Vanquished GOP rivals make case for Trump in a bid for party unity

MILWAUKEE — Former President Donald Trump welcomed vanquished rivals at his Republican National Convention here Tuesday, keeping watch as, one by one, they stuck to a carefully stage-managed script of party unity.

There was Nikki Haley, who took more than two months to endorse him after she ended her White House bid, speaking to “those who have some doubts” about Trump. There was Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Trump ally-turned-challenger, unleashing a robust attack on President Joe Biden.

And there was Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who eight years ago in Cleveland urged conventiongoers to “vote your conscience,” thanking “God Almighty" for “turning [Trump’s] head on Saturday as the shot was fired” in an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania.

A torrent of boos chased Cruz from the stage in 2016, but there were nothing but cheers for him Tuesday night. DeSantis, too, received thunderous applause. 

Only Haley, whose holdout against Trump was freshest in delegates’ memories, heard a smattering of jeers. But she quickly won over the crowd.“I’ll start by making one thing perfectly clear,” said Haley, Trump’s United Nations ambassador and the former governor of South Carolina. “Donald Trump has my strong endorsement, period.” 

Trump — who changed his schedule to arrive in time to see the procession of past opponents speak, according to a source familiar with his plans — observed from his private box. His newly minted running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, sat alongside him.

Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, who was a runner-up for the No. 2 spot on the ticket this year after having been one of Trump's fiercest rivals and critics in 2016, delivered the night’s keynote address. He centered his remarks on Corey Comperatore, the former fire chief killed at Trump’s rally Saturday, hailing him as a hero for shielding his wife and daughter from the gunshots. Rubio’s speech was among several that referred to the shooting, even as convention planners have done little else to alter the week’s overall themes in the aftermath.

“These are the Americans who wear the red hats and wait for hours under a blazing sun to hear Trump speak,” Rubio said, drawing a line from Comperatore and his family to Trump’s legion of MAGA fans. “And what they want, what they ask for, it is not hateful or extreme. What they want is good jobs and lower prices. They want borders that are secure. … They want for our leaders to care more about our problems here at home than about countries far away.”

DeSantis and Ben Carson, Trump's former housing secretary, both cast the assassination attempt as the latest in an escalating string of attacks on him.“Donald Trump has been demonized,” DeSantis said. “He’s been sued, he’s been prosecuted, and he nearly lost his life. We cannot let him down, and we cannot let America down.” 

Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., had predicted both Haley and DeSantis would get good receptions.

DeSantis “stepped out over his skis” in running for president, “but he’s a great governor,” Meuser said. “Nikki Haley is an incredibly effective woman, and we need her on board. So she needs to be respected.”

The continued push to show a GOP in perfect harmony, days after Trump survived Saturday’s attack, comes as Biden struggles to ease Democratic Party concerns about his poor debate performance last month. There also remained an effort to keep overheated rhetoric to a minimum. 

Even so, on a night when the theme was “Make America Safe Once Again,” several speakers, as well as a video played for delegates, blamed Biden for the deaths of Americans allegedly killed by undocumented immigrants or baselessly accused him of supporting voting by noncitizens. Those in the audience responded with chants like “build the wall” and “send them back.”

“Democrats decided they wanted votes from illegals more than they wanted safety for our children,” Cruz said in his address.

Delegates also saw a video in which Trump warned about the threat of Democratic “cheating” in the election this fall.

Meuser, who was at Trump’s rally Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania, said he feels there has been broad understanding that convention speakers should take a milder tack.

“It starts with Trump,” Meuser said. “Hopefully JD picks that up. And others. Trump said he didn’t want people to change their speeches, but I think they will.”

Vance walked into the convention hall roughly halfway through the evening’s program, making his way to his seat as the house band played “Hang On Sloopy,” Ohio’s official rock song. Trump entered shortly after 8 p.m. CT to the Village People’s “YMCA” — a staple at his campaign rallies. Both men received raucous cheers as they arrived. Trump again appeared with a large bandage over his injured right ear. At least one man on the convention floor sought to match him, wearing a similar bandage over his ear. 

Building a larger Republican tent was another recurring theme. Along with Haley’s outreach to Trump skeptics, multiple former Democrats spoke in support of Trump, including Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., and Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson. 

Madeline Brame, part of the convention’s “Everyday Americans” series, took aim at Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for not seeking murder charges against two of the four people involved in the killing of her son. She got one of the night’s most enthusiastic receptions after she called on people of color to abandon the Democratic Party.

“The Democratic Party that poor minorities have been loyal to for decades, including myself, all right, they betrayed us,” Brame said. “They stabbed us in the back. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, who claim to represent us, have abandoned us. They neglected the poor minority communities across America, but my eyes have been opened.”

Another past Trump rival, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, tailored parts of his speech to younger voters.“Our message to Gen Z is this: You’re going to be the generation that actually saves this country,” Ramaswamy, 38, said. “You want to be a rebel, you want to be a hippie, you want to stick it to the man? Show up on your college campus and try calling yourself a conservative. Say you want to get married, have kids. Teach them to believe in God.”

A series of GOP Senate candidates spoke earlier in the night, all of them getting a few minutes to introduce themselves and take shots at Democratic rivals. 

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, who is running for an open seat in his state, delighted the crowd by taking the stage with Babydog, his English bulldog. Dave McCormick, the party’s Senate hopeful in Pennsylvania, hit a more somber note by briefly addressing the assassination attempt he saw from steps away Saturday.

“I want to first acknowledge what transpired just a few days ago in my home state, where I witnessed firsthand from a front-row seat in Butler remarkable strength and resolve,” McCormick said. “In a terrifying and unpredictable moment, the president rose brilliantly to the challenge. But what a sad and frightening day for the families of those who were injured or lost and for our great country. And we all thank God that President Trump is OK.”

Others took shots at Biden, Harris and the media.

“I have never seen anything like the Biden-Harris open border policy,” said former Rep. Mike Rogers, who is seeking an open Senate seat in Michigan. “They are rolling out the red carpet for violent gangs, fentanyl, Chinese spies, individuals on the terrorist watch list. And listen, our adversaries aren’t stupid. They know that all they need to do is wait until nap time at the White House to push the limit.”

Tim Sheehy, the Republican running against Democratic Sen. Jon Tester in Montana, one of the year’s top Senate battlegrounds, dabbled in the culture wars.

“My name is Tim Sheehy,” he opened. “Those are also my pronouns.”