Tonight they make it official. The Grand Old Party’s set elect a newcomer as it’s presidential nominee. Trump’s ticket mate too. With a “Never Trump” movement squashed and a Melania Trump speech parsed to a fare thee well over evidence of plagiarism, day two of the RNC is underway. Ahead, Christie takes center stage. NJTV News Chief Political Correspondent Michael Aron spoke with Anchor Mary Alice Williams from Cleveland.
Aron: Hello, Mary Alice. We are in front of the New Jersey delegation. The convention is about to be gaveled in for its evening session any moment now. And yes, the plagiarism issue certainly dominated the morning here in Cleveland. You know, Melania Trump said her parents taught her values like that of hard work, that children should live up to their potential in almost the exact same words that Michelle Obama used. Paul Manafort, the chairman of the Trump campaign said today that wasn’t plagiarism, those are common phrases in any generic political speech. Chris Christie was on the morning shows this morning saying 93 percent of Melania’s remarks were not plagiarized, which raises the question about the other 7 percent. There seems to be an effort at rebranding Donald Trump at this convention so far. Trump has been known to be undisciplined as a candidate. He tempered his remarks. They’re trying to portray him in a slightly different light here as a good man and as a man with a big heart. That’s what we heard last night from Melania Trump and from former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani:
Melania Trump: He’s tough when he has to be, but he’s also kind and fair and caring. This kindness is not always noted, but it is there for all to see. That is one reason I fell in love with him to begin with. Donald is intensely loyal to family, friends, employees, country. He has the utmost respect for his parents Mary and Fred, to his sisters Mary Ann and Elizabeth, to his brother Robert and to the memory of his late brother Fred. His children have been cared for and mentored to the extent that even his adversaries admit they are an amazing testament to who he is as a man and a father. There is a great deal of love in the Trump family. That is our bond and that is our strength.
Giuliani: This is a man with a big heart. Every time New York suffered a tragedy, Donald Trump was there to help. He’s not going to like me telling you this, but he did it anonymously. When police officers were shot, when firefighters were hurt, when people were in trouble, he came forward and he helped and he asked not to be mentioned. Well, I am going to break my promise to him. I am going to mention it. This is a man with a big heart who loves people, all people, from the top to the bottom, from the middle to the side.
Williams: Some critics suggest Giuliani’s portrait of America as a nation under threat was a little too foreboding. How was it received in the hall?
Aron: Very well, Mary Alice. There was a lot of enthusiasm here for Rudy Giuliani. People said if he had spoken like that when he was running for president eight years ago, he might have had a different outcome. But the national security theme is big here, the law and order theme. It won an election for Republicans in the ’60s. There’s a feeling here that that is the issue that could reinforce them again in 2016.
Williams: One particularly resonant speech was not about Trump but about Secretary Clinton.
Aron: That’s right. The convention opened last night with about half a dozen really tough attacks on Hillary Clinton, all over the Benghazi incident. Last night was supposed to be about Benghazi. They softened it at the last minute. But there was one speaker in particular who was very hard edged in her attack on Hillary Clinton, some thought even a little over the top or painful. She was Patricia Smith, the mother of one of the Benghazi victims:
Smith: We lost four brave Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice for the country they chose to serve and the American people lost the truth. For all of this loss, for all of this grief, for all of the cynicism, the tragedy in Benghazi has brought upon America, I blame Hillary Clinton. I blame Hillary Clinton personally for the death of my son. That’s personally.
Williams: Michael, a big night ahead?
Aron: Yes, Mary Alice. First of all, the roll call states to nominate Donald Trump as the Republican presidential nominee will happen sometime early this evening. It’s scheduled for about 6 o’clock, but things are already running behind schedule. The big speakers tonight are House Speaker Paul Ryan and two of Donald Trump’s children — Tiffany, who I think is the youngest of five, and Donald Trump Jr. And then, of course, Gov. Christie is on the roster of speakers tonight.
Williams: Thank you Michael, competing with all that music.