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CNN Live Event/Special
Tonight, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) Headlines Third Night Of RNC; Source Says, Donald Trump Jr. Expected To Pump Up Sen. J.D. Vance (R- OH); CNN Covers The Republican National Convention. Aired 10-11p ET
Aired July 17, 2024 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[22:00:00]
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: And welcome back. You're watching CNN's special live coverage of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. On this, the third night, the focus is on Donald Trump's running mate, Senator J.D. Vance, who will soon introduce himself to the American people.
Excerpts from Senator Vance's speech were just released. Phil Mattingly has some of that. He joins us now. Phil, what should we expect?
Phil, if you can hear me, what should we expect from Senator Vance?
PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CHIEF DOMESTIC CORRESPONDENT: Sorry, about that, a little loud on the floor. We're just getting the first excerpts of J.D. Vance's speech, a very high stakes moment, a very high stakes speech. And it is a speech that, as we've been reporting, is very heavy on a biography, a biography many of us know, but certainly will be introduced to the country tonight about his upbringing, about his time in the Marines, his law school degree from Yale, his relationship with his wife.
But I think what's most interesting, at least in the excerpts I've seen so far, is how he threads together some of the connective cultural and historical moments of his life with where Joe Biden was, the president, during that time. He was in fourth grade when NAFTA was supported by President Biden, and he was in high school when PNTR, the China trade agreement was reached and Biden supported it. He was college when President Biden supported the invasion of Iraq, really threading together Biden's political career with his youth and what happened in those moments, making very clear that those moments, which have really been kind of the driving, accelerating force of what brought Donald Trump to the height of American politics are central to J.D. Vance's speech, also references, of course, the assassination attempt over the weekend, what he saw behind the scenes and what it meant to him as he accepted the selection to be vice president.
It is a lengthy speech, very heavy on biography and very heavy on attacks on the current president.
COOPPER: Phil Mattingly, thanks very much. We'll be anticipating that. He's going to be introduced by his wife, Usha. ABBY PHILLIP, CNN ANCHOR: This is going to be an important moment for J.D. Vance, who, if you've read his book, is known to a lot of people. But I would actually argue the kind of connoisseurs of Hillbilly Elegy are actually the kind of elite class of people. You know, a lot of Democrats read Hillbilly Elegy in the years after Hillary Clinton lost the 2016 election. So, for a lot of regular people, this is going to be largely new to them.
The other part about the excerpts that we've seen that I thought was really fascinating, J.D. Vance plans to use Joe Biden's 50 years in politics, 50 years in government against him, tying him at all these different junctures to what he says are policies that hurt, you know, the forgotten Americans, the people that he grew up around in rural Appalachia.
So, it's not going to be just the kind of red meat that we're used to hearing about Joe Biden and his, quote/unquote, failed policies, but it's using the biography to make that connection between the policies, his own life experience. And this platform, he's giving us a view, I think, of why perhaps they view this as the MAGA future, because he's articulating MAGA policies but in a way that is more digestible to the average person, doesn't come with Donald Trump's baggage.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And I can tell you Republican senators will be watching to see part of what he says about foreign policy, because, obviously, he is someone who has said they don't want to send any more aid to Ukraine. He's been against that.
COOPER: Let's listen in to Sergeant William Peckrell, a 99-year-old World War II veteran, awarded two bronze stars and a silver star.
(APPLAUSE) (CHANTING)
WILLIAM PEKRUL, WWII VETERAN: Thank you very much. My name is Bill Pekrul. I'm a proud Wisconsinite, proud --
(APPLAUSE)
PEKRUL: -- I'm a proud husband of 76-years-old to my wife Rose Mary. I'm a father of 11 children --
(APPLAUSE)
PEKRUL: -- six girls, five boys. Our family have crossed five generations and a proud World War II veteran.
(APPLAUSE)
PEKRUL: I'm 90 -- 98-years-old.
(APPLAUSE)
PEKRUL: Some call us the greatest generation.
(APPLAUSE)
PEKRUL: That's -- that's an honor, considering America is the greatest nation in the history of the world.
(APPLAUSE)
PEKRUL: I will never forget and witnessed the horror of the Nazi's war camps in the Battle of the Gulch. My friends and I fought to stop the Nazi's last major portion, the Western Front.
(APPLAUSE)
PEKRUL: A few months later, Hitler was -- Hitler was dead.
[22:05:00]
The Nazis were defeated.
(APPLAUSE)
PEKRUL: We were -- and we gave thanks to Almighty God for deliverance from evil.
(APPLAUSE)
PEKRUL: But not -- but not many of us came home. I still miss a lot of my friends on that beach, and we're -- there were many of us left. There aren't many of us left today.
But for us -- those who of us who are here -- that America is still worth fighting for.
(CHEERS)
(APPLAUSE)
PEKRUL: It hurts my heart to see what our current president and vice president have done to the country I love so well. They humiliated us in Afghanistan. We pushed around in China. Terrorists run wild in the Middle East. And they let our own southern border get overrun.
(CHEERS)
PEKRUL: America, people say -- people is an -- America is an idea, but I believe America is much more than that.
America -- America is our home.
(CHEERS)
(APPLAUSE)
(CROWD CHANTING "USA")
PEKRUL: You know, when I was fighting in Europe, and I came back home, I kissed the ground. Thanked God that I'm back home in my country.
(CHEERS)
(APPLAUSE)
PEKRUL: And where I come from, when somebody comes for me or my home, you dig in your boots in the ground and never look back.
(CHEERS)
(APPLAUSE)
PEKRUL: That's the attitude that saved the free world and those years ago.
And President Trump back in commander-in-chief, I would go back to reenlist today.
(CHEERS)
(APPLAUSE)
PEKRUL: And I -- I would storm whatever beach he want -- my country wanted -- needs me to.
(CHEERS)
(APPLAUSE)
PEKRUL: God bless you. God bless our home, and the United States of America.
(CHEERS)
(APPLAUSE)
(CHANTING)
(MUSIC)
COOPER: Coming up, Donald Trump Jr. is going to be the next -- Donald Trump Jr. is going to be the next speaker out, obviously a rising figure in Republican Party politics.
Kaitlan Collins joining us from down on the floor.
[22:10:00]
What do you make of what we've heard tonight, Kaitlan?
COLLINS: Well, Donald Trump Jr. obviously is going to come out, and he is going to pump up the person that he helped make the running mate to his father, Donald Trump. He was one of the most vociferous voices, urging his dad to pick J.D. Vance as his running mate.
He went to him late last night, last week, they were at a dinner, and I was told Donald Trump Jr. kind of stormed in and was like, you need to pick J.D. Vance, because He knows that his father is often influenced by the last person he speaks with, and he really made this case. Elon Musk and others were also making the case, that this wasn't just an effort by Donald Trump Jr. alone. But I do think you know, when people saw the schedule about a week ago that Donald Trump Jr. was introducing whoever the V.P. candidate was, people were thinking very strongly that it was going to be likely J.D. Vance, not someone that he thought his dad shouldn't pick.
I will just say what J.D. Vance's speech to look for is there's a lot of Republican senators who don't like where he is on foreign policy. Senator Lindsey Graham has broken with him a lot. He urged former President Trump to pick either Marco Rubio or Doug Burgum. It'll be interesting to see what he says about foreign policy in this speech because it will give us a road map, potentially, of what that could look like if they are elected.
SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think the core of the speech is going to just focus on Vance's narrative and obviously they're sort of a waving a flag about how they intend to use them at the end of the speech. He says. I promise you I'll never forget the forgotten communities of Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania and every corner of our nation. So, they are laying out that they are going to send J.D. Vance to the blue wall with a jackhammer and see what he can do.
DAVID URBAN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes. I talked to some of the folks in the campaign this morning about this and I anticipate campaigning with Senator Vance in Western Pennsylvania in a few weeks.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
DONALD J. TRUMP, JR., EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, TRUMP ORGANIZATION: Good evening, America.
(APPLAUSE)
D. TRUMP, JR.: Before I begin my remarks, I'm going to do something a little uncharacteristic. A Trump is going to give up the microphone. It doesn't happen often. You may never see it again.
(LAUGHTER)
D. TRUMP, JR.: But I got a call on Monday morning from a young lady who said, "Dad, I want to speak at the RNC."
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
D. TRUMP, JR.: "I want to speak at the RNC because I want America to know what my grandpa is actually like."
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
D. TRUMP, JR.: So for the first time ever on a stage, first time ever giving a speech, I want to bring out my eldest daughter and the eldest granddaughter of the president of the United States, your favorite president, Kai Madison Trump.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome businessman and executive vice president of the Trump Organization, Donald J. Trump, Jr.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
DONALD J. TRUMP, JR., EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, TRUMP ORGANIZATION: Good evening, America.
(APPLAUSE)
D. TRUMP, JR.: Before I begin my remarks, I'm going to do something a little uncharacteristic. A Trump is going to give up the microphone. It doesn't happen often. You may never see it again.
(LAUGHTER)
D. TRUMP, JR.: But I got a call on Monday morning from a young lady who said, "Dad, I want to speak at the RNC."
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
D. TRUMP, JR.: "I want to speak at the RNC because I want America to know what my grandpa is actually like."
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
D. TRUMP, JR.: So for the first time ever on a stage, first time ever giving a speech, I want to bring out my eldest daughter and the eldest granddaughter of the president of the United States, your favorite president, Kai Madison Trump.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
KAI MADISON TRUMP, GRANDDAUGHTER OF FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP: Hi, everyone. My name is Kai Madison Trump. I am the granddaughter of Donald Trump.
(APPLAUSE)
K. TRUMP: I'm speaking today to share the side of my grandpa that people don't often see. To me, he's just a normal grandpa. He gives us candy and soda when our parents aren't looking.
(LAUGHTER)
K. TRUMP: He always wants to know how we're doing in school. When I made the high honor roll, he printed it out to show his friends how proud he was of me.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
K. TRUMP: I know.
(APPLAUSE)
K. TRUMP: He calls me during the middle of the school day to ask how my golf game is going and tells me all about his.
(LAUGHTER)
K. TRUMP: But then I have to remind him that I'm in school and I'll have to call him back later.
(LAUGHTER)
K. TRUMP: When we play golf together, if I'm not on his team, he'll try to get inside of my head.
(LAUGHTER)
K. TRUMP: I know.
K. TRUMP: And he's always surprised that I don't let him get to me.
(LAUGHTER)
K. TRUMP: But I have to remind him I'm a Trump, too.
(LAUGHTER)
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
K. TRUMP: Even when he's going through all of these court cases, he always asks me how I'm doing. He always encourages me to push myself to be the most successful person I can be. Obviously, he sets the bar pretty high.
[22:15:00]
But who knows? Maybe one day, I'll catch him.
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE) K. TRUMP: On Saturday I was shocked when I heard that he has been shot. And I just wanted to know if he was okay. It was heartbreaking that someone would do that to another person. A lot of people have put my grandpa through hell, and he's still standing.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
K. TRUMP: Grandpa, you are such an inspiration and I love you.
(APPLAUSE)
K. TRUMP: The media makes my grandpa seem like a different person, but I know him for who he is. He is very caring and loving. He truly wants the best for this country. And he will fight every single day to make America great again. Thank you very much.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
(CROWD chanting Trump!)
D. TRUMP, JR.: A lot of proud moments this week for my family. Thank you, again, guys. Really appreciate that. That's not easy. That's the first time. I mean, this is what we call a large crowd for a speech.
So incredible work, Kai. Now back to business.
CROWD: (INAUDIBLE).
D. TRUMP, JR.: Thank you, sir.
Tonight we gather here in Milwaukee at one of the most crucial moments in American history. Just days ago something that once seemed unimaginable became a terrifying reality. My father came under literal fire as an incredible patriotic rally turned into a tragedy. On a field in Butler, Pennsylvania, 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.
But we did lose an American hero that day. We wish that he were with us tonight. But his memory will live on forever in the hearts of his family, his community, and the nation that he loved.
(APPLAUSE)
D. TRUMP JR.: So I would like to take just a moment tonight to express our gratitude for the life and service of American hero, Corey Comperatore.
(APPLAUSE)
(CROWD chanting Corey!) D. TRUMP JR.: They say you can't truly know how you'll respond in a moment of danger until you're actually confronted with it. So what was my father's instinct as his life was on the line? Not to cower. Not to surrender. But to show for all the world to see that the next American president has the heart of a lion.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
D. TRUMP JR.: That the next American president has the courage to put the American people first, once again.
(APPLAUSE)
D. TRUMP JR.: And in that moment, my father didn't just show his character, he showed America's character.
(APPLAUSE)
D. TRUMP JR.: When he stood up with blood on his face and the flag at his back, the world saw a spirit that could never be broken.
(APPLAUSE)
D. TRUMP JR.: And that is the true spirit of America.
[22:20:00]
America knows what it's like to be down. We know what it's like to be confused and to be afraid. Long before the attempt on my father's life, every American I met was filled with fear and anxiety. They were afraid our country was being torn apart. They were anxious about the massive and chaotic invasion of illegal aliens across our border.
They were deeply concerned about partisan lawfare, education indoctrination, and attacks on freedom of speech. Most terrifying of all, they saw that our leaders didn't care. Or worse, that they joyfully aided and abetted the erosion of our rights.
(CHEERING)
D. TRUMP JR.: And the lies, oh yes, the lies. We won't ever forget the lies from left wing politicians, from their allies in the media. When you hear them in a row, you fully understand the extent they have gone to divide this great nation.
They lied about Russia collusion. They lied about Hunter's laptop. They lied about Joe Biden's fitness for office. They lied about the border being secure. They lied about inflation being transitory. They lied about how they would safely withdraw from Afghanistan.
CROWD: Yeah.
D. TRUMP JR.: They lied about Biden being a, quote, "moderate".
CROWD: Yeah.
D. TRUMP JR.: And they told one nonstop lie after another about my father.
CROWD: Yeah.
D. TRUMP JR.: But they could only run away from reality for so long. All hell has broken loose in America, and it's impossible to hide anymore.
(CHEERING)
D. TRUMP JR.: Remember Build Back Better? Instead, we got Broke Bumbling Biden. Nothing is built, nothing is back, and nothing is better.
(CHEERING)
D. TRUMP JR.: Bridges are collapsing, our credibility is crumbling, and our money is worth less and less every single day. It was just one giant bait and switch, and normal Americans are the ones left holding the bag. Housing costs, gasoline prices, grocery bills just keep going up. Wave after wave of illegal aliens, deadly drugs keep pouring across our border.
Meanwhile, pro crime district attorneys have turned our cities into giant crime zones. They've turned criminals into victims, prosecutors into criminal defense attorneys, and police into public enemies. Left wing activists are pretending to be educators, teaching our kids that there are 57 genders, but they can't even define what a woman is.
CROWD: (INAUDIBLE)
D. TRUMP JR.: On one hand, they think free speech protects their right to expose your children to explicit drag shows. On the other hand, they want to put you in jail for making a meme. It's like the entire world has been turned upside down.
CROWD: Yeah.
D. TRUMP JR.: Does any of this sound like a country that's going in the right direction?
CROWD: No!
D. TRUMP JR.: And honestly, who is actually running the country anyway?
CROWD: (INAUDIBLE)
D. TRUMP JR.: It's obviously, not Joe Biden. So, who are they asking us to elect? Seriously, who's running things?
CROWD: (INAUDIBLE)
D. TRUMP JR.: Does anyone really know? Is it Jill? Is it Hunter? Barack Obama?
CROWD: (INAUDIBLE)
D. TRUMP JR.: Maybe it's the ghost of Corn Pop.
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE)
D. TRUMP JR.: Whoever is running the show, the only thing they are effective at is persecuting my father. They twisted, contorted, and corrupted the criminal code to turn bookkeeping errors into felonies. They concocted new legal theories out of thin air. They imposed gag orders on my father because the last thing a defendant should be able to do is defend himself, right? They punished him for merely speaking the truth.
CROWD: Yeah.
D. TRUMP JR.: They say they hate Vladimir Putin, but it sure seems like they've spent a lot of time copying his playbook.
[22:25:00]
CROWD: Yeah.
(CHEERING)
D. TRUMP JR.: In this country, we don't criminalize political differences. We debate them, we vote on them. But we don't make you choose between picking a party or picking a jail cell.
(CHEERING)
D. TRUMP JR.: There was a time when the Democrats really wanted what was best for America, even if they had a different way of getting there. It was the party of Franklin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr. You may have disagreed with that party, but at least you could respect it.
But this new extreme Democrat Party, they want us to somehow believe that the only way forward is going backwards, where hiring decisions are based solely on race, where justice is only for those with the right opinions, where streets are a luxury only for the elite, where economic opportunity exists only when you know the right people. Right now, the America we all grew up with, the America that we love, feels like an old photograph where you sit down with your children and tell them what life used to be like.
You look back at that America and remember a country that was confident and proud, an America that knew who it was and what it stood for. And it could all feel like a distant memory. Somewhere along the way, we stumbled. Somewhere along the way, we lost ourselves. But we can't live on nostalgia. Yes, America was great, but our greatest days are yet to come.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
D. TRUMP JR.: Because no matter how far off that old photo may feel, it's not the end of our story.
(CHEERING)
D. TRUMP JR.: We're like that man who stood on that platform and felt the bullet pierce his flesh just days ago in Pennsylvania. He may have moved to the ground, but he stood back up.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
D. TRUMP JR.: And when he did, my father raised his fist into the air. He looked out at the crowd, and what did he say?
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
(CROWD chanting fight!)
D. TRUMP JR.: And we will fight. We will fight. We will fight with our voices. We will fight with our ideas. And on November 5th, we will fight with our vote.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
D. TRUMP JR.: I've always been proud of him, but I've never been prouder of my father than I was in that moment.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
D. TRUMP JR.: That's when the world found out that there is tough, and then there's Trump tough.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
D. TRUMP JR.: And the good news is America is Trump tough.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CROWD: Trump. Trump. Trump.
D. TRUMP JR.: In 1912, more than a century ago, another legendary Republican president came right here to Milwaukee at a political rally less than 1 mile from where we stand tonight, Teddy Roosevelt was struck by a would be assassin's bullet. But he didn't quit, either. He finished his speech, and he kept fighting.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
D. TRUMP JR.: My friends, I don't believe in coincidences, but I do believe in God's plan.
[22:30:02]
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
D. TRUMP JR.: Today, Teddy Roosevelt's man in the arena has a name, and it's Donald J. Trump.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
D. TRUMP JR.: Remember, my father didn't have to run for re-election this year. He doesn't need the money, the fame, the power. Frankly he doesn't need the witch-hunts, the phony investigations or the political prosecutions either. But he knew he had to run if there was any chance at saving America.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
D. TRUMP JR.: He is not doing it for himself. He is doing it for everyone here tonight. For everyone watching at home.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
D. TRUMP JR.: No matter who you are, you can be a part of this movement to make America great again.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
D. TRUMP JR.: Look at me and my friend, J.D. Vance. A kid from Appalachia and a kid from Trump Tower in Manhattan.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
D. TRUMP JR.: We grew up worlds apart, yet now we're both fighting side by side to save the country we love.
(CHEERING) (APPLAUSE)
D. TRUMP JR.: And by the way, J.D. Vance is going to make one hell of a vice president.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
(CROWD chanting J.D.!)
D. TRUMP JR.: For those of you who have tuned out politics or have never even voted, I want you to know, if you're looking for a better life, a more prosperous future, a safer, more wholesome and patriotic place to call home, there is room for you in this party and in this movement.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
D. TRUMP JR.: In fact, you're the ones who matter most of all. My father has always said that the people he gets along with best are the people who really work for a living.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
D. TRUMP JR.: It's because of his background as a builder in construction. In construction, it doesn't matter how smart your architect is if you don't have the best guys laying the bricks.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
D. TRUMP JR.: People with grit, people who get their hands dirty. That's a big problem with Washington, D.C. Most of the bureaucrats who rule over us have never built anything in their lives. It is time to build something real. Something tangible. Something that will last and leave this country better off for our children. That's my father's mission.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
D. TRUMP JR.: This November, we have a choice. It's a choice between one team that wants to build this country up and another that wants to tear this country down. It's a choice between people who are proud of America and people who are ashamed of America. And ultimately it is a choice between America last and America first.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
D. TRUMP JR.: So if you love this country from the bottom of your heart, if you want to bring back common sense, if you want to save the American dream, if you want to stand up and fight for the future of our nation, you must re-elect my father Donald J. Trump.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
D. TRUMP JR.: Together we will make America great once again. Thank you. Thank you, Wisconsin.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
[22:35:00]
COOPER: And there you have it, Donald Trump Jr. speaking. Shortly, we'll be seeing a video about the vice presidential nominee, J.D. Vance. His wife, Usha, is going to be introducing him at Yale Law School. We'll bring you their remarks, obviously, live. Van, what did you make of it?
VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Oh, the granddaughter came out and opened up our hearts and the son just hit us upside the head with a baseball bat. So, I'm not quite sure which way they're going. But that young lady was -- she did her job of warming him up, humanizing him, making people feel that they could actually like this guy.
The sun came out and it was the opposite effect. Very effective for the base, frightening for Democrats. And by the way, crime is going down. Unemployment is going down. Energy production is going up. Stock market's going up.
The stuff you said wasn't true, but you can see this tension within the Trump coalition. How do you give that raw meat to the base, scare the crap out of Democrats, but also bring people in? And that's what you saw being balanced today.
JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: The people who are planning the Democratic convention are taking notes because they got to go to rewrite. These guys are putting on a good show.
URBAN: They got to find a Donald Trump.
KING: Van's right. Van's right. Donald Trump, Jr. appeals to the base, but it's a show of confidence. Everybody there, putting up there says they're confident. Some of the people they're putting up there are quite controversial.
Some of the people up there are saying things that you could cut little ads about or use on social media, but they know that and they're confident. This is a very professional Trump team putting this program together. And what the other thing I would say is that we're about to hear from
J.D. Vance, how different this party is. This is "Make America Strong" night. No one has said stand with Ukraine. Not one speaker has said stand with Ukraine. And J.D. Vance is going to criticize Joe Biden for supporting NAFTA.
I covered Bill Clinton when he got NAFTA through the Congress. Democrats didn't like it. Unions didn't like it. Bill Clinton got that passed with the support of the Republican Party -- yesterday's Republican Party.
DAVID AXELROD, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yeah, I wonder, J.D. Vance, we saw the excerpts of his speech. He's sort of making a lot of the same case, a lot of the same case, but he's making it a little bit more elegantly wrapped in his own story, identifying with other people.
The fact is this was a grievance speech. And some of the grievance was the Trump family grievance. You know, the president's been how he's been persecuted and, you know, embracing Putin tactics and so on. That may play in this room, but the country's a lot bigger than this room. I'm not sure that that plays there.
PHILLIP: Yeah, I think --
JENNINGS: Most of these things are -- how many conventions have we all watched? Can anyone here remember anything? This was incredibly memorable from the Gold Star families to Kai Trump to the World War II veteran. This was a completely well-staged --
AXELROD: Yeah.
JENNINGS: -- and memorable night.
AXELROD: Yeah, but --
JENNINGS: It is hard for me, Axe, to imagine a Democratic convention being able to generate one tenth of the energy.
AXELROD: Well, we'll see about that.
PHILLIP: You know, honestly --
AXELROD: I'm not even arguing about the stage prep. I -- I've said throughout this week that I think they've done a very good job on it. I'm just raising a point about this one particular speech, because there are elements of that speech that I think will remind people what makes them uncomfortable about Trump.
URBAN: Listen, I kind of agree with Axe on this a little bit, right? So, Kai Trump did what Sarah Sanders did last night.
JENNINGS: Yes.
AXELROD: Yeah.
KING: Yeah.
URBAN: Softened the sharp Trump edges.
JENNINGS: Yeah.
URBAN: Humanized Donald Trump. Made Donald Trump likable. If you're looking to pick up suburban Montgomery County, suburban Delaware County, Bucks County voters, you want Kai Trump. You want Sarah Sanders. You want that message out there. Donald Trump, Jr. --
PHILLIP: He's the ultimate -- he's the ultimate culture warrior.
URBAN: We have those votes. We need more Kai Trump, more Sarah Sanders.
PHILLIP: They have been trying to actually kind of sidestep the culture war for the last three days. They didn't sidestep it with Donald Trump, Jr. He is the ultimate face of that for the MAGA movement right now. That is the role that he plays. And that is actually the stuff that I'm not sure -- works for Trump in the areas where he's the most --
COOPER: Let's watch this. We've got J.D. Vance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN (voice-over): -- or a United States Senator, or our next Vice President, but here he is. Born into poverty. His family torn apart by drug addiction. No money, no prospects, no future. J.D. joined the Marine Corps, used the G.I. Bill to attend college, then went to Yale and earned a law degree and shared his heartbreaking story in a best- selling book. Only in America is this story possible.
But today, for many families, the American dream is now gone. And this is the team tough enough to bring it back. J.D. Vance understands that working families have become the forgotten families. Under Biden, wages are going down while prices skyrocket.
[22:40:02]
Forcing the majority of Americans to live paycheck to paycheck, working families will have J.D. Vance fighting for them. Seniors, J.D. will have your backs, too. No more deciding between putting food on your table and paying for the prescriptions you need.
As a husband and father, J.D. knows the importance of fighting for a parent's right to protect their children. And you can count on this Marine to stand up for our soldiers who put their lives on the line for their country every day. J.D. Vance's story is one of perseverance, of duty, of commitment to what's right. It's an American story. And it's just getting started.
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ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Usha Vance.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
USHA CHILUKURI VANCE, WIFE OF VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE J. D. VANCE: Good evening. Good evening. When I was asked to introduce my husband, J. D. Vance, to all of you, I was at a loss. What could I say that hasn't already been said before? After all, the man was already the subject of a Ron Howard movie.
(LAUGHTER)
U. VANCE: J. D. has shared much of his life through his own eloquent words. In his book, "Hillbilly Elegy," during his Senate campaign, and now, as a sitting United States senator. It occurred to me that there was only one thing to do, to explain from the heart why I love and admire J. D. and stand here beside him today, and why he will make a great vice president of the United States.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
U. VANCE: I met J. D. in law school when he was fresh out of Ohio State, which he attended with the support of the G.I. Bill. We were friends first, because, I mean, who wouldn't want to be friends with J. D.? He was then, as now, the most interesting person I knew. A working-class guy who had overcome childhood traumas that I could barely fathom to end up at Yale Law School.
A tough Marine who had served in Iraq, but whose idea of a good time was playing with puppies and watching the movie "Babe."
(LAUGHTER)
U. VANCE: The most determined person I knew with one overriding ambition, to become a husband and a father, and to build the kind of tightknit family that he had longed for as a child.
My background is very different from J. D.'s. I grew up in San Diego in a middle-class community --
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
U. VANCE: -- with two loving parents, both immigrants from India, and a wonderful sister. That J. D. and I could meet at all, let alone fall in love and marry, is a testament to this great country.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
U. VANCE: It is also a testament to J. D., and it tells you something about who he is. When J. D. met me, he approached our differences with curiosity and enthusiasm. He wanted to know everything about me, where I came from, what my life had been like. Although, he's a meat and potatoes kind of guy, he adapted to my vegetarian diet and learned to cook food for my mother, Indian food.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
U. VANCE: Before I knew it, he had become an integral part of my family, a person I could not meant -- could not imagine living without. The J. D. I knew then is the same J. D. you see today, except for that beard.
(LAUGHTER)
U. VANCE: And his goals in this new role are the same that he has pursued for our family, to keep people safe, to create opportunities, to build a better life, and to solve problems with an open mind.
It's safe to say that neither J. D. nor I expected to find ourselves in this position, but it's hard to imagine a more powerful example of the American dream, a boy from Middletown, Ohio.
[22:45:07]
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
(CHANTING)
U. VANCE: Raised by his grandmother 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 have placed in him and in our family. And with that, it is my great privilege to introduce my husband and the next Vice President of the United States, J.D. Vance.
(APPLAUSE)
(APPLAUSE)
GOP VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE SEN. J.D. VANCE: Thank you, thank you. Please. Wow. Wow.
(CHEERING)
CROWD: J.D! J.D! J.D.!
VANCE: Yeah. First of all, aren't I a lucky guy? Isn't she lovely, and amazing?
(APPLAUSE)
VANCE: Greetings, Milwaukee, my fellow Americans and my fellow Republicans, my name is J.D. Vance, from the great state of Ohio. (APPLAUSE)
VANCE: Tonight...
(CHANTING)
VANCE: O-H-I-O, O-H-I-O.
You guys, we've got to chill with the Ohio love. We've got to win Michigan too here. So...
(APPLAUSE)
VANCE: My friends, tonight is a night of hope, a celebration of what America once was, and with God's grace, what it will soon be again.
(APPLAUSE)
VANCE: And it is a reminder of the sacred duty we have to preserve the American experiment, to choose a new path for our children and grandchildren.
But, as we meet tonight, we cannot forget that this evening could have been so much different. Instead of the day of celebration, this could have been a day of heartache and mourning.
For the last eight years, President Trump has given everything he has to fight for the people of our country.
(APPLAUSE)
VANCE: He didn't need politics, but the country needed him.
(APPLAUSE)
VANCE: Now, prior to running for president, he was one of the most successful businessmen in the world. He had everything anyone could ever want in a life. And yet, instead of choosing the easy path, he chose to endure abuse, slander and persecution. And he did it because he loves this country.
(APPLAUSE)
[22:50:00]
VANCE: I want all Americans to go and watch the video of a would-be assassin coming a quarter of an inch from taking his life. Consider the lies they told you about Donald Trump, and then look at that photo of him defiant, fist in the air. When Donald Trump rose to his feet in that Pennsylvania field, all of America stood with him.
(CHEERING)
VANCE: And what did he call us to do for our country? To fight. To fight for America. Even in his most perilous moment, we were on his mind. His instinct was for us, for our country, to call us to something higher, to something greater, to once again be citizens who ask what our country needs of us.
Now consider what they said. They said he was a tyrant. They said he must be stopped at all costs. But how did he respond? He called for national unity, for national calm, literally right after an assassin nearly took his life.
(CHEERING)
VANCE: He remembered the victims of the terrible attack, especially the brave Corey Comperatore, who gave his life to protect his family.
(APPLAUSE)
VANCE: God bless him. And then President Trump flew to Milwaukee and got back to work.
(CHEERING)
VANCE: Now, that's the man I've gotten to know personally over the last few years. He is tough, and he is. But he cares about people. He can stand defiant against an assassin one moment and call for national healing the next. He is a beloved father and grandfather. And of course, a once in a generation business leader. He's the man who is feared by America's adversaries.
But two nights ago -- and I'll share a moment -- said good night to his two boys, told them he loved them, and made sure to give each of them a kiss on the cheek. And I will say Don and Eric squirmed the same way my four year old does when his daddy tries to give him a kiss on the cheek.
Sorry, guys,
(APPLAUSE)
VANCE: He is all those things. But tonight we celebrate he is our once and future president of the United States of America.
(CHEERING)
VANCE: Now, I want to respond to his call for unity myself. We have a big tent in this party, on everything from national security to economic policy. But my message to you, my fellow Republicans, is we love this country and we are united to win.
(CHEERING)
VANCE: Right. Now, I think our disagreements actually make us stronger. That's what I've learned in my time in the United States Senate, where sometimes I persuade my colleagues and sometimes they persuade me. And my message to my fellow Americans, 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?
(CHEERING) VANCE: That's the Republican Party of the next four years, united in our love for this country and committed to free speech and the open exchange of ideas.
(CHEERING)
VANCE: And so tonight, Mr. Chairman, I stand here humbled, and I'm overwhelmed with gratitude to say I officially accept your nomination to be Vice President of the United States of America.
(CHEERING)
CROWD: J.D.! J.D.! J.D.!
VANCE: Thank you.
[22:55:00]
Now never in my wildest imagination could I have believed that I'd be standing here tonight. I grew up in Middletown, Ohio...
(CHEERING)
VANCE: ... a small town where people spoke their minds, built with their hands, and loved their God, their family, their community, and their country with their whole hearts. But it was also a place that had been cast aside and forgotten by America's ruling class in Washington.
When I was in the fourth grade, a career politician by the name of Joe Biden supported NAFTA, a bad trade deal that sent countless good jobs to Mexico.
(BOOING)
VANCE: When I was a sophomore in high school, that same career politician named Joe Biden gave China a sweetheart trade deal that destroyed even more good American middle-class manufacturing jobs.
(BOOING)
VANCE: When I was a senior in high school, that same Joe Biden supported the disastrous invasion of Iraq. And at each step of the way, in small towns like mine in Ohio or next door in Pennsylvania or Michigan, in states all across our country, jobs were sent overseas and our children were sent to war. And...
(BOOING)
CROWD: Joe must go! Joe must go! Joe must go!
VANCE: I agree.
And somehow, a real estate developer from New York City by the name of Donald J. Trump was right on all of these issues while Biden was wrong. (APPLAUSE)
VANCE: President Trump knew even then that we needed leaders who would put America first.
(APPLAUSE)
VANCE: Now thanks to these policies that Biden and other out-of-touch politicians in Washington gave us, our country was flooded with cheap Chinese goods, with cheap foreign labor, and in the decades to come, deadly Chinese fentanyl. Joe Biden screwed up and my community paid the price. Now I was lucky. Despite the closing factories and the growing addiction in the -- in towns like mine, in my life, I had a guardian angel by my side.
She was an old woman who could barely walk but she was tough as nails. I called her "Mamaw," the name we hillbillies gave to our grandmothers.
(APPLAUSE)
VANCE: Mamaw raised me as her own -- excuse me, Mamaw raised me as my mother struggled with addiction. And Mamaw was in so many ways a woman of contradictions. She loved the lord, ladies and gentlemen. She was a woman of deep Christian faith.
(APPLAUSE)
VANCE: But she also loved the F-word.
(LAUGHTER)
VANCE: I'm not kidding. She could make a sailor blush.
(LAUGHTER)
Now she once told me when she found out that I was spending too much time with a local kid who was known for dealing drugs that if I ever hung out with that kid again, she would run him over with her car.
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE)
VANCE: That's true. And she said, J.D., no one will ever find out about it.
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE)
CROWD: Mamaw! Mamaw! Mamaw!
VANCE: Now -- now thanks to that Mamaw, things worked out for me. After 9/11 I did what thousands of other young men my age did in that time of soaring patriotism and love of country. I enlisted in the United States Marines.
(APPLAUSE)
VANCE: Semper fi to my fellow Marines. Now I left the Marines after four years and went to the Ohio State University.
(APPLAUSE)
VANCE: I'm sorry, Michigan. I had to get that in there.
CROWD: (inaudible).
VANCE: Come on, come on, we've had enough political violence, let's...
(LAUGHTER)
VANCE: Now after Ohio State I went to Yale Law School where I met my beautiful wife.
