Cleveland — The third day of the 2016 Republican National Convention was meant to propel warring segments of the party closer toward party unity, but it was not meant to be. The convention opened with a speech by Florida Governor Rick Scott, in which he catered to Trump’s positions on immigration, national security, and trade. Radio personality Laura Ingraham then gave a speech which received a standing ovation. Ingraham praised Trump, bashed Clinton, and even got a dig in at the NeverTrump crowd. In a statement that would foreshadow what was to come, Ingraham told the crowd:
We should all — even you boys with wounded feelings and bruised egos — we love you, but you must honor your pledge to support Donald Trump now … tonight.”
Ingraham’s speech was such a hit that it seemed to spoil the audience for the next few speakers. The only memorable utterance in that time was when Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi turned heads by making the statement, “Terrorists deserve to die!”
Other speeches failed to ignite the crowd to the levels that Ingraham did, until Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker came out and gave a speech in which the audience interacted with him. In response to questions posed by Walker, the crowd would respond to him with, “America deserves better!” The response obviously was pre-planned and coordinated well in advance, as delegates on the floor held placards that read “America deserves better!” It is not yet clear if this is a new slogan that the Trump campaign is rolling out or if it was just something that Walker had come up with. While Walker’s speech got a great reaction from the audience, it did appear to be overly rehearsed, and the crowd appeared a little foolish continuing to repeat a prepared phrase. It was also a bit too similar to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s speech from the night before, where he had the crowd yelling “guilty” in response to his questions.
Senator Ted Cruz from Texas came out next and gave the night its most controversial moment. Cruz got a hero’s welcome upon his entrance and began giving a speech that had convention-goers eating out of the palm of his hand. Then things shifted dramatically. The speech sounded like a campaign pitch for a run in 2020, as Cruz listed all of the planks of a conservative platform for the nation but didn’t acknowledge Trump by name. Each one was enthusiastically cheered by the crowd, including the building of a wall on the U.S. and Mexico border, which is an issue that was central to Trump’s own campaign. As the speech drew to a close, a sense of anxiety started to come over some of the delegates who feared that Cruz might not endorse Trump. New York delegate John Antoniello, who hails from Staten Island where Trump received more than 80 percent of the vote in the primary, told the Huffington Post that Trump supporters started to chant “Endorse Trump” to the senator. Cruz continued on with his speech as planned and instead stated that voters should “vote their conscience,” which set off a loud chorus of boos from the delegates. Cruz continued to speak but the booing got louder to the point where it was hard to hear what Cruz was saying.
The New American later got the opportunity to speak with a man from Texas who attended the convention. The man was a Cruz supporter, but he expressed frustration with Cruz for doing what he did. The man stated that he felt Cruz should have put loyalty to the party over positioning for a 2020 run. Political pundits are left wondering what Cruz was hoping to accomplish with the “vote your conscience” line. Did Cruz think doing so would help him retain his image as a stalwart conservative among the NeverTrump people?
Questions are now running rampant, including a biggie: Are Republicans going to hold a grudge against Cruz for refusing to support the party’s nominee? Conservative activists might be more forgiving, but Republican Party loyalists might forever view Cruz in a negative light now.
Trump’s son Eric followed with a strong speech, but it was overshadowed by the controversy from moments before. Newt Gingrich then followed and tried to paper over the Cruz controversy, but the audience was not buying it. Gingrich said, “To paraphrase Ted Cruz, if you want to protect the Constitution of the United States, the only possible candidate this fall is the Trump-Pence Republican ticket.”
The night ended with a speech from vice presidential candidate Mike Pence. Pence gave a speech that showed why Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort wanted him on the ticket. Pence appeared presidential and reiterated positions that were in line with the standard Republican Party, while also emphatically endorsing Trump for president. The crowd was loud in its praise for Pence throughout, with occasional chants of “We Like Mike.” As Pence’s speech concluded, Trump came out on stage and stood with him as the audience cheered both men. The day’s convention activities closed on a high note.
The final day of the convention begins tonight at 7:30 p.m., where Trump is expected to speak to the audience.
Follow @NewAmericanMag for all the latest updates on the #GOPConvention as The New American will be live-tweeting from the convention in Cleveland all week.
