By Nathan Layne, James Oliphant and Gram Slattery
MILWAUKEE (Reuters) – Donald Trump’s vice presidential running mate, U.S. Senator J.D. Vance, addresses the Republican National Convention on Wednesday in a speech that could illustrate how Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement may dominate the party for years to come.
Trump’s Democratic opponent in the Nov. 5 election, President Joe Biden, tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing mild symptoms, the White House said on Wednesday. Biden, 81, who was on a campaign visit to Las Vegas, is returning to Delaware and will work from home while isolating.
The illness was the latest twist in a campaign that was dramatically altered four days ago when Trump narrowly survived an attempt on his life at a political rally in Pennsylvania.
Vance was due to take center stage at the Milwaukee convention where Republicans have sought to display party unity to contrast with the Democratic infighting. His speech will likely be the four-day event’s most-watched moment before Trump, 78, speaks on Thursday night.
Elected to the U.S. Senate less than two years ago, the 39-year-old Ohio lawmaker has sought to build Trump’s populist instincts into a coherent policy agenda that envisions the U.S. playing a less dominant role in global affairs.
Vance has opposed military aid for Ukraine and defended Trump’s attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Biden. At half Trump’s age, Vance potentially has decades ahead of him to influence the Republican Party.
He has argued that the government needs to do more to assist the working class by restricting imports, raising the minimum wage and cracking down on corporate largesse. Those positions conflict with the Republican Party’s traditional pro-business stance, but track Trump’s agenda closely.
Trump, his right ear still bandaged after it was grazed by a bullet in Saturday’s attack, walked into the convention to roars for the third straight night, with James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World” playing throughout the arena. He shook hands with Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Florida Senator Marco Rubio in the VIP box and pumped his fist in the air, mouthing “thank you” to the crowd.
The evening featured a hard-hitting, emotional video in which families of soldiers killed during the 2021 U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan blaming Biden for their deaths. The relatives then took the stage and voiced their anger, with some delegates wiping away tears.
Several speakers also leveled aggressive and sometimes baseless attacks against the Biden administration. The heated tone contradicted the message of national unity Trump had promised to deliver after the attempt on his life at a Pennsylvania rally on Saturday.
Former Trump White House official Peter Navarro, who was released from prison earlier in the day after serving four months for contempt of Congress, received a huge ovation as he took the stage on Wednesday.
Navarro, who was convicted for refusing to comply with a subpoena from the committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the U.S. Capitol, said he, like Trump, was a victim of Biden’s “Department of Injustice.”
Trump has frequently claimed, without evidence, that his four indictments since leaving office were part of a Democratic conspiracy to prevent his election.
IMMIGRATION A FOCUS AGAIN
Others focused on Biden’s border policies, a favorite target for Trump and his allies.
Tom Homan, who served as acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement under Trump, said Biden was the first president in history to “unsecure” the border.
“This isn’t a choice,” he said. “It’s national suicide.”
As he spoke, delegates waved signs that read, “Mass Deportation Now!”
While border crossings reached record highs during Biden’s tenure, arrests dropped sharply in June after the president implemented a broad asylum ban.
Trump has pledged to launch the largest deportation effort of illegal immigrants in U.S. history.
For Biden, his diagnosis is especially ill-timed. The president has sought in campaign appearances to counterbalance a halting June 27 debate performance against Trump.
Even before the COVID announcement, a 20th congressional Democrat, U.S. Representative Adam Schiff, urged Biden on Wednesday to step aside, telling the Los Angeles Times he had concerns about whether Biden could defeat Trump.
The Democratic leaders in the Senate and House, Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, have also privately told Biden privately he should end his campaign, ABC News reported on Wednesday. Schumer’s office called the report “idle speculation.”
Authorities have yet to establish a motive for the attempt on Trump’s life, which has raised questions about security failures. U.S. Secret Service agents killed the gunman at the scene.
Concerns about a second Trump administration sent stocks tumbling on Wednesday, with chipmakers especially hard hit after Trump told Bloomberg Businessweek in an interview that Taiwan should have to pay for its own defense.
(Writing by Joseph Ax and Andy Sullivan; Editing by Scott Malone, Alistair Bell and Howard Goller)
Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibilty for its content.