***Livewire*** Night Two of the Republican National Convention

The second night of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, centers on the theme of securing America with an obvious emphasis on securing the border – an issue that has been a centerpiece of former President Donald Trump’s agenda ever since he descended the golden escalator in 2015.

Tonight’s speaker line-up includes a slew of politicians past, present, and (possibly) future, including:

• Vivek Ramaswamy
• Former UN ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley
• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis
• Florida Sen. Marco Rubio
• Florida Sen. Rick Scott
• Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders
• Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton
• Texas Sen. Ted Cruz
• Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee
• Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt
• Former HUD Secretary Dr. Ben Carson
• House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana
• House Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota
• House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana
• House Republican Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York
• Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey

We will also hear from numerous Republican Senate candidates, including Kari Lake (Arizona), Eric Hovde (Wisconsin), Bernie Moreno (Ohio), Mike Rogers (Michigan), Dave McCormick (Pennsylvania), Jim Banks (Indiana), Jim Justice (West Virginia), Sam Brown (Nevada), Tim Sheehy (Montana), and Hung Cao (Virginia).

But perhaps the most important and moving testimony tonight will be from the speakers the RNC describes as “everyday Americans,” including the family of Rachel Morin, a young woman who was murdered by an illegal immigrant.

Outside of the RNC, the news continues to focus on the disturbing revelations trickling out about the Secret Service’s failings during last Saturday’s assassination attempt against Trump.

The other big news today was a jury finding New Jersey Democrat Sen. Bob Menendez guilty on all 16 counts in his federal bribery trial. No word yet on whether he will heed Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s call to resign—or if Schumer will force him to.

The Democrat Media Complex is beginning its vetting feeding frenzy against Trump’s vice-presidential pick Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance. The usual suspects are declaring Vance dangerous, scary, and very bad. But the American public–which made Vance’s 2016 memoir Hillbilly Elegy a bestseller–seem to be embracing the Rust Belt senator. Sales of Hillbilly Elegy and viewership of the Netflix adaptation of the book skyrocketed after he was announced at Trump’s VP pick yesterday. Vance’s book topped Amazon’s bestseller list Monday; and the film, which was released by Netflix four years ago, became the sixth most watched movie on the platform in the United States yesterday.

In fact, according to an anecdote shared online today by a college classmate of Joe Biden’s granddaughter, the Biden family patriarch himself was reportedly a fan of Vance’s book.

Here’s a fun little JD Vance/Joe Biden story:

I started undergrad at Penn in 2017. The summer before I arrived, the school organized the Penn Summer Reading Project, where every incoming freshman was asked to read the same book before they got to campus. It was Walter Isaacson’s…

— Sam Oshay (@samueloshay) July 16, 2024

Trump and Vance will reportedly be in attendance at the convention tonight, and their campaign announced that they will be holding a big rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Saturday.

The Democrats still haven’t quite settled on their anti-Vance messaging. One Democrat state lawmaker found an interesting line of attack. New Hampshire state Rep. Wendy Thomas (D) claimed that the infamous “Project 2025” agenda (which Trump has declared he knows nothing about) would “deport” Vance’s wife, Usha Chilukuri Vance, who is an American citizen and was born in San Diego.

Meanwhile, the Democrats continue to keep hope alive in their effort to replace Joe Biden as their nominee. We wish them well.

Follow Breitbart News for live updates below, all times Pacific.

***

8:26 p.m. PT

The chair gavels the convention into recess until tomorrow.

And that’s it, folks.

Surely the star of the night was West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice’s Babydog. Just kidding. But seriously, why doesn’t everyone bring their pets when they give speeches?

Babydog has her own chair, like the queen she is pic.twitter.com/uggvQLsEmw

— Jessica Taylor (@JessicaTaylor) July 16, 2024

Getting off stages. Babydog +1. Joe Biden 0. pic.twitter.com/irdQOme0M8

— GOP Convention (@GOPconvention) July 16, 2024

8:25 p.m. PT

Rev. Corey Brooks from Chicago’s South Side gives the closing prayer. He reminds the delegates that, by the grace of God, they are not having a week of mourning (if the assassin’s bullet had succeeded in killing Trump) but instead a week of celebration. He asks them to give a shout of thanks to God. And he delivers a wonderful speech mentioning all of America’s diverse communities from sea to shining sea. Again, this RNC has fully embraced all of America, and it’s a truly lovely thing to see.

7:57 p.m. PT

RNC Co-Chair and Trump daughter-in-law Lara Trump closes out the night. She talks about what her family experienced on Saturday and how nothing could prepare her as a mother for having to shield her children so that they would not see “their grandpa” be shot on television.

She conveys the big tent messaging of Trump’s RNC, which wants to make the country “great for all of us.” She quotes from Proverbs that “the righteous are as bold as a lion.” And she says Trump is a lion. (Yes, after Saturday, The Lion does seem to be The Donald’s new moniker.)

She touts Trump’s record of peace deals, prosperity, and no new wars. “You didn’t have to agree with everything he tweeted, but you could agree that you were better off when Trump was president.” She says that the Democrats can not convince you that you weren’t better off four years ago. But, she says you don’t need to believe the Democrats’ fear-mongering about “what it will be like” if Trump gets elected because you can “remember what it was like” when he was elected and you were better off.

She does a great job of humanizing Trump by talking about what he is like as grandfather. She reminds them that Trump didn’t need to run for president to be rich or famous. He did it, she says, because “he loves this country. He did it for his grandchildren and for your grandchildren and children.”

She says that she has seen Trump be dragged through court rooms and through hell and back, but “he has never backed down.” The crowd chants, “We love Trump!” and Trump gets up and gives them a fist pump.

She recounts how on the day Trump was convicted in New York, he went home and was playing with his grandkids. And she talks about the assassination attempt and Trump “hoisting his fist in the air.” At this, the crowd chants, “Fight, fight, fight!” She says that Trump’s defiant raised fist was to show everyone that America will always prevail.

She talks about how her father-in-law has always been supportive of her — from asking her to lead his 2016 North Carolina campaign effort to becoming a cable news commentator to now co-chairing the RNC. (She does a funny impression of Trump when he would call her after her cable news appearances with words of encouragement.) She thanks him for never giving up on her and on our country. She asks the country to vote for Trump. Great upbeat speech to end the night.

7:47 p.m. PT

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio talks about how we were “brought to the abyss” on Saturday. He talks about Trump building a movement of Americans like Corey Comperatore, the firefighter who died on Saturday shielding his family from the assassin’s bullets. Rubio eulogizes Corey who “lost his life the way he lived it: a hero.” He says that the people like Corey are the ones wearing the red hats and they are not “extremists” which Biden demonizes them as.

“There is absolutely nothing dangerous or divisive about putting Americans first,” Rubio says and the crowd chants “USA!”

He says, “The only way to make America strong again is to make Trump our president again.”

7:38 p.m. PT

Detroit’s own Dr. Ben Carson, Trump’s former HUD secretary and world renowned brain surgeon, takes the stage. He talks about the assassination attempt and quotes a Bible passage from the Book of Isaiah: “No weapon formed against you shall prosper.” And he lists all the weapons Trump’s enemies have used against him from law-fare to trying to kill him, “but there he is alive and well.”

“I have no doubt that God put a shield of protection over Donald Trump,” Carson said. He explained that these events have brought clarity to all of the problems America is facing. He calls out the media for “dividing us along lines of race, class, and gender” instead of uniting us.

Carson talks about his life story of being raised by a single mother in Detroit and becoming a brain surgeon and working in the Trump administration. He talks about living each day with “faith, hope, and joy as joyful warriors for Christ. And when God is with us no one can stand against us.” He gets a big cheer from the crowd for this message of faith.

He ends by telling the story of Alexis de Tocqueville’s study of democracy in America and his famous quote that “America is great because America is good.”

7:30 p.m. PT

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders talks about the miracle that Trump survived the assassin’s bullet on Saturday. She also talks about her time working for Trump and how Trump stood by her despite the viciousness she experienced from the Democrats and their media allies (who historically have always been particularly nasty to Republican women; just ask Sarah Palin).

She says that Trump survived that assassin’s bullet because “God is not finished with him” and that Trump has more to do for America. The crowd chants “USA!”

7:19 p.m. PT

Madeline Brame from New York City talks about her veteran son who survived the war in Iraq but was murdered on the streets of New York, and New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg dismissed and reduced the sentences of her son’s killers. She calls out the Democrat district attorneys around the country who are soft on crime and have ruined American communities.

She says the Democrats — and Biden and Harris in particular — have ignored the minority communities they claim to care about. “They betrayed us. They stabbed us in the back… They abandoned us. They neglected the poor minority communities across America,” she says.

She says that Trump shares her community’s values of love of God, family, and country and that he has been a victim of “the same corrupt system” — no doubt referring to the law-fare Trump is enduring at the hands of Alvin Bragg.

This speech brings down the house. Amazing.

7:14 p.m. PT

The family of Rachel Morin, a young woman who was raped and murdered by an illegal immigrant, now tell the horrible story that their family endured. They explain that there is “nothing compassionate” about open borders. Rachel’s murderer had murdered another woman in El Salvador but was allowed into the U.S. because of Biden’s open border. Her brother explains that Biden never called their family, but Trump did. “He cared. That is leadership, and we need real leadership back in the White House,” he says.

He gets applause when he says that his faith in Jesus Christ has gotten his family through this and that he hopes Rachel’s killer will also find Jesus Christ. Wow. powerful stuff here.

7:08 p.m. PT

Anne Fundner, a mother from southern California whose son died from fentanyl-laced pills, breaks down as she explains what happened to her family. “This was not an overdose; it was poisoning,” she says. She says that she holds Biden and Harris and their whole administration responsible for the death of her son, and the crowd gives her a standing ovation at this. This is by far the most real moment of the night. She is expressing what so many American families have had to deal with.

She says that for the fentanyl deaths alone, Biden “should be voted out of office.” The crowd chants, “Joe must go!”

She says this isn’t a “red or blue issue; it is a red, white, and blue issue.” She says that we need to designate the drug cartels terrorist organizations. She says it’s too late for her son Weston now (and to Joe Biden she says,”Say his name, Joe Biden: Weston”), but she says that it is not too late for the other children of America. She says, “We need Donald Trump back to save the lives of our kids.”

7:07 p.m. PT

Erin Koper, a Republican activist from Pittsburg, talks about the problems of crime in her city.

7:02 p.m. PT

Michael Coyle, a dad and small business owner from Philadelphia’s Kensington Beach neighborhood, talks about the problems of crime and illegal immigration in America’s cities. “My city and all cities deserve better,” he says. He talks about what fentanyl and tranq are doing to our communities. He ends with, “Kensington Beach for Trump!”

6:55 p.m. PT

Sen. Tom Cotton from Arkansas takes the stage. Cotton talks about the problems of our open border, a topic he has been hammering for many years. He talks about how he spoke with migrants at the border who acknowledged that the reason why they came now is “Biden.”

He says the “Biden chaos” will end soon by re-electing Trump.

6:50 p.m. PT

Next up is Sen. Eric Schmitt of Missouri. Schmitt, a former attorney general, talks about law and order issues. He says, “A vote for President Trump is a vote to make America safe again.”

6:40 p.m. PT

And here comes Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. He gets a cheer for his throw away line about “a Weekend at Bernie’s presidency.” He also gets applause for mentioning how he sent migrants to Martha’s Vineyard. More red meat about DEI, vaccine mandates, the definition of women, etc.

DeSantis ended with, “fight, fight, fight,” in homage to Trump’s words on Saturday after surviving the assassin’s bullet.

6:29 p.m. PT

And here comes Nikki. It’s a shame Vivek didn’t get this time slot, but it seems that the RNC is hoping that Haley will appeal to voters somewhere. She gets boos from the crowd here. Wow. They’re definitely not fans here, but the old Bushian neocon conservative establishment on the cable news panels love her.

She wins the crowd back over when she declares, “Donald Trump has my strong support. Period.” She is delivering what the RNC hoped she would by offering a unifying message. She’s listing all of the things that she and Trump agree on. One does get the impression that this speech is her job audition for the next Trump administration (or for the 2028 election).

6:24 p.m. PT

Attorney General Brenna Bird of Iowa takes the stage and talks about Republican law and order.

6:16 p.m. PT

Randy Sutton, a former police lieutenant, takes the stage as the crowd chants “back the blue.” He says, “Donald Trump is the best friend we will ever have.” He says America is facing a “plague of crime” that has “made America more dangerous than ever before.” He says Trump and Republicans stand on the “thin blue line” with police. He says the “war on cops” is real and getting police officers killed. He talks about the left’s efforts to “defund and destroy” policing and undermine law and order. He ends by saluting Trump, which Trump returns smiling.

I must say, Trump seems different since Saturday, and for the better. He seems more serious and — dare I say it — more statesman-like.

6:08 p.m. PT

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz thanks God for protecting Trump and prays for the protection of all of our leaders and asks for prayers for the victims of Saturday’s assassination attempt, including Corey Comperatore, the firefighter and Trump supporter who died while protecting his wife and children.

Cruz talks about the “evils” of America’s open border and the victims of these policies.

6:03 p.m. PT

And here comes the Big Man himself! Lots of love from this crowd for the bandaged American Lion.

5:55 p.m. PT

The Hillbilly has arrived! J.D. Vance gets a rock star welcome from this crowd. Trump is also expected to arrive at the convention tonight. This is, of course, a difference from past conventions where the tradition was to keep the nominees from attending until they officially accepted the nomination via a speech. But traditions have changed, just as the purpose of these conventions have changed over the years. They are no longer really about “deciding” who the nominee is. Those decisions are made well in advance. Conventions are now basically political theater. They’re “earned media” for political parties to tell Americans “here’s why you should vote for us.”

That said, if there is any hope for ever seeing a major American political party hold a “messy” contested convention, it will be the Democrats this year.

Meanwhile, in a speech earlier today…

Biden greets his friend “Mouse” from back when he was a “lifeguard in the projects.”

Not Corn Pop? pic.twitter.com/NClHSc0ci6

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 16, 2024

5:54 p.m. PT

Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson talks about why he is no longer a Democrat. He says the Democrats don’t care about building safe neighborhoods for black and brown communities. He touts his record of achieving three straight years of violent crime reduction and how his city has become one of the safest major cities in the country. He says that 11 of the top 15 safest cities are led by Republicans.

5:45 p.m. PT

Next up is reality television star Savannah Chrisley, who talks about her parents’ tribulations with the judicial system in Fulton County, where they are serving 12 and seven year prison sentences. She calls out the law-fare tactics against Trump and even mentions former Trump adviser and Breitbart News chairman Steve Bannon, who is currently serving a four month prison sentence in Connecticut for defying a Congressional subpoena.

5:33 p.m. PT

Okay, now it’s gonna get lively… Here comes Vivek, a Breitbart fan fav. He gives a classic stem winder. He rattles off a popular agenda in the style of “If you want…” and then ends the sentence with “vote Trump,” which the crowd joins him in repeating.

He says Donald Trump is actually a man who can unite the country through actual deeds because “success is unifying.” He addresses Black Americans and says that Republicans do care about Black communities and want for them what they want for everyone — peace, prosperity, equal justice.

He praises his immigrant parents and all legal immigrants, but has tough words for illegal immigrants. He praises Trump for being willing to “actually tells the truth… even if it comes with some mean tweets from time to time.”

He tells Gen Z that they are the ones who will save the country and encourages them to be a “rebel” by embracing traditions like marriage, faith, etc.

It was vintage Vivek.

5:28 p.m. PT

House Speaker Mike Johnson takes the stage and opens by promising the crowd that the Republican-led House is conducting an “immediate and thorough” investigation of Saturday’s assassination attempt.

5:20 p.m. PT

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise ended his speech by talking about being the victim of political violence during the 2017 shooting at the Congressional baseball game. He said that Trump was the first person to call and console his family after the shooting.

5:16 p.m. PT

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota touts the House GOP’s record. Emmer could potentially be the next Speaker if House Republicans retain their majority and decide to replace Speaker Johnson. Emmer calls out the Democrats’ record on trade and China. It’s hard to overstate how much Trump’s populist economic trade message has destroyed the old “free trade” Cato Institute blather that dominated the GOP for decades.

5:15 p.m. PT

Rep. Elise Stefanik uses the word “Bidenflation”–a term coined by Breitbart News–to call out Biden’s inflationary policies.

4:59 p.m. PT

Hung Cao, the Virginia Senate candidate, opens with a sound that his Vietnamese parents heard when they fled the fall of Saigon. He’s a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and a Navy Special Operations vet who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He gets the crowd chanting, “USA!”

“I love this country so much that I wrote a blank check up to and including my life,” he says. He calls out his Democrat opponent (“Hillary Clinton’s running mate”) Tim Kayne.

4:53 p.m. PT

Tim Sheehy, another veteran, takes the stage. He is running against Democrat Sen. Jon Tester in Montana. He criticizes Biden’s disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal.

4:52 p.m. PT

Nevada Senate candidate Sam Brown, a war veteran who bears the scars from America’s decades of wars, gave a poignant anti-war message. “Look at my face. This is the price of war… I’ve been through the fire.” He calls out Biden’s dangerous warmongering and the suffering that these endless and pointless wars will bring.

4:41 p.m. PT

Indiana’s own Jim Banks, who is running for Senate, is next. And what a tough act to follow after Baby Dog! Banks, who currently represents Indiana’s 3rd congressional district in the U.S. House, is also well known to Breitbart readers. In an interview today with Breitbart, he praised Trump’s decision to pick Vance as his running mate. Banks, who is a conservative in the same populist mold as Vance, told Breitbart that Trump is “cementing the future of the America First movement” with the Vance pick.

Banks says that his union worker dad was a Democrat but is now a Trump voter. He talks about how Trump brought back American manufacturing and took on China with tariffs.

4:40 p.m. PT

West Virginia Gov. and U.S. Senate candidate Jim Justice takes the stage with his dog “Babydog” (yes, that is the correct spelling. I checked!).

It’s unclear to me why he brought Babydog, but I love it. Justice says, “Babydog has a prediction…” And, according to Justice, Babydog predicts only great things for Republicans. Gotta love West Virginia.

Babydog makes an appearance at the RNC alongside Jim Justice pic.twitter.com/pkVvvurLzf

— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) July 16, 2024

4:26 p.m. PT

Dave McCormick, who is running for Senate in Pennsylvania, takes the stage. McCormick was at the rally on Saturday and witnessed the attempted assassination. He says that he “witnessed firsthand from a front row seat in Butler” how “the president rose to the challenge.” And that’s all he says about that. It’s interesting that we have not heard more from the speakers about the assassination attempt. It’s feels like the elephant in the room.

4:22 p.m. PT

Next up is the Great Lake State’s own Mike Rogers, who is running for Senate. He gives a shout out to the hard working people of Michigan. And, of course, the man running in the state that’s home to the Motor City calls out Biden’s idiotic electric vehicle agenda and the Democrats’ efforts to give U.S. tax dollars to a Chinese EV company in Michigan. He gets a huge cheer when he dunks on EVs.

4:16 p.m. PT

Bernie Moreno, who is running for Senate in Ohio, takes the stage. Moreno is well known to Breitbart readers. He’s another Rust Belt populist in the mold of J.D. Vance, who he touts tonight, calling Vance his friend. He talks about securing the border, ending the wars, and bringing peace.

4:10 p.m. PT

MAGA favorite Kari Lake, who is running for Senate in Arizona, calls out the “fake news media” for lying about everything from Trump, to the economy, to the open borders, to the Hunter laptop, and even Joe Biden’s health. She slams her Democrat opponent’s stance on the open border. She starts a “build the wall” chant.

“And while we’re building the wall, lets kick the Bidenomics to the curb and bring back the MAGAnomics,” she says.

Lake then cribs a line from former Alaska Gov. and Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin by talking about mama bears protecting their cubs. She says she heard somewhere that “the most dangerous place on planet earth is between a mama bear and her cubs.” (She heard it from Palin. Take it from this writer, who was a Palin speechwriter.)