RNC 2024 live: Trump set to give first speech since rally shooting as he closes out Republican convention (2024)

Donald Trump will deliver the closing address of this year’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Thursday evening, having promised his remarks will be more moderate in tone after he called for cooler rhetoric in the wake of his surviving an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania on Saturday night.

Trump’s new running mate JD Vance closed out the third night of the RNC in Wisconsin on Wednesday with his first speech as the GOP’s vice presidential nominee.

Vance laid into President Joe Biden by declaring: “For half a century, he’s been a champion of every single policy initiative to make America weaker and poorer.”

Also addressing the convention on Wednesday was Donald Trump Jr and his daughter Kai Trump – the former president’s eldest grandchild, 17 – who received a warm welcome on stage at the Fiserv Forum and praised her grandfather as a “normal” senior who gives her “candy and soda when her parents aren’t looking”.

The program also included Peter Navarro – fresh out of prison that morning – plus Nancy Mace, Matt Gaetz, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Kellyanne Conway and hard-line Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

Key Points

• JD Vance closes out third night of RNC with brutal attacks on Biden

• Vance: ‘I will be a vice president who never forgets where he came from’

• Kai Trump, 17, tells RNC what her ‘grandpa is actually like'

• Navarro says Republicans needs to control all three branches of government

Watch: Highlights from Day Three of the Republican National Convention

13:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Here’s your daily dose of nonsense from the RNC, featuring such greats as Nancy Mace, Matt Gaetz, Kellyanne Conway and a nice bunch of folks brandishing “mass deportation” signs.

Kimberly Guilfoyle returns to RNC to praise Trump and America’s future

12:30 , Joe Sommerlad

The former Fox News personality and fianceé of Donald Trump Jr took to the stage on Wednesday night and delivered another round of exuberant, high-decibel praise for the former president, prompting social media users to note that she was “yelling again” and as “unhinged” as ever.

People were quick to reminisce about Guilfoyle’s speech at the lockdown-restricted 2020 RNC, which concluded with a defiant shout of “the best is yet to come” to an empty theater.

Though she did not use the now-infamous line again yesterday – her soon-to-be husband did.

Her claim below is just simply not true, by the way, and an argument dependent on Republicans gaslighting the American electorate into forgetting the pandemic ever happened.

Here’s more from Mike Bedigan.

Kimberly Guilfoyle returns to RNC with yelling voice to praise Donald Trump

Peter Navarro speaks to RNC hours after leaving federal prison

12:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Trump’s former trade adviser, who was jailed for refusing to comply with a subpoena to testify before the House committee investigating January 6, received a huge response from the crowd.

“If we don’t control all three branches of our government... their government will put some of us like me and Steve Bannon in prison and control the rest of us,” Navarro said, continuing his old boss’s “weaponisation of the justice system” narrative before issuing a baseless, racist, scaremongering attack on immigrants.

Here’s Alex Woodward and Andrew Feinberg.

Ex-Trump aide Peter Navarro gets ovation at RNC hours after leaving federal prison

Who is Kai Trump? Daughter of Don Jr addresses the RNC

11:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Never heard of this Trump before?

Here’s Graig Graziosi with some background.

Who is Kai Trump? Daughter of Don Jr will address the RNC

Kai Trump joins political fray with RNC speech praising ‘normal grandpa’ Donald

11:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Also addressing the convention on Wednesday was Donald Trump Jr and his daughter Kai Trump – the former president’s eldest grandchild, 17 – who received a warm welcome on stage at the Fiserv Forum and praised her grandfather as a “normal” senior who gives her “candy and soda when her parents aren’t looking”.

Here’s Eric Garcia on her speech.

Kai Trump joins political fray with RNC speech praising grandpa Donald

Read Vance’s first speech as Trump’s VP in full

10:30 , Joe Sommerlad

You can read the Ohio Senator’s address in full below.

In full: Read JD Vance’s first speech as Trump’s VP at RNC

JD Vance leads attack on Biden as he takes RNC stage to promote Trump

10:10 , Joe Sommerlad

Good morning!

If you’re just joining us, Donald Trump’s new running mate JD Vance closed out the third night of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Wednesday with his first speech as the GOP’s vice presidential nominee.

Vance laid into President Joe Biden by declaring: “For half a century, he’s been a champion of every single policy initiative to make America weaker and poorer.”

Trump himself will deliver the closing address of this year’s RNC on Thursday evening, promising his remarks will be more moderate in tone after he called for cooler rhetoric in the wake of his surviving an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania on Saturday night.

Here’s our report from Mike Bedigan and John Bowden.

JD Vance leads attack on Biden as he takes RNC stage to promote Trump

ICYMI: JD Vance’s mother attends RNC

09:00 , Katie Hawkinson

Senator JD Vance’s mother attended the Republican National Convention to watch her son speak this evening.

“Our movement is about single moms like mine who struggled with money and addiction but never gave up,” Vance said. “And I’m proud to say that tonight, my mom is here, ten years clean and sober. I love you, Mom.”

Bev Vance stood from her seat next to Speaker Mike Johnson as the audience applauded and chanted, “JD’s Mom!”

“Mom, I was thinking, it’ll be 10 years officially, in January,” Vance continued. “If President Trump is okay with it, let’s have the celebration in the White House.”

In video: Donald Trump’s granddaughter makes public speech for first time as she praises ‘normal grandpa’

08:10 , Joe Sommerlad

Donald Trump’s granddaughter makes public speech for first time

Counselor said there were no reports of school bullying for Trump shooter but ‘something evil happened’ that led to shooting

08:00 , Mike Bedigan

Donald Trump rally shooter Thomas Crooks’ former school guidance counselor has said there was no official record that he was bullied, and that “something evil happened” which caused him to snap and decide to shoot the former president.

Jim Knapp, who retired from Bethel Park in 2022, said the school took a “proactive approach” towards bullying and mental health.

Crooks opened fire at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in an attempt to kill the former president. His bullets clipped Trump but killed another man, Corey Comperatore, who was protecting his family from the attack.

Read more:

Trump rally shooter school counselor says there was no record he was bullied

Trump, in Republican convention video, alludes to false claim 2020 election was stolen

07:54 , Namita Singh

In a prerecorded video at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday, former president Donald Trump referenced baseless claims he made repeatedly after he lost the 2020 presidential race — that the election was “rigged” and that Democrats cheated to put president Joe Biden in the White House.

“Whether you vote early, absentee, by mail or in person, we are going to protect the vote,” he said alluding that the 2020 vote was stolen.

“That’s the most important thing we have to do is protect the vote. Keep your eyes open because these people want to cheat and they do cheat. And frankly, it’s the only thing they do well.”The election was not stolen.

Mr Biden earned 306 electoral votes to Trump’s 232, the same margin that Trump had when he beat Hillary Clinton in 2016, which he repeatedly described as a “landslide.”Mr Biden achieved victory by prevailing in key states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona and Georgia.T

rump’s allegations of massive voting fraud have been refuted by a variety of judges, state election officials and an arm of his own administration’s Homeland Security Department.

In 2020, then-Attorney General William Barr told the AP that no proof of widespread voter fraud had been uncovered. “To date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election,” he said at the time.

In video: JD Vance leads attack on Biden as he takes RNC stage to promote Trump

07:16 , Namita Singh

Republican lawmakers blame Biden for shooting at Trump rally that left former president injured

07:00 , Eric Garcia

A freshman Republican has accused President Joe Biden of ordering the shooting at a rally in Pennsylvania that left Donald Trump injured.

The former president was rushed from the stage, with blood running down his face soon after he began to speak on Saturday, as shots were fired toward the stage.

He was bundled into a waiting motorcade by his Secret Service detail.

Read more:

Republicans blame Biden for shooting at Trump rally that left ex-president injured

‘I will be a vice president who never forgets where he came from’

06:23 , Namita Singh

JD Vance introduced himself to a national audience on Wednesday after being chosen as Donald Trump’s running mate, sharing the story of his hardscrabble upbringing and making the case that his party best understands the challenges facing struggling Americans.

Speaking to a packed arena at the Republican National Convention, the Ohio senator cast himself as fighter for a forgotten working class, making a direct appeal to the Rust Belt voters who helped drive Trump’s surprise 2016 victory and voicing their anger and frustration.

“In small towns like mine in Ohio, or next door in Pennsylvania, or in Michigan, in states all across our country, jobs were sent overseas and children were sent to war,” he said.

“To the people of Middletown, Ohio, and all the forgotten communities in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Ohio, and every corner of our nation, I promise you this,” he said.

“I will be a vice president who never forgets where he came from.”

The 39-year-old Ohio senator is a relative political unknown, having served in the Senate for less than two years. He rapidly morphed in recent years from a bitter critic of the former president to an aggressive defender and is now positioned to become the future leader of the party and the torch-bearer of Trump’s “Make America Great Again” political movement.

The first millennial to join the top of a major party ticket, Mr Vance enters the race as questions about the age of the men at the top — 78-year-old Trump and 81-year-old President Joe Biden — have been high on the list of voters’ concerns. He also joins Trump after an assassination attempt against the former president — in which Trump came perhaps millimeters from death or serious injury — underscoring the importance of a potential successor.

Vance attacks Biden policies

06:20 , Namita Singh

JD Vance, who had never attended, let alone spoken at a previous Republican convention, spent much of his speech talking up Donald Trump and going after Joe Biden, using his relative youth to draw a contrast with the 81-year-old president.

He said he was in fourth grade when “a career politician by the name of Joe Biden supported NAFTA, a bad trade deal that sent countless good American manufacturing jobs to Mexico.”

“Joe Biden has been a politician in Washington as long as I’ve been alive,” he added. “For half a century, he’s been a champion of every single policy initiative to make America weaker and poorer.”

Mr Biden’s campaign responded with a blistering statement calling Vance “unprepared, unqualified, and willing to do anything Donald Trump demands.”

“Tonight, JD Vance, the poster boy for Project 2025, took center stage. But it’s working families and the middle class who will suffer if he’s allowed to stay there,” said Michael Tyler, Biden campaign communication director.

Trump aide just released from prison electrifies crowd

06:18 , Namita Singh

Convention organisers had stressed a theme of unity, even before Donald Trump survived an attempted assassination at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.

Trump’s refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election and the subsequent attack on the US Capitol, officials said, would be absent from the stage.

But that changed with former White House official Peter Navarro, who was greeted with a standing ovation hours after being released from a Miami prison where he served four months for defying a subpoena from the congressional committee investigating the 6 January 2021 attack on the US Capitol by a mob of the former president’s supporters.

“If they can come for me, if they can come for Donald Trump, be careful. They will come for you,” he said in a fiery speech, comparing his legal troubles to those faced by Trump, who earlier this year was convicted on 34 felony charges in his criminal hush money trial.

Madison Cawthorn tells The Independent about future political plans

06:00 , John Bowden

Madison Cawthorn, a former US representative from North Carolina, told The Independent about his future political plans when asked if he would run for Congress again.

“I don’t know if it’ll be Congress, but I’m running for something,” Cawthorn told The Independent. “I’m almost 30!”

The minimum age requirement for serving in the US Senate is 30, while the minimum age for the presidency is 35.

Nigel Farage calls JD Vance ‘good choice’ for VP

05:01 , Katie Hawkinson, Andrew Feinberg

Nigel Farage, a right-wing politician and the leading force behind Brexit in the UK, told The Independent he supports JD Vance as the GOP vice presidential nominee.

“I think Vance was a good choice, I think it’s very much in keeping with MAGA,” Farage told The Independent. “He’s clearly a pick with succession in mind. It’s a picture of the shape of the Republican Party’s future in mind...I think Vance has got an amazing career. I mean, what he’s done in the military, what he’s done through law, what he’s done in business, this is a very smart guy.””

Explosive confrontation between GOP senators and Secret Service chief

04:45 , John Bowden

As night three of the RNC carried on in the Fiserv Center on Wednesday, it was not all happy vibes among the assembled Republicans.In fact, one group of GOP senators tracked down the chief of the Secret Service, currently overseeing the agency’s deployments at the convention, in the Fiserv Center itself and confronted her over the security “lapses” the agency has admitted to making in the wake of the assassination attempt against Donald Trump on Saturday.

The group included Senators Marsha Blackburn, James Lankford, John Barrasso, and Kevin Cramer.

“Give us an explanation, why would anyone let the president to go onstage when you know you've got a potential threat and you've got snipers who are trained on him?!" Blackburn asks angrily in the extended video, posted on her Twitter feed.

“So, I don’t think this is the forum to have this discussion,” director Kimberly Cheatle replied. She’s agreed to testify before Congress, under threat of subpoena, within days.

Watch the full scene play out:

JD Vance closes out night 3 of RNC

04:23 , Katie Hawkinson

JD Vance closed out the third night of the Republican National Convention on Wednesday night after a line-up of major speakers, including Kai Trump and Donald Trump Jr.

“Mr. President, I will never take for granted the trust you have put in me. And what an honor it is to help achieve the extraordinary vision that you have for this country,” Vance said.

“I promise you this: I will be a vice president who never forgets where he came from,” he continued.”

JD Vance’s mother attends RNC: ‘I love you, Mom'

04:09 , Katie Hawkinson

Senator JD Vance’s mother attended the Republican National Convention to watch her son speak this evening.

“Our movement is about single moms like mine who struggled with money and addiction but never gave up,” Vance said. “And I’m proud to say that tonight, my mom is here, ten years clean and sober. I love you, Mom.”

Bev Vance stood from her seat next to Speaker Mike Johnson as the audience applauded and chanted, “JD’s Mom!”

“Mom, I was thinking, it’ll be 10 years officially, in January,” Vance continued. “If President Trump is okay with it, let’s have the celebration in the White House.”

JD Vance touches on upbringing: ‘Mamaw raised me’

04:02 , Katie Hawkinson

JD Vance touched on his working-class upbringing and his grandmother, who raised him, in his RNC speech.

“Mamaw raised me as my mother struggled with addiction,” Vance said. “Mamaw was, in so many ways, a woman of contradiction. She loved the Lord, ladies and gentlemen. She was a woman of very deep Christian faith.”

“She also loved the F-word,” he continued, the audience erupting with laughter.

“Not kidding, she could make a sailor blush.”

Vance touched on much of his upbringing in his book, Hillbilly Elegy. Sheila Flynn has more about the senator’s novel:

Hillbilly Elegy reveals JD Vance as a man of contradictions

JD Vance, once a fierce opponent of Trump, takes stage as vice presidential candidate

03:55 , Katie Hawkinson

Senator JD Vance, who previously described himself as fiercely opposed to Donald Trump, gave his first major address as the former president’s 2024 running mate at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday evening.

“Instead of a day of celebration, this could have been a day of heartache and mourning,” the Ohio senator said. “For the last eight years, President Trump has given everything he has to fight for the people of our country.”

Vance went on to make a call for unity within the Republican party.

“We have a big tent in this party, on everything from national security to economic policy,” Vance said. “My message to you, my fellow Republicans, is: We love this country and we are united to win.”

“My message to those watching from across the country is: Shouldn’t we be governed by a party that is, unafraid to debate ideas and come to the best solution? That’s the Republican Party of the next four years.”

The 39-year-old went on to officially accept the party’s vice presidential nomination.

Usha Chilukuri Vance introduces her husband at RNC

03:46 , Katie Hawkinson

Usha Chilukuri Vance, Senator JD Vance’s wife, spoke about her husband’s journey at the Republican National Convention.

“He was then, as now, the most interesting, working-class guy who had overcome childhood traumas that I could barely fathom,” Usha Chilukuri Vance told convention attendees.

“Raised by his grandma through tough times, chosen to help lead our country through some of its greatest challenges, I am grateful to all of you for the trust you’ve placed in him and in our family,” she continued.

She went on to introduce her husband for his first major public address since he was added to Donald Trump’s presidential ticket on Monday.

Donald Trump Jr praises his ‘friend’ JD Vance

03:36 , Katie Hawkinson

Donald Trump Jr praised Ohio senator and vice presidential candidate JD Vance on the Republican National Convention stage.

“No matter who you are, you can be a part of this movement,” he said. “My friend, a kid from Appalachian, a kid from Trump Tower, we grew up worlds apart, now fighting side by side to save the country we love.”

“JD Vance is going to make one h*** of a vice president,” the former president’s son continued.

‘America is Trump tough’: Don Jr takes the stage

03:33 , Katie Hawkinson

Donald Trump Jr gave an energetic speech at the Republican National Convention, following his 17-year-old daughter’s remarks on the same stage.

“My father came under literal fire as an incredible, patriotic rally turned into a tragedy on a field in Butler, Pennsylvania,” the former president’s eldest son said. “A brave firefighter died, others were injured, and as those bullets rained down, we came millimeters away from one of the darkest moments in our nation’s history.”

“I’ve always been proud of him, but I’ve never been prouder of my father than I was in that moment,” he continued. The 46-year-old also honored Corey Comperatore, the father killed at the rally as he protected his wife and daughter.

“The good news is: America is Trump-tough.”

Kai Trump, 17, tells RNC what her ‘grandpa is actually like'

03:22 , Katie Hawkinson

Kai Trump, granddaughter to the former president and daughter of Donald Trump Jr., spoke at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday night.

“I’m speaking today to share the side of my grandpa that people don’t see,” Kai Trump told the RNC after an introduction from her father. “To me, he’s just a normal grandpa. He gives us candy and soda when our parents aren’t looking.”

Her speech was met with cheers, with one audience member shouting: “Kai 2040.”

“Even when he’s going through all these court cases, he always asks me how I’m doing,” the 17-year-old continued. “He always encourages me to push myself to be the most successful person I can be.”

“Grandpa, you are such an inspiration, and I love you.”

98-year-old veteran says he’d re-enlist under Trump

03:16 , Katie Hawkinson

World War II veteran Bill Pekrul, 98, told the Republican National Convention he would re-enlist under Donald Trump.

“With President Trump back as Commander in Chief, I would go back to re-enlist today,” Pekrul told the crowd.

“I would storm whatever beach you want, my country needs me to,” he continued.

Parents of hostage in Gaza speak: ‘Bring them home'

02:54 , Katie Hawkinson

Ronen and Orna Neutra, parents of 22-year-old Omer Neutra, spoke at the Republican National Convention this evening.

On October 7, Omer Neutra was taken hostage when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel.

“For 285 long days and nights. Hamas terrorists have been holding Omer in prison in a tunnel underneath Gaza,” Orna Neutra said.

She described her son as an “extremely social” person who “cares deeply about others and helping them grow.”

“He turned 22 on October 14, 2023,” Orna Neutra said. “Instead of celebrating with us and with his friends, he spent his birthday as a hostage of Hamas terrorists.”

“We need our beautiful son back, and we need your support...to end this crisis and bring all the hostages home,” Ronen Neutra added.

The couple then led the audience in a chant: “Bring them home.”

Kimberly Guilfoyle returns to RNC - and brings back her yelling voice - to praise Trump and America’s future

02:45 , Mike Bedigan

Kimberly Guilfoyle was mocked mercilessly following her 2024 speech at the Republican National Convention, with social media users noting that she was “yelling again” during her “unhinged” address.

The former Fox News personality and fianceé of Donald Trump Jr, took to the stage on Wednesday night in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and delivered exuberant and high-decibel praise of the former president.

People were quick to reminisce about Guilfoyle’s speech at the 2020 RNC, which concluded with a defiant shout of “the best is yet to come” to an empty theater. Critics pounced on her unique delivery style once again on Wednesday.

Read more:

Kimberly Guilfoyle returns to RNC with yelling voice to praise Donald Trump

Gold Star Families take the stage at RNC

02:30 , Katie Hawkinson

Several Gold Star Families appeared on stage tonight to honor their loved ones killed in Afghanistan in 2021.

“My daughter-in-law, Sergeant Nicole Gee, a United States Marine, was killed at Abbey Gate in Afghanistan alongside 12 of her brothers- and sister-in-arms,” Christy Shamblin said on the RNC stage. “While Joe Biden has refused to recognize their sacrifice. Donald Trump spent six hours in Bedminster with us.”

“Our son, Corporal Hunter Lopez, whose name Joe Biden has refused to say out loud, was killed on August 26, 2021 he died during Joe Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan,” Alicia Lopez said, standing alongside her husband Herman Lopez.

“Hunter was 22 years old and planned to come home to California after his tour to follow in our footsteps — Herman and I work for the Rosetta County Sheriff’s Office.”

Thirteen US troops and 170 Afghans were killed in the 2021 bombing at Abbey Gate in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Several major speakers slated for next hour

02:20 , Katie Hawkinson

Several major speakers are slated to appear on the Republican National Convention stage in the coming hour.

The parents of Omar Neutra, a 22-year-old who was taken hostage by Hamas in Israel on October 7, will appear shortly. The couple have made several public appearances in the past to raise awareness for their son and other hostages in Gaza.

Not long afterward, Donald Trump’s 17-year-old granddaughter will take the stage, along with her father Donald Trump Jr.

The final speaker of the night will be JD Vance, who will give his first major public appearance since he was added to the ticket on Monday.

Donald Trump makes third appearance at RNC

02:02 , Katie Hawkinson

Donald Trump, for the third night in a row, has made an appearance mid-programming at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Trump, with his still-bandaged ear, shook hands with delegates and attendees as he walked through the cheering crowd and took his place in the family box.

Republican Senator says with Trump about the border deal he torpedoed

01:45 , Eric Garcia

The Republican Senator from Oklahoma whose immigration border deal Donald Trump torpedoed earlier this year said it will be difficult to pass under a potential Trump presidency.

Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma spoke to The Independent on Wednesday outside the Fiserv Center. Lankford had attempted to broker a bipartisan deal that would swap aid to Ukraine for restrictions to immigration. But Trump came out in opposition to the agreement.

But Lankford said it would be difficult to pass legislation under a Trump presidency because Democrats would block it using the filibuster.

"I think it'd be very difficult for Democrats to be able to vote on that during a republic time period," he told The Independent, but said on the flipside, the number of migrants crossing the US-Mexico illegally skyrocketed under the Biden administration.

Republicans roundly rejected the agreement, including all of House Republican leadership. Indeed, Senator JD Vance of Ohio opposed the agreement.

"The next piece is really changing the interpretation of asylum, that's the part that's got to be able to shift," he said. "That takes a change in law."

Lankford said that he has not spoken with Trump about the border deal.

"We've not talked about that," he told The Independent. "I said even during that time period, we would not be talking about this the same way if Trump would have been president."

At the same time, he said the bill included many provisions he wanted.

"But we still need to solve all the different aspects, especially things like asylum," he said. "That bill added more funding for border wall construction and added more funding for Border Patrol agents, more more funding for deportation flights. All those things were also built in. Those are things we're still going to have to do if we're going to actually increase enforcement."

Democrats later criticized Trump's killing of the agreement and they held a vote on the bill as a standalone without foreign aid, which Lankford and fellow negotiator, Independent Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, opposed.

Texas governor Greg Abbott repeats anti-immigration rhetoric used by many RNC speakers

01:19 , Katie Hawkinson

Texas governor Greg Abbott used an often-repeated argument against immigration on the Republican National Convention stage this evening.

“Biden has welcomed into our country rapists, murderers, even terrorists, and the price that we have paid has been deadly,” Abbott said, speaking on the US-Mexico border.

Abbott’s speech mirrored claims made by several RNC speakers this week.

“Every day Americans are dying — murdered, assaulted, raped by illegal immigrants that the Democrats have released,” Senator Ted Cruz said last night in a similar speech.

There is no evidence to support these crimes are occurring every day, the Associated Press reports. Furthermore, peer-reviewed studies demonstrate that undocumented immigrants are less likely to be arrested for violent, drug and property crimes than those born in the US.

Peter Navarro says GOP needs to control all three branches of government

Thursday 18 July 2024 00:55 , Katie Hawkinson

Peter Navarro, hours out of prison, said the Republican party must control the entire government to prevent Republicans from being charged with crimes.

“If we don’t control all three branches of our government...their government will put some of us, like me and Steve Bannon, in prison and control the rest of us,” Navarro said.

A jury criminally convicted Navarro on two counts of contempt of Congress last year after he defied subpoenas for his testimony in connection with a House committee’s investigation into the events surrounding January 6 and Trump’s attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

“If they can come for me, if they can come for Donald Trump, be careful — they will come to you,” Navarro continued. “If we don’t control our government, their government will control us.”

Navarro says he ‘went to prison so you don’t have to'

Thursday 18 July 2024 00:48 , Katie Hawkinson

Peter Navarro, released from prison hours earlier, brought his wife on stage at the Republican National Convention as he spoke about his prison sentence.

“I went to prison so you don’t have to,” Navarro said, his wife standing next to him. “This is my beautiful girl. She did the time with me — that’s what these freaking Democrats don’t understand. They do this to our family.”

He spent four months in prison after a jury criminally convicted him on two counts of contempt of Congress last year.

The conviction came after he defied subpoenas for his testimony in connection with a House committee’s investigation into the events surrounding January 6 and Trump’s attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Peter Navarro speaks hours after leaving prison

Thursday 18 July 2024 00:42 , Katie Hawkinson

Peter Navarro took the stage at the Republican National Convention less than 12 hours after finishing a four-month prison sentence in Miami, Florida.

The former Trump adviser was met with prolonged cheers and a standing ovation as he walked on stage.

“Yes indeed, this morning I did walk out of a federal prison in Miami,” Navarro said. “Joe Biden and his ‘Department of Injustice’ put me there.”

“If they can come for me, if they can come for Donald Trump, be careful — they will come to you,” he continued. “If we don’t control our government, their government will control us.”

A jury criminally convicted Navarro on two counts of contempt of Congress last year after he defied subpoenas for his testimony in connection with a House committee’s investigation into the events surrounding January 6 and Trump’s attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Matt Gaetz calls for Republicans to ‘ride or die’ with Trump

Thursday 18 July 2024 00:29 , Katie Hawkinson

Florida congressman Matt Gaetz took the stage at the Republican National Convention this evening.

“[The Democrats] can run Biden from the nursing home, Harris, George Clooney, Robert De Niro, whoever they want to run,” Gaetz said. “We are on a mission to rescue and save this country, and we ride or die with Donald John Trump to the end, thank you all so much.”

The representative has some enemies within the party. Just yesterday, former House Spekaer Kevin McCarthy vowed to stop Gaetz from running for governor in Florida while speaking at the RNC.

Gaetz led the charge that resulted in McCarthy being ousted as Speaker of the House. McCarthy then resigned from his seat in December.

Representative calls Biden out for false claim that no troops died on his watch

Thursday 18 July 2024 00:22 , Katie Hawkinson

Florida representative Brian Mast called out Joe Biden after he claimed that no American troops died on his watch during last month’s presidential debate.

“Joe Biden doesn’t even remember that it cost the lives of 13 American heroes,” Mast said, referring to those who died when Biden pulled US troops out of Afghanistan in 2021.

During the debate, Biden said he is “the only president this century that doesn’t have any, this decade, that not any troops dying anywhere in the world, like he did.”

In addition to the 13 US troops who died in Afghanistan, three American soldiers died in Jordan earlier this year.

Mast’s comments came on night three of the Republican National Convention.

Ex-Trump aide Peter Navarro set to take the stage at RNC hours leaving federal prison

Thursday 18 July 2024 00:01 , Alex Woodward

Donald Trump’s former trade adviser Peter Navarro walked out of a federal prison in Miami on Wednesday after serving a four-month sentence for contempt of Congress.

And now, he’s about to be on the stage of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

Read more:

Ex-Trump aide Peter Navarro set to speak to RNC hours after leaving federal prison

RNC night 3 begins

Wednesday 17 July 2024 23:47 , Katie Hawkinson

The third night of the Republican National Convention has kicked off in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Watch live:

Watch live: RNC day 3 as JD Vance gives first speech since VP selection

Who is Kai Trump? The next generation of MAGA and daughter of Don Jr who’s addressing the RNC

Wednesday 17 July 2024 23:30 , Graig Graziosi

Donald Trump’s eldest grandchild is set to speak at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Wednesday, marking the first time the 17-year-old will appear in a major campaign capacity for the former president.

Kai Madison Trump is the daughter of Donald Trump Jr, Trump’s eldest son, and Vanessa Trump. Trump Jr and Vanessa divorced in 2018.

Trump Jr and Kai were spotted together attending a UFC fight last month. She posed for photos with UFC boss Dana White as well as NFL player Aaron Rodgers and country music star Jelly Roll, Fox News reports.

Read more:

Who is Kai Trump? Daughter of Don Jr will address the RNC

Biden tests positive for COVID-19 on night 3 of RNC

Wednesday 17 July 2024 23:21 , Katie Hawkinson

President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 this afternoon, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

He will isolate in Delaware, where he will continue to carry out his duties.

“The President presented this afternoon with upper respiratory symptoms, to include rhinorhea (runny nose) and non-productive cough, with general mailaise,” Biden’s doctor said in a note shared by Jean-Pierre. “He felt okay for his first event of the day, but given that he was not feeling better, point of care testing for COVID-19 was conducted, and the results were positive for the COVID-19 virus.”

“Given this, the President will be self-isolating in accordance with CDC guidance for symptomatic individuals. PCR confirmation testing will be pending. His symptoms remain mild, his respiratory rate is normal at 16, his temperature is normal at 97.8 and his pulse oximetry is normal at 97%. The President has received his first dose of Paxlovid. He will be self-isolating at his home in Rehoboth.”

What to expect on RNC night 3

Wednesday 17 July 2024 23:15 , Katie Hawkinson

Night three of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin will begin within the hour.

Highlights of tonight’s programming include Kai Trump — the former president’s eldest grandchild — and Ohio senator JD Vance, who will officially accept the GOP nomination for vice president.

Other notable speakers include Donald Trump Jr., Usha Chilukuri Vance, and Representative Matt Gaetz.

Peter Navarro, Trump’s former adviser, will also speak — having been released from prison in Miami, Florida just hours ago.

Trump campaign trolls Biden campaign in crisis

Wednesday 17 July 2024 23:00 , Eric Garcia

Former president Donald Trump’s campaign scoffed at Vice President Kamala Harris’s challenge to debate newly-minuted Republican vice-presidential nominee JD Vance, alluding to questions about whether she will even be the vice presidential nominee.

Harris offered to challenge Vance to a debate, the first time the two would square off given that she debate former vice president Mike Pence in 2020, but whom Trump did not select after Pence refused to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, which led to pro-Trump mobsters threatening Pence’s life.

The challenge comes after Democrats continue to reel after president Joe Biden’s lackluster performance during his first debate against Trump in Atlanta last month. Numerous Democrats have called for Biden to step aside and Harris to replace him.

Trump’s campaign alluded to that dysfunction in a statement.

“We don’t know who the Democrat nominee for Vice President is going to be, so we can’t lock in a date before their convention. To do so would be unfair to Gavin Newsom, JB Pritzker, Gretchen Whitmer, or whoever Kamala Harris picks as her running mate,” Brian Hughes, a Trump campaign advisor, said in a statement.

ICYMI: West Virginia governor Jim Justice brings out special guest for RNC speech

Wednesday 17 July 2024 22:45 , Katie Hawkinson

Don Jr wants ‘veto power’ on transition hiring if Trump gets into White House for second term

Wednesday 17 July 2024 22:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Donald Trump Jr has said that he wants “veto power” over hiring decisions to weed out the “bad actors” if his father wins a second term in the White House, according to a report.

The former president’s eldest son made the comments during an Axios event at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday. Trump Jr said while he doesn’t want a role for himself in a possible second Trump administration, he does want the power to “block the bad actors.”

“I don’t want to pick a single person for a position of power, all I want to do is block the guys that would be a disaster,” he told the outlet.

Read on:

Don Jr wants ‘veto power’ if Trump gets into White House for second term

Watch: Joe Biden speaks at the UnidosUS Conference in Las Vegas

Wednesday 17 July 2024 22:15 , Katie Hawkinson

Watch live: Joe Biden speaks at the UnidosUS Conference in Las Vegas

Watch: Seth Meyers makes fun of Trump's pick for running mate

Wednesday 17 July 2024 22:00 , Katie Hawkinson