MILWAUKEE — Former U.N. ambassador and South Carolina governor Nikki Haley spoke at the Republican National Convention to show the nation what unity looks like.
Now it’s Donald Trump’s turn, as he formally accepts his party’s nomination on Thursday night, the final day of the convention. Will he be the same bitter combatant we’ve seen so many times over the past eight years, or will he tone down his rhetoric?
Haley was Trump’s toughest primary opponent and was the target of much harsh criticism from the former president during his campaign, including some criticism she herself made.
She was not initially invited to attend the convention, but it was announced on Sunday that she would speak on Tuesday night. The announcement came one day after Trump survived an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania.
“My fellow Republicans, former President Trump has asked me to address this convention in the name of unity,” Haley told the crowd inside the convention hall on Tuesday night. “It was a generous invitation and I gladly accepted. Let me start by making one thing clear: I am a strong supporter of Donald Trump.”
RNC Analysis:What happened on Day 3? Read the article by a USA TODAY opinion columnist.
Nikki Haley showed class in her speech at the Republican National Convention
Given what she went through in the primary, it was a classy move for Haley to make: She chose to put country above her own pride.
“You don’t have to agree with him 100% of the time to vote for Trump,” she said. “I haven’t always agreed with President Trump, but we agree on more than we disagree on. … I’m here tonight because we have to save our country, and saving our country requires Republican unity.”
Trump gave Haley a standing ovation — hopefully he was taking notes.
America needs to hear a different Trump at the Republican National Convention
The Republican Party and the country need to hear a message of unity from Trump. Unity doesn’t mean bland policies that all parties agree on. It can mean having strong beliefs and advocating for them in a civil manner.
Trump has rarely done that in the past, but this is his chance to set a different tone.
Fox News’ Dana Perino saysTrump has ‘moral high ground’: ‘He can keep it if he wants’
The Washington Examiner reports that Trump said he rewrote his acceptance speech to convey a more unifying message — which is exactly what he should do.
While Trump won the Republican primary handily, Haley won more than four million votes, many of them in battleground states.
The fact that Haley spoke out in support of Trump says a lot, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. She didn’t come off as sleazy and only said what was necessary: she believes another term for President Joe Biden would make things worse for the country, and that’s what she cares about.
Trump now needs to send a message that will appeal to Haley’s supporters and others.
I’ve spoken to several people who know Trump or have worked closely with him, and they all say he seems deeply affected by his near-death experience, and he needs to show the public Thursday night how it affected him.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Party is collapsing
The Republican National Convention comes at a time when Biden and the Democratic Party are in a state of disarray, and in recent media appearances and interviews, Biden has been incoherent and nonsensical in many ways.
The White House announced Wednesday that Biden has COVID-19, but that doesn’t explain his alarmist behavior over the past few months.
A growing number of prominent Democrats are admitting, rightly so, that they are deeply worried about Biden’s chances of winning the November election if he continues to run, including California Sen. Adam Schiff, who is running for the Senate.
Who would have expected Republicans to come out of their convention more united than Democrats with a sitting president?
What do conservatives want to hear from Trump?
I’ve spoken to many delegates and others at the convention over the past few days, and while Trump has a lot of support, some are eager to hear the tone and substance of his message on Thursday.
Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, a Republican candidate for governor, told me, “I know there are a lot of questions people want to ask the president, but we all fully support President Trump.”
“I don’t think there’s anything more important that he says than for him to stand up and say, ‘I’m here for you guys,'” Ashcroft said. “‘I’m not backing down. I’ve taken a bullet for you guys. It didn’t stop me.'”
Some people want to know what policies Trump will advocate.
“Younger voters have experienced the devastating consequences of government overreach,” said Hannah Ruth Earle, executive director of America’s Future, a network of young free-market professionals. “They value a restrictive regulatory framework that strengthens both American innovation and their own ability to build wealth. They recognize that safe communities are necessary for local economies to thrive.”
“I also hope that President Trump will protect our culture of free speech,” she said, “and I would be thrilled if he discussed the critical need for education reform and school choice.”
Delegates also question whether Trump’s experience with death will change him, while some hope he will follow through on his promise to deliver a unifying message: Politics is by definition divisive, but it doesn’t have to be uncivil.
“Republicans want to hear a unified message from[Trump]about the things that matter most to the lives of ordinary Americans: more money in their pockets and lower prices, safe streets and borders, and strong, decisive leadership to protect the free world from bad actors,” Michigan Representative Joseph Serra, who served as U.S. ambassador to Fiji and other South Pacific island nations under the Trump administration, told me.
“I expect his speech will be different and better than any speech President Trump has ever given,” Cella said. “It will be thought-provoking, poignant and inspiring for all Americans.”
Inspirational or confrontational? Old Trump or new Trump?
Ingrid Jacques is a columnist for USA TODAY. Contact her at ijacques@usatoday.com or X (old Twitter): @Ingrid_Jacques
