's Pitch: “If You Hate War Like I Hate War," Support Trump

Speaking Tuesday night at the convention, the U.S. senator from Kentucky recalled how “down to earth” the president was when he first met him.

“Donald Trump and I met many years ago, before he was running for anything," he recalled. "When I first met him, I recall being struck by how down to earth he was. He seemed like just a normal guy, OK -- a normal guy with his own plane and helicopter.”

Paul recalled Trump helping him when he went on a medical mission to Guatemala to perform charity eye surgeries, and needing money to fund the trip.

“Donald Trump offered to help, and immediately come through for us and those kids,” Paul said. “We performed hundreds of surgeries in both countries. Nothing is more beautiful to me in this world than removing the bandages from a person’s eyes, and watching them as they see their loved ones again. Donald Trump helped me make that happen."

Paul went on to criticize Democrat presidential nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden, as someone who has “consistently called for more war.”

"Joe Biden voted for the Iraq War, which President Trump has long called the worst geopolitical mistake of our generation,” he said. “I fear Biden will choose war again.”

Paul urged voters: “If you hate war like I hate war… you need to support President Trump for another term!

“So to our soldiers and their families-- join me in supporting President Trump. To those of you who want lower taxes and better, less expensive healthcare, join me in supporting President Trump.”

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[UPDATE] Trump Pardons Convicted Bank Robber-Turned Activist, At The RNC

Growing up in New York, Jon Ponder became involved in gang life and was first arrested for armed robbery at age 16. He spent the next twenty years in and out of jails before ultimately before getting sent to federal prison for an drug and alcohol fueled bank robbery.

Trump appeared In the convention video with Ponder and the Federal Bureau Of Investigation(FBI) agent Rich Beasley who arrested him.

“First person to help me was actually the FBI agent who arrested me, Rich Beasley," Ponder said. "He is now a dear friend. My hope for America is that all people regardless of race, color, class or background will take advantage of the fact that we live in a nation of second chances.”

Ponder found God during his time in federal lock-up. Two years after he was released from prison, he founded Hope For Prisoners in 2009.

President Trump's pardon clears Ponder's record of the federal bank robbery conviction.

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RNC Day 1

The convention started earlier in the day in Charlotte, North Carolina, with President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence formally renominated as the Republican candidates for the White House.

Delegates convened for a roll call vote, during which more than 300 delegates cast their votes  officially renominating Pence and Trump. Pence and Trump made surprise appearance at the event Monday, where they received all 2,550 delegates votes, unanimously nominating them as the party's nominees for vice president and president respectively.

Trump in his speech said he felt an obligation to be at the convention in person despite North Carolina's Democrat governor imposing unnecessarily strict wuhanvirus-related restrictions.

“I felt an obligation to be here,” Trump said. “You have a governor who’s in a total shutdown mood. I guarantee on Nov. 4, it’ll open up.”

The President warned Republicans that Democrats are using the wuhanvirus pandemic to steal the election. "They are trying to steal the election, just like they did it last time with spying," Trump said. 

The President thanked the delegates calling them "warriors."

Earlier in his speech, Pence also thanked the delegates. "I'm here for one reason, and one reason only," He said. "And that is not just the Republican Party, but America needs four more years of President Donald Trump in the White House."

The Convention resumed in the evening with a video paying tribute to America, which it calls the "land of promise, land of opportunities, land of heroes, land of greatness." The tribute was followed by an opening prayer from New York Cardinal Archbishop Timothy Dolan, and then the Pledge of Allegiance.

The first speaker of the night was Turning Points USA's Charlie Kirk who warned that the upcoming election is "a decision between preserving America as we know it, and eliminating everything that we love."

Rebecca Friedrichs, another speaker, a California teacher, warned against the teachers unions. "They’ve intentionally rewritten American history to perpetuate division, pervert the memories of our American Founders, and disparage our Judeo-Christian virtues," she said. "Their lenient discipline policies morphed our schools into war zones and they back 'defunding police' and abolishing ICE."

Congressman Matt Gaetz opened his remarks joking that he's speaking in a hall "emptier than Joe Biden’s Daily Schedule."

“America is not just an idea or a constitution, it is our home," Gaetz said. "We must protect our home with unbreakable Made in America strength. Strength I see every day in President Trump.”

African American Baltimore House candidate Kim Klacik blasted the Democrats for how they have run cities for years. "The Democrats have controlled this part of Baltimore city for over 50 years and they have run this beautiful place right into the ground," she said.

Klacik slammed Democrat nominee Joe Biden for suggesting that African Americans are a monolith. "Joe Biden believes we can’t think for ourselves -- that the color of someone’s skin dictates their political views," she said. "We’re not buying the lies anymore -- you and your party have ignored us for too long."

In her remarks RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel mocked Democrats' identity politics obsession, saying she is a real housewife and mom from Michigan. "Unlike Joe Biden, President Trump didn’t choose me because I’m a woman -- he chose me because I was the best person for the job."

Trump appeared in a segment, alongside doctors, nurses and other first essential workers, thanking them for their service to the country  amid the wuhanvirus crisis. He told one postal worker who delivers to seniors that he isn't getting rid of any postal workers: "If anyone does, it's the Democrats, not the Republicans," he said. "I want to thank you very much, and everyone in that whole beautiful post office system."

In what many viewers on social media said was one of the most powerful speeches of the night, former pro-footballer Herschel Walker talked of his friendship with Trump that goes back years.

"It hurts my soul to hear the terrible names that people call Donald. The worst one is 'racist.' I take it as a personal insult that people would think I would have a 37-year friendship with a racist," Walker said. "People who think that don’t know what they are talking about. Growing up in the deep south, I have seen racism up close. I know what it is. And it isn’t Donald Trump."

A lifelong Democrat Georgia state Rep. Vernon Jones in his remarks slammed the Democrat Party, saying the party has been "infected with a pandemic" of intolerance, bigotry, socialism, anti-law enforcement bias and a "dangerous tolerance for people who attack others, destroy their property, and terrorize our own communities."

"The Democrat Party does not want Black people to leave the mental plantation," Jones said. "We've been forced to be there for decades and generations."

His message to Biden: "We are free people with free minds.!"

Mark and Patty McCloskey -- the St Louis, Missouri couple who brandished guns At trespassing Black Lives Matter Rioters -- also spoke at the convention.

"America is such a great country that you not only have the right to own a gun and use it to defend yourself, but thousands of Americans will offer you free advice on how to use it," Patty said. "At least that’s what we experienced."

"Not a single person in the out-of-control mob you saw at our house was charged with a crime. But you know who was? We were," Mark McCloskey said. "They’ve actually charged us with felonies for daring to defend our home.

"At this moment in history, if you stand up for yourself and for the values our country was founded on, the mob--spurred on by their allies in the media--will try to destroy you."

The National Chair of Trump Victory Finance Committee, Kimberly Guilfoyle in her remarks warned voters about socialism. "The same socialist policies which destroyed places like Cuba and Venezuela must not take root in our cities and our schools," she said.

Guilfoyle -- who is also the girlfriend of the president's son Donald Trump Jr. -- pointed out the dilapidated state of California saying that Democrats "turned it into a land of discarded heroin needles in parks, riots in streets and blackouts in homes."

Trump appeared a second time in a segment alongside six former hostages. He says more than 50 hostages have been released under his administration.

Pastor Andrew Brunson, who was in Turkey for 28 years, says the administration took "unprecedented steps" and "really fought for me."

Sam Goodwin, who was held in Syria, thanks Trump and now National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien for his work in securing his release.

Another widely praised speaker of the night was Maximo Alvarez, a Cuban immigrant who emotionally warned of the dangers of those who seek power.

"I heard the promises of Fidel Castro," Maximo said. "And I can never forget all those who grew up around me, who looked like me, who could have been me, who suffered and starved and died because they believed those empty promises.

"Those false promises -- spread the wealth, free education, free healthcare, defund the police, trust a socialist state more than your family and community -- don’t sound radical to my ears. They sound familiar."

The president’s oldest son, Trump Jr. in his remarks, praised his father as “the man who represents a bright and beautiful future for all” and tore into Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden as the “Loch Ness Monster of the Swamp” during the opening night of the Republican National Convention.

Trump Jr. charged that "the other party is attacking the very principles on which our nation was founded.”

“Joe Biden and the radical left are also now coming for our freedom of speech and want to bully us into submission. If they get their way, it will no longer be the ‘silent majority, it will be the ‘silenced majority,’” he warned.

In an inspiring closing speech, U.S. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina paid tribute to the "goodness" of America, and cited his own background and journey from poverty to Congress.

"I failed my freshman year of high school – four subjects…Spanish, English, world geography, and civics," Scott said. Making a jab at his senate colleagues expense, he added, "Trust me, after spending 7 years in the Senate, I know I’m not the only one in Congress who failed civics."

The night's production was filmed at the central convention location in Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C.

Speakers on Tuesday include the First Lady Melania Trump.

The President will  accept the nomination and give his speech from the South Lawn of the White House on Thursday.