Republican National Convention 2020 Recap

Republican National Convention 2020 Recap

The 2020 Republican National Convention took place on August 24, 2020, through August 27, 2020. It is important to keep in mind that almost every single one of the many speech givers benefits tremendously if Trump serves another term. Due to how many people gave speeches in support of Donald Trump, here is a condensed recap:

  • Kimberly Guilfoyle, a Latina immigrant attorney and advisor to Trump, painted a picture of immigrants solely being drug and sex traffickers. She calls California “a land of discarded heroin needles in parks, riots in streets, and blackouts in homes.” She also claims that Trump does not want to “destroy your families,” and that he is the “law and order” president.
  • The Republican Party used Alice Marier Johnson, a black woman who served as a poster child, to explain why Trump’s criminal justice system is “reforming.” She shares her personal story of how she spent over 29 years imprisoned, and Trump liberated her. 
  • Ja’Ron Smith shared his personal story, claiming that “America’s strength is in America’s people,” And that choice of school and funding for historically black schools is what Trump is working towards.
  • Daniel Cameron, the first black Attorney General of Kentucky, claimed that “Republicans will never turn a blind eye to unjust acts.” He called Biden a “backward leader.” 
  • Nikki Haley claims that Trump has “always put America first. And he has earned four more years as president.” She then bashes Biden by calling him a “godsend to everyone who wants America to apologize, abstain, and abandon our values.” She even goes as far to state that Pelosi would be Biden’s “boss.” 
  • Charley Kirk claims that Trump “is the bodyguard of western civilizations.” He is “Elected to protect the American way of life.”
  • Ben Carson claims that Democrats love to “incite division” and enjoy living in the victimhood mentality. 
  • Vernon Jones, a Democrat, states that the “Democratic party does not want black people to leave their mental plantation.” 
  • Ivanka Trump calls her dad “the people’s president,” the “voice for the forgotten,” “defender of common sense” and the “voice for those who have been unfairly silenced by our prison system.” Claiming, finally, that Trump will advance “the American values of work and family.”
  • Trump uses Christian rhetoric to appeal to the Christian vote, claiming that the US, as a “national family” is blessed by God and “ the torch that enlightened the entire world.” Additionally, Trump claims, “Biden is not a savior of America’s Soul,” but rather the “destroyer.”
  • Trump blamed and demonized China, made jokes out of Democrats and called protesters “anarchist” and “looters.”
  • The President prides himself for his “Pro-American Immigration” policy, in which with the help of Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE), over half a million immigrants have been deported. 
  • Each of the speakers alluded that Democrats are socialist and will destroy America. All spoke of the American Dream and the need to return such ideology. Each spoke about having the choice to select what schools children attend, and each speaker called for and to end “cancel culture.”.  

If you have read this far, please keep an open mind and an open heart. Hear me out: the RNC speakers spoke of how great Trump is and how he doesn’t want to destroy families. Yet, under his immigration policy, ICE  has deported over half a million immigrants. Many of these families have been in the US for years and were in the process of establishing roots. 

The president wants to “Make American Great Again,” so we need to ask ourselves, who is he making it great for? Is he making it great for the Syrian refugee who spent months, if not years, trying to seek safety? Or is he making it great for the man who has never had to worry about his next meal?

We need to think about who we will vote for, honestly. We can’t vote for the candidate that won in the “bashing” contest. We shouldn’t vote for a candidate because our parents will vote for him. We can’t let Christian jargon influence us, so much that we don’t do our due diligence when researching the candidates. We need to be active citizens who research the policies each candidate is claiming to institute. We need to vote according to our moral beliefs. 

Trump concluded his speech by saying, “we are not a nation of timid spirits; we are a nation of fierce, proud, and independent American patriots. We’re a nation of pilgrims pioneers, adventurers, explorers, and trailblazers who refuse to be tied down, held back, or in any way reigned in.” He is right. We are a nation that refuses to be tied down, held back, or reigned in, and who we vote for, come November, will determine whether we are tied down or not.

Editor’s Note: Opinion pieces published by The ECHO do not necessarily represent the opinions of The ECHO staff or Southern Nazarene University. During this election season, we welcome opinion articles representing all sides of the political spectrum. All articles submitted are subject to editorial review for the appropriateness of the content and submission is not a guarantee of publication.