First lady makes case for husband
Slovenia native given starring role of night
WASHINGTON — First lady Melania Trump cast her husband as the best hope for America and Americans in a Rose Garden address Tuesday on the second night of the Republican National Convention.
Mrs. Trump and two of President Donald Trump’s five children led a diverse collection of supporters calling for Trump’s re-election on a night that featured a distinctly positive tone.
Striking key notes on family, drug addiction and relentless attacks on the Trump administration, Mrs. Trump said, “Donald Trump has not and will not lose focus” on the American people.
“In my husband, you have a president who will not stop fighting for you and your families,” she said. “I see how hard he works each day and night. And despite the unprecedented attacks from the media, you cannot stop him. If you tell him it cannot be done, he just works harder.”
She highlighted his drive and achievements out of a love for his country, of which she is an immigrant citizen.
“From the day that I met him, he has only wanted to make this country the best it can be,” she said. “For many years, I watched him grow concerned and frustrated, and I’m so proud to see the many things that he’s done in such a short time.
“America is in his heart. So while at times we only see the worst of people and politics on the evening news, let’s remember how we come together in the most difficult times. While the debate rages on about issues of race, let’s focus on the strides that we have made and work together for a better tomorrow for everyone.”
In addition to making impassioned pleas to address the drug
addiction epidemic and the global coronavirus pandemic, the first lady called for peace and respect for all races and creeds.
“I’d like to call on the citizens of this country to take a moment, pause and look at things from all perspectives,” she said. “I urge people to come together in a civil manner so we can work and live up to our standard American ideals. I also ask people to stop the violence and looting being done in the name of justice. Never make assumptions based on the color of a person’s skin.”
Tuesday’s 2½-hour lineup also featured a Maine lobsterman, a Wisconsin farmer and a Native American leader.
Social conservatives were represented by an anti-abortion activist and Billy Graham’s granddaughter.
The convention also featured a Kentucky high school student whose interaction last year with Native Americans became a flashpoint in the nation’s culture wars.
Convention organizers had promised an uplifting and hopeful message the night before as the convention began.
On Tuesday night, there were more fierce attacks on Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden throughout, although the lineup generally maintained a positive
tone.
There were also barrier-breakers featured, such as Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, the first African American to hold statewide office in Kentucky, and Florida Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez, the first Latina to hold that office in her state.
And the convention lineup featured a Democrat for the second night. Robert Vlaisavljevich, the mayor of Eveleth, Minnesota, praised Trump’s support for his state’s mining industry in particular.
“President Trump is fighting for all of us. He delivered the best economy in our history, and he will do it again,” Vlaisavljevich said.
Mrs. Trump was the intended star of the night. Out of the public view for much of the year, Mrs. Trump was stepping into the spotlight to argue for a second term for her husband.
Only the second foreign-born first lady in U.S. history, Mrs. Trump, 50, is a native of Slovenia, a former communist country in eastern Europe.
She became Trump’s third wife in 2005 and gave birth to their now 14-year-old son, Barron, in 2006, the year she became a naturalized U.S. citizen.
The first lady spoke from the renovated Rose Garden. She addressed an in-person group of around 50 people, including her husband.