On the third day of the Republican National Convention, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, Donald Trump’s vice presidential pick, was introduced to the country.
Vance is a relative newcomer to politics. His U.S. Senate seat is his first elected position, which he won in 2022. Vance is close with entrepreneur and tech investor Peter Theil, who supported Vance’s Senate campaign.
Vance spoke for nearly 40 minutes on the promises of America and his own background, growing up in poverty-stricken Appalachia, joining the Marines, graduating from college and then an Ivy League law school.
This 3 minutes and 14 seconds from @JDVance1 is everything that America First means.
America is not just an idea. It is a nation.
"People will not fight for abstractions but they will fight for their home." pic.twitter.com/BOreOAaVkz
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) July 18, 2024
Vance also introduced his mother, who is 10 years sober, to resounding applause from the crowd.
JD Vance: “I’m proud to say that tonight my mom is here. 10 years clean and sober. I love you mom.”
JD’s mom: “That’s my boy.” pic.twitter.com/rZNjWNaPVT
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) July 18, 2024
The night also featured Vance’s wife, Usha, who introduced her husband to the convention and the country. Usha grew up in San Diego as the daughter of immigrants from India. She spoke about meeting Vance at law school and the improbable odds of the two of them, with their widely different backgrounds, falling in love and marrying.
“It’s safe to say that neither JD nor I expected to find ourselves in this position, but it’s hard to imagine a more powerful example of the American dream,” Usha said.
Future Second Lady Usha Vance: "Neither J.D. nor I expected to find ourselves in this position — but it's hard to imagine a more powerful example of the American Dream."
FULL REMARKS: pic.twitter.com/JJgdJbem0H
— Team Trump (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@TeamTrump) July 18, 2024
Peter Navarro, who advised Trump on economic policy during his administration, spoke at the convention shortly after being released from prison earlier in the day. Navarro completed a four-month sentence the morning of his speech after being convicted of refusing to cooperate in a congressional investigation. Navarro received thunderous applause from the RNC crowd.
Dr. Peter Navarro Delivers Fiery Speech After Walking Out of Federal Prison
“I went to prison, so you won’t have to. I am your wake-up call.”
“Guess what? They did not break me. And they will never break Donald Trump.”
“On election day, America will hold these law-fair jackals… pic.twitter.com/530TPmtcfs
— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) July 17, 2024
One of the most emotional moments of the day came in the form of an anecdote from Rep. Mike Waltz of Florida. Waltz relayed a story of Trump agreeing to meet with the 13 gold star families of the 13 U.S. service members killed during President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. Only scheduled for an hour, the former president spent six hours with the families before inviting them for dinner at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club.
“At the start of the dinner, he promised them this: when he gets back in the White House, he will release all the tapes, all the videos, all the records, all the emails and give these families the accountability and transparency that they deserve, and that they will never get from Joe Biden,” Waltz said.
.@michaelgwaltz shares a powerful and heartwarming story about bringing Gold Star families to visit President Trump. pic.twitter.com/dBAOMK2ZTi
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) July 18, 2024
The parents of an American citizen held hostage by Hamas took the stage on the convention’s third day to blast Biden’s handling of the conflict between Israel and the terror group. The parents of Israeli-American Omer Neutra led the crowd in a chant of “Bring them home,” referring to hostages that Hamas has held for more than nine months.
"Bring them home," the RNC crowd chants during a speech by Ronen and Orna Neutra, the parents of Israeli-American Omer Neutra, who is being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/p7FHEVzzJw
— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 18, 2024
One of the night’s lighter moments came from a 98-year-old World War II veteran, Sgt. William Pekrul, who expressed regret for the impact the Biden administration has had on the United States. He joked that he would reenlist if Trump stepped back into the White House.
“With President Trump back as Commander in Chief, I would go back and re-enlist today and I would storm whatever beach my country needs me to,” the D-Day veteran said.
98-year-old D-Day veteran Sgt. William Pekrul says to Donald Trump:
"With President Trump back as Commander in Chief, I would go back and re-enlist today and I would storm whatever beach my country needs me to." pic.twitter.com/YX1PYEUusv
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) July 18, 2024
The night also featured remarks from Trump’s eldest grandchild, Kai, who delivered a speech for the first time in her life, according to her father, Donald Trump Jr., who introduced her. The 17-year-old spoke of her relationship with her grandfather and the misrepresentations of him pushed in the media.
“Grandpa, you are such an inspiration and I love you,” Kai said. “The media makes my grandpa seem like a different person, but I know him for who he is. He’s very caring and loving. He truly wants the best for this country, and he will fight every single day to make America great again.”
My daughter Kai Trump's first speech 🇺🇸🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/QeL18Gb75R
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) July 18, 2024
