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WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump, accepting the Republican nomination for a second term, said Thursday (August 27) that he alone stands as a bulwark against the forces of socialism, anarchy and extremism that his Democratic rival Joe Biden he would defend if elected in November. .
Speaking from the South Lawn of the White House despite criticism that he was using the executive residence as a political prop, Trump claimed that a Biden victory would only worsen the crises besetting the country.
“This election will decide whether we save the American dream or whether we allow a socialist agenda to bring down our dear destiny,” Trump said on the fourth and final night of the Republican National Convention.
“This election will decide whether we protect law-abiding Americans or unleash violent anarchic and criminal agitators who threaten our citizens.”
Despite the coronavirus pandemic, Trump delivered his remarks in front of more than 1,000 people, standing in front of dozens of American flags and enjoying chants of “Four more years!” and use!”
READ: A handshake and scarcity of masks in Pence’s Republican convention speech
Although he is an incumbent seeking a second four-year term, Trump remains a self-described outsider, an approach that earned him the White House, his first elected office, in 2016 with a promise to end the crime and violence that he claims he said, he was afflicting the country. .
With the country reeling from the pandemic and a wave of protests against racism, several speakers on Thursday argued that Democratic state and municipal leaders, not the Trump administration, were to blame for the racial struggle that was convulsing American cities, including Kenosha. , Wisconsin, where police this week shot and paralyzed a black man.
“It is clear that a vote for Biden and the Democrats creates the risk that you will bring this anarchy to your city, to your town, to your suburb,” said former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a close Trump confidante. . Like other Republicans, Giuliani falsely accused Biden of accepting calls to “defund the police,” a position the Democrat has rejected.
As the night progressed, Biden responded on Twitter, writing: “When Donald Trump says that tonight you will not be safe in Joe Biden’s America, look around you and ask yourself: How safe do you feel in the United States? United of Donald Trump? “
READ: Biden says COVID-19 crisis, symptoms of malaise of ‘Donald Trump’s America’
READ: Wisconsin city calm after nights of riots, more US National Guard troops on the way
The made-for-TV scene, befitting the first reality TV host to serve as president, was in stark contrast to Biden’s acceptance speech last week, which was broadcast live from a largely empty arena in a nod to the disease. .
The crowd, sitting in white chairs inches apart, showed little evidence of social distancing or face masks despite the recommendations of health experts.
The coronavirus led both political parties to cut down on their conventions and make events mostly virtual. The Trump campaign said it had taken the proper health precautions.
In a reminder of the country’s divisions, attendees were able to hear anti-Trump protesters at nearby Black Lives Matter Plaza as he spoke.
MORE THAN 180,000 DEATHS
More than 180,000 people have died in the United States from the coronavirus, more than in any other country, according to a Reuters tally, amid a new wave of protests over the latest high-profile police shooting of an African American.
In Kenosha, relative calm returned after three nights of civil unrest that ended Tuesday, which included arson, vandalism and deadly shootings.
Trump, a former New York real estate developer, is seeking to reverse a re-election campaign that has been largely overshadowed by a health crisis that has put millions of Americans out of work.
In his speech Thursday, Trump repeated his claim that China is to blame for the pandemic and vowed to rebuild what Republicans have called the “largest economy” in history.
But opinion polls have shown that most Americans are disappointed in their response to the coronavirus, which has played down for weeks.
While his approval rating among Republican voters remains high, dissent within the party is on the rise.
In three open letters published Thursday and Friday, Biden won the endorsement of more than 160 people who worked for former Republican President George W. Bush or former Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney and John McCain, the New York reported. Times and Politico.
Earlier this week, 27 former Republican lawmakers backed Biden, while the Lincoln Project, one of the most prominent Republican-backed groups opposing Trump, said a former GOP chairman had joined him as senior adviser. .
Thursday’s show aimed to counter those defections, with a video showing former Democratic voters saying they now support Trump and comments from U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, who left the Democratic Party to join Republicans after voting in against Trump’s impeachment this year.
“The radicals who run my old party tell Joe Biden what to do, the same radicals who try to install him as their puppet president,” he said.
LEE: Deaths from COVID-19 in the US exceed 180,000; Iowa and Minnesota see spikes in new cases
READ: White House must accept more help from COVID-19 for talks to resume: Pelosi
The program also included several emotional appeals, including those from the parents of Kayla Mueller, a humanitarian worker who died after being held captive for months by Islamic State militants in Syria. Mueller’s parents said they blamed the Obama administration for failing to rescue Mueller.
The Republican convention has drawn fewer television viewers than its Democratic counterpart in two of its three nights so far, including Wednesday, according to early research by Nielsen Media.
A total of 17.3 million people watched the third night of the Republican National Convention, mostly virtual, on Wednesday, according to Nielsen, less than the 22.8 million viewers on the third night of the week’s Democratic convention. pass.
Trump kicked off the week Monday by accusing Democrats of trying to steal the election by advocating for voting by mail. His previous high-profile speeches have also emphasized grim themes, including his inaugural address in January 2017 that described the “American carnage.”
