11.17pm EDT23:17
During her speech, first lady Melania Trump said she admired her husband’s authentic approach to the job of president.
“Whether you like it or not, you always know what he’s thinking,” the first lady said of her husband.
Even the president’s critics would probably agree with that assessment.
11.15pm EDT23:15
“Like all of you, I have reflected on the racial unrest in our country,” Melania Trump said. “We are not proud of parts of our history.”
She has however, in the past defended her husband’s racist birtherism rampage against Barack Obama. In a 2011 interview with Joy Behar, Melanie Trump said that it wasn’t just her husband who wanted to see Obama’s birth certificate, “It’s American people who voted for him and who didn’t vote for him. They want to see that.”
11.11pm EDT23:11
Second night of the convention concludes
First lady Melania Trump has concluded her speech at the White House, wrapping up the second night of the Republican convention.
The blog will have more reactions and analysis coming up, so stay tuned.
11.09pm EDT23:09
Melania Trump said she admired her husband for never giving up on his policy agenda and for supporting her.
“Donald is a husband who supports me in all that I do,” Trump said. “We will be honored to serve this incredible country for four more years.”
Nearing the end of her speech, the first lady noted she had not spent much of her time criticizing Democrats.
“I don’t want to use this precious time attacking the other side, because, as we saw last week, that kind of talk only serves to divide the country further,” Trump said.
11.06pm EDT23:06
Melania Trump said she became a US citizen “after 10 years of paperwork and patience… with hard work and determination.”
Her experience isn’t unique – many immigrants (including this reporter) – have to wait years to obtain a green card and then citizenship. The arduous process has only gotten more so under the Trump administration, which, in addition to criminalizing and detaining migrants, imposing a “public charge” rule to deter immigrants from using benefits like food stamps and public healthcare, restricting travel from many Muslim-majority countries, and limiting the number of refugees admitted to a historical low, has overseen increases in backlogs for immigrants who’ve made it past the maze of deterrents and are seeking naturalization.
The time it takes for those who want citizenship to gain it is now nearly double what it was two years ago, per the New York Times.
– Maanvi Singh
Updated
at 11.08pm EDT
11.03pm EDT23:03
Melania Trump touched on the national reckoning over racism in her speech at the Republican convention.
“I urge people to come together in a civil manner,” Trump said. “I also ask people to stop the violence and looting being done in the name of justice. And never make assumptions based on the color of a person’s skin.”
As Trump spoke, protests continued in Kenosha, Wisconsin, over the police shooting of Jacob Blake, an African American man who was repeatedly shot in the back by officers.
10.58pm EDT22:58
Melania Trump expressed admiration for her husband, who she noted was not a “traditional” politician.
“He demands action, and he gets results,” the first lady said of the president.
According to Politifact, Trump has broken about half of the promises he has made since becoming president.
10.54pm EDT22:54
Melania Trump said she was “honored” to have served as the first lady of the United States for the past three and a half years.
“It is my greatest honor to serve you,” Trump said in her convention speech.
The first lady’s speech so far has been very personal, from offering condolences to families affected by coronavirus to recounting her experience becoming a US citizen.
10.50pm EDT22:50
Melania Trump appears to be the first speaker tonight to offer sympathies to Americans suffering through the coronavirus pandemic – a reality that her husband, his administration officials and supporters have denied
“I want to acknowledge the fact that since March, our lives have changed drastically,” Melania Trump said. “My deepest sympathy goes out to everyone who has lost a loved one and my prayers with those who are suffering.”
Though more than 178,000 Americans have died of Covid-19 so far, the RNC has worked to distract from the devastatation. Larry Kudlow, Trump’s top economic adviser, tonight spoke about the ongoing pandemic in the past tense.
– Maanvi Singh
Updated
at 10.51pm EDT
10.48pm EDT22:48
First lady Melania Trump reflected on her childhood in Slovenia and thanked her parents for all they did to help their family.
“It is because of you that I am standing here today,” Trump said to her parents.
The first lady then recounted her path to becoming an American citizen after arriving in the US at the age of 26. “It is still one of the proudest moments of my life,” Trump said.
10.45pm EDT22:45
First lady Melania Trump offered her condolences to Americans who have lost a loved one to coronavirus. More than 178,000 Americans have now died from the virus.
Trump pledged that her husband would not stop working until an effective treatment or vaccine was developed.
10.44pm EDT22:44
Melania Trump addresses Republican convention
Following an introductory video, first lady Melania Trump appeared at the podium in the White House Rose Garden to deliver her speech.
The first lady’s entrance was greeted with applause from the audience gathered in the Rose Garden.
Trump began by saying she and her husband were “humbled” and “grateful” for the support of voters who brought them victory in 2016.
10.41pm EDT22:41
Trump has now mixed the powers of his office with the spectacle of the convention on two occasions. First he gave a pardon to Jon Ponder, who became a prisoners’ rights advocate after being imprisoned for robbing a bank. Then he naturalized five immigrants in an official ceremony led by Chad Wolf, his acting head of homeland security.
Trump may be exempt from the Hatch Act, which prohibits “engaging in political activities while on duty, in a Government room or building”, but Wolf isn’t, and this hasn’t gone unnoticed.
10.40pm EDT22:40
First lady Melania Trump will soon start delivering her convention speech from the White House Rose Garden.
The audience assembled at the White House applauded as second lady Karen Pence and Vice President Mike Pence arrived to watch the speech, followed by the president.
10.40pm EDT22:40
Speaking from Jerusalem, while he is on a taxpayer-funded diplomatic trip, Mike Pompeo is breaking a longstanding norm for officials to avoid partisanship while representing America abroad.
Eliot Engel, who chairs of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, noted the Pompeo’s appearance violates the State Department’s Foreign Affairs Manual, a memo from Pompoe’s own office, stating that “senate-confirmed Presidential appointees may not even attend a political party convention or convention-related event.”
– Maanvi Singh
10.37pm EDT22:37
Pompeo addresses convention from Jerusalem
Secretary of state Mike Pompeo addressed the Republican convention from Jerusalem.
Pompeo applauded Trump for making Americans’ “freedoms more secure.” “It may not have made him popular in every foreign capital, but it’s worked,” Pompeo said.
The cabinet secretary also applauded Trump for holding China accountable for coronavirus, even though the president repeatedly said at the onset of the outbreak that Beijing had the virus under control.
10.30pm EDT22:30
Among those who appeared at the White House naturalization ceremony presided by Trump were immigrants from Sudan and Lebanon, countries included in Trump’s restricted travel list – which he initially referred to as a “Muslim ban”.
The Trump administration this year added Sudan to his restricted travel list, which includes mostly countries with large Muslim populations. Lebanon was on the original list, which included Venezuela and North Korea along with Muslim-majority nations Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Lebanon.
Trump also imfamously described El Salvador, Haiti and certain African nations as “shithole” countries.
– Maanvi Singh.
10.25pm EDT22:25
Eric Trump also repeated his president’s false claim that Joe Biden has pledged to defund the police.
In reality, Biden has said he does not support the movement to defund the police, which has attracted more attention since the police killing of George Floyd in May.
