Rep. Jordan defends Trump in convention speech
Congressman Jim Jordan of Ohio, one of the president’s most vocal supporters, defended Donald Trump’s record Monday night to the Republican National Convention while denouncing Democrats.
“Look at what’s happening in America’s cities — all run by Democrats. Crime, violence, mob rule. Democrats refuse to denounce the mob,” Jordan said. “And their response to the chaos? Defund the police, defund border patrol, defund the military.” Monday marked the start of the quadrennial confab, which will culminate Thursday with the president’s speech and acceptance of his party’s nomination.
Jordan, a former NCAA wrestling champion from Champaign County, has gained a national following during Trump’s almost four years in office by doggedly defending the president. The Urbana Republican was one of eight GOP lawmakers asked to serve on Trump’s impeachment defense team.
Recently, Jordan backed the president’s call for a boycott of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., the Akron-based tire maker that employs thousands of Ohioans. Trump was upset when a plant in Kansas banned political clothing such as the president’s red caps while allowing shirts showing support for Black Lives Matter.
“This election is about who can preserve the values, principles and institutions that make America great,” Jordan told viewers.
Jordan, who represents Ohio’s 4th Congressional District, also took a moment share a personal story about the president.
“I love the president’s intensity and his willingness to fight,” Jordan said. “But what I also appreciate is something most Americans never see — how much he truly cares about people.”
He told viewers about the death of his nephew and how Trump had called to check in on Jordan. He said the president agreed to speak to the bereaved father and “took time to talk to a dad who was hurting.”
“That’s the president I know,” Jordan said.
The congressman isn’t the only Ohioan slated to speak at the convention. Ja’ron Smith, a Cleveland native and Trump’s director of urban affairs and revitalization,
Thursday.
And state Rep. Niraj Antani, R-miamisburg, appeared in a 30-second spot during the pre-show.
Antani, 29, touted himself as the “youngest Indian American elected official in the county” and one of the youngest Republicans in the Ohio Statehouse.
“Students and millennials want to graduate into an economy where they can work in their field and achieve their American dream. The Obama-biden economy will take us back,” Antani said. “That’s why we need President Trump for a second term.” astaver@dispatch.com @annastaver is scheduled for