Trump is scheduled to appear at the Republican National Convention at approximately 8 p.m. CST.
Hugo Lowell
I’ve heard from a few people Donald Trump He is scheduled to appear at the Republican National Convention around 8 p.m. but will not be making any comment.
It will be the former president’s first public appearance since he was shot in the ear while campaigning in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
Important Events
Joan E. Grebe
Despite Republicans’ claims that Democratic policies are causing rampant crime in American cities, violent crime has actually fallen in recent months.
As The Guardian’s Oliver Millman reported last month:
Violent crime in the United States fell 15% in the first three months of the year, new statistics show, the latest evidence of a broad-based decline in crime across the country over the past year.
The decline in violent crime from January to March compared to the same period in 2023 was accompanied by significant declines in reported murders and rapes, both of which fell by more than a quarter in the first three months of 2024, according to new quarterly data released by the FBI.
Aggravated assaults fell 12.5% and robberies fell 17.8% during that period, according to data collected from more than 13,000 law enforcement agencies across the country.
Read Oliver’s full report:
Scott attacked Democrats and declared that “America is not a racist country.”
He revisited some of his offensive remarks from his time as a presidential candidate. Tim Scott He said Democrats were making life worse for African-Americans.
“America, we deserve to be treated better…much better. I was raised in poverty by a single mother, with a plastic spoon, not a silver spoon, but my mother taught me to work hard, to take responsibility, to let go of victim mentality. I thank God I had an amazing mother. I know, I know this will offend the liberal elites, they are offended every time I say it, but let me say it again: America is not a racist country,” said Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate.
“But if you look for racism today, you’ll find it in cities run by Democrats. Look at the South Side of Chicago. Poor black kids are trapped in underperforming schools and thousands are shot every year, including one of my former interns, DaQuan. But there’s good news. It’s conservative values that restore hope. It’s Republican policies that lift people’s spirits.”
Tim Scott on shooting at rally: ‘The American lion has risen up… and roared’
In describing what happened at Donald Trump’s rally on Saturday, Tim Scott used words any reader of The Chronicles of Narnia will recognize.
“If you didn’t believe in miracles before Saturday, you should believe in them now. Let us thank Almighty God that we live in a nation that still believes in the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the Alpha and Omega,” he said.
“Our God still saves, delivers and sets free, for on Saturday the devil came to Pennsylvania with a rifle but the American Lion rose up and roared!”
Tim Scott appears on stage
Republican Sen. Tim Scott, who made a fanciful bid for the presidential nomination and is now a prominent surrogate for Donald Trump, took to the stage to loud cheers.
“Wow!” Scott gushed. “Hey, Milwaukee! Are you ready for four more years of Donald Trump?”
RNC Gas Price Statistics Fact Check
Joan E. Grebe
The RNC’s gasoline price stats require a bit more context. According to data compiled by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, the average price of gasoline ranged from $1.773/L to $1.876/L. $2.962 per gallon Donald Trump’s four years in officethe presidency.
But the only time gas prices fell below $2 a gallon was during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, when demand for gasoline plummeted as Americans stayed home to curb the spread of the virus.
The average price of gasoline was $2.379 per gallon when President Trump left office in January 2021. After reaching an all-time high of $5.016 per gallon in June 2022, the average price of gasoline is now $3.521 per gallon, according to AAA.
Rep. John James of Michigan delivered one of the most energetic speeches of the night so far, focusing on attacking the Democratic Party for failing to deliver for black Americans.
“Black people were sold hope. Now our streets are overrun with crime, our children can’t read and illegal immigrants are getting better support from the Democratic Party in four days than they’ve had in 400 years,” said James, who is African-American.
“Look, our daughters were sold on hope, and now they are being forced into biological men’s playgrounds and locker rooms. America was sold on hope, and now the world is burning.”
The Trump campaign is hoping to win over black voters, who typically vote Democratic. At the end of his speech, James linked the plight of African Americans to the nation as a whole.
Look, I heard that a little earlier today: You’re not black if you don’t vote for Donald Trump. But with the grace of God and the proven leadership of Donald Trump, we can again have a country where every American, regardless of race, color or creed, has a country where a child’s fate isn’t determined by their zip code. We can again have a country where hard work can really get you ahead. We can again have a country where we can go from poverty to prosperity in a generation. And I believe that country is still America. America is the greatest idea that ever lived.
Trump is scheduled to appear at the Republican National Convention at approximately 8 p.m. CST.
Hugo Lowell
I’ve heard from a few people Donald Trump He is scheduled to appear at the Republican National Convention around 8 p.m. but will not be making any comment.
It will be the former president’s first public appearance since he was shot in the ear while campaigning in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
Next up was Mark Robinson, the Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina and Republican gubernatorial candidate.
Although he has a history of making extreme statements, including quoting Hitler, his speeches largely followed established Republican rhetoric.
“As governor, I will never forget where I come from or the struggles of the people I’ve met. And there’s another man who will fight just as hard for you as you do: President Donald J. Trump,” Robinson said.
“Under President Trump, the American Dream was alive and well. Under President Trump, there was hope. And we need that now more than ever. So this November, let’s elect the Braveheart of our time, Donald J. Trump, to get our economy back on track, restore the American Dream, and Make America Great Again.”
Fact check: Taylor Greene’s Transgender Day claim is misleading
Joan E. Grebe
Contrary to Marjorie Taylor Greene’s suggestion, Joe Biden did not coincide Transgender Day of Visibility with Easter Sunday this year.
Transgender Day of Visibility is held annually on March 31, and since taking office in 2021, Biden has issued an annual proclamation to mark the occasion.
The date of Easter changes every year, but this year it happened to fall on March 31. In addition to his proclamation on Transgender Day of Visibility, Biden, a devout Catholic, also issued a statement celebrating Easter on the same day.
As expected, Greene leaned into the conservative culture wars in her speech at the Republican National Convention.
“For too long, the powers that be in Washington have failed us. They promised unity and brought division. They promised peace and brought war. They promised normalcy and gave us Transgender Day of Visibility on Easter Sunday. And let us be clear: there are only two genders,” Greene said.
And she blamed Democrats for driving up unemployment (the labor market is Joe Biden“And the latest data shows that employment remains strong,” he said.
The Democratic economy belongs to illegal immigrants, is run by illegal immigrants, and is run for illegal immigrants.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene: ‘Thank God for putting his hands on President Trump’ at rally
Marjorie Taylor Greene, a female congresswoman from Georgia known for her far-right rhetoric, is currently on stage.
First, she Donald Trump Saturday.
“Today is a day of celebration. The American spirit is alive and well and we have once again nominated the founder of the America First movement, Donald John Trump, for president,” Greene said.
“Unfortunately, this is also a dark moment for our nation. Two days ago, evil fell on a man we deeply respect and love. Thank God his hand was turned toward President Trump.”
The first speech was given by Senator Ron Johnson, a Republican from Wisconsin who has been re-elected twice to a seat representing a battleground state.
“Today’s Democrat policies are a clear and present danger to America, our institutions, our values and our people. Democrats have forgotten American families. They have abandoned the hardworking middle class, but thanks to President Trump and the Republican Party, forgotten Americans will be forgotten no longer,” Johnson said.
“We have and will repair the damage caused by Democrats in the past. We will accomplish the mission that President Trump first expressed in 2016: Make America Great Again.”
After he finished his speech, a video montage of Trump dancing and pumping his fist at various rallies was played on a big screen to the tune of the Village People’s YMCA.
Joan E. Grebe
The economic statistics highlighted in the video played at the start of the second session of the conference were somewhat arbitrarily selected, as inflation rates have been stabilizing in recent months.
While it is true that inflation hit its highest level in 40 years in 2022, the latest government report shows that the annual rate of increase in the consumer price index has fallen from 9.1% two years ago to 3% now.
Although the convention video highlighted that 2022 would be the highest gasoline prices on record, gas prices have fallen significantly since then. The national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is now $3.521, down from $5.016 in June 2022, according to AAA.
Teamsters President Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks on the first day of the convention
Several prominent Republicans, including icons of the right. Marjorie Taylor Greene Former Presidential Candidate Tim Scottis due to speak at the party conference tonight.
Similarly Sean O’BrienHe is the president of the Teamsters, whose members have traditionally supported the Democratic Party, and his attendance at the convention has caused controversy among some in the labor union.
Below are details on who you’ll be hearing from in the next few hours.
The Republican Convention resumed, with the evening session focusing on “Making America Prosperous Again.”
The delegation has just seen the damning video. Joe BidenTrump’s economic administration ended with something like a Bat-Signal lighting up the clouds and the word “Trump.”
The second session of the Republican National Convention is scheduled to begin today.
But the program seems to be running a little behind schedule: delegates are still lining up on the arena floor, and many seats remain empty.
