RECAP: Donald Trump speaks at Republican National Convention as calls mount for Joe Biden to pull out
To say there’s a lot going on in US politics right now would be a huge understatement.
Former President Donald Trump has spoken at the Republican National Conference in a speech that was exactly what Trump supporters would have been hoping to hear.
His speech, on night four of the RNC in Milwaukee, followed a shocking assassination attempt on Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
The shooting, which killed one audience member and resulted in the death of the perpetrator, Thomas Matthew Crooks, turned the election campaign on its head.
Joe Biden had been facing increasing pressure to step down as the Democratic candidate following a miserable performance in the first presidential debate.
Those calls have continued to intensify in recent days, with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi coming out this morning (Australian time) to say that she expects Biden can be persuaded to step down fairly soon.
Recap the highlights — and lowlights — from the RNC below.
Key Events
Trump round on transgender athletes
“We will not have men playing in women’s sports, that will end immediately,” he says.
Trump pledges US to return to space race
He says they’re going to “unleash the power of American innovation”.
He also says this will help get them closer to curing cancer and Alzheimer’s.
Trump: The world was more peaceful when I was in power
Trump is now referring to comments made by Hungarian President Viktor Orban where he said the world needed Trump to be back in power now.
“Russia was afraid of him, China was afraid of him,” he says.
He says “under Trump, Russia took nothing”.
He jokes about Kim Jong Un “missing” him and says he’s unashamed for being friends with someone who has “a lot of nuclear weapons”.
Trump: I will keep our streets safe
Trump is now relaying the story of a series of people murdered and raped by “illegal immigrants”.
“Tonight America, this is my vow, I will not let these killers into our country,” he says.
“I will keep our sons and daughters safe. As we bring security to our streets we will help bring stability to our world.”
Trump: We will bring crime rates down
Trump has referenced Venezuela which he says has brought down crime by 72 per cent.
He jokingly says the Republican party could hold their next convention there because it will be safer than the US if the Democrats win.
He then tied the two policy pillars together, saying Venezuelan crime is down because the criminals are coming into the US.
Trump: ‘We stopped the invasion’
“Look at what happened after we left (office).
“They (immigrants) took over our country.
“The current administration terminated every single one of those policies the Trump administration put in place.”
He says it’s “so unfair” on the people who legally try to migrate to the US that people are allowed to illegally enter the country.
Trump: Our borders will be shut on day one
“We want people to come into our country, but they have to come into our country legally,” he says.
“Less than four years ago I handed this country the strongest border in our history.”
That top quote sounds strikingly similar to former Australian PM John Howard’s famous speech that ‘we will decide who comes into this country and the circumstances in which they arrive”.
Trump: Tax cuts for everyone and ‘no tax on tips’
“At the centre of our plan for economic relief are massive plans for tax cuts for workers,” he says.
He also says they are going to put a “no tax on tips” policy in place.
He relays a story about how he was served by a waitress recently in Nevada who says taxation on tips was one of the hardest aspects of her jobs.
“They make money, let them keep their money.”
Trump also pledged to “protect social security and medicare”.
“Under my plan incomes will skyrocket, inflation will vanish completely, jobs will come roaring back and the middle class will prosper like never before. And we’re going to do it very very rapidly.”
But Trump says no hope for America can ever succeed unless they stop the illegal invasion at their southern border, the likes of which no country has seen before, he claims.
Trump mentions ‘the China virus’
Yep, he went there.
Trump picks up the climate battle
Trump pledged to stop spending money on “meaningless green new scam ideas”.
“I will end the electric vehicle mandate on day one, thereby saving the US auto industry from complete obliteration which is happening right now,” he says.
“We’re going to bring back car manufacturing and we’re going to bring it back fast.
“Some of the largest auto plants in the world... will be built in the United States and we’re going to man those plants.”
He says if China doesn’t like it they’ll whack a massive tariff on Chinese cars.
He says other countries have “taken advantage of us for years”.
“For four years I stopped it and we’re really ready to make changes like nobody has seen before.”
