DeSantis’s speech is so far much more of an anti-Biden speech and an anti-Leftist speech than a pro-Trump speech.
DeSantis now talking about reduced spending and debt, which is very off-message for a Trump/Vance ticket.
DeSantis, as usual, is a jackhammer rather than a soft touch. He’s seamlessly intertwining here his standard primary stump speech with urging people to stand with Trump. Playing the loyal soldier, like Haley.
A year ago, you wouldn’t have predicted that the Republican Party would be totally united around Trump, and the Dems — weeks from their convention — would be at each other’s throats over another Biden nomination.
Joe Biden “lacks the capabilities to discharge the duties” of the presidency, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis says of Joe Biden’s “Weekend at Bernie’s presidency,” which I think may be the closest a convention speaker has come to saying Biden needs to resign from office.
DeSantis: “American can not afford four more years of a Weekend at Bernie’s presidency.”
The theme of tonight is intra-party reconciliation as Haley is followed immediately by DeSantis, who is more than a bit over-amped in tone compared to Haley’s dulcet smoothness.
The one thing about Donald Trump’s brand of loyalty is that it is very rooted in the present. You could be a great ally, but if you criticize him, you’ll be dead to him. On the other hand, you could attack him viciously, but if you come around and end up praising him, he will welcome you with open arms. It speaks to his Vance pick, but also to giving Haley and DeSantis this forum at the RNC to make their case for him.
“Iran was too weak to start any wars,” Haley says of Trump’s first term legacy. “They knew Trump meant business and they were afraid.” Well, sort of. The Soleimani strike in early 2020 was preceded by an Iranian drone swarm attack on a Saudi oil facility, Shiite militia attacks on U.S. positions on Iraq in which one American contractor died, and an Iran-instigated mob laying siege to the U.S. embassy in Baghdad. And Iran retaliated for that strike by attacking U.S. positions in Iraq with ballistic missiles launched from inside Iran. But Trump did wisely choose to deescalate at that juncture.
Milwaukee — Lots of cheering and standing ovations from the South Carolina delegation tonight in the convention hall during Nikki Haley’s speech. South Carolina delegates laughed when she joked at the beginning of her remarks that she hasn’t “always agreed” with Trump on the issues. Extra laughter when the camera panned to Trump’s live reaction.