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US election 2020 as it happened: Mike Pence, Kellyanne Conway spoke at RNC on day three

Farrah Tomazin and Chris Zappone
Updated ,first published

Summary


  • Vice-President Mike Pence accepted the Republican nomination to run again on the Trump ticket. In a word of praise, Pence said Trump had "certainly kept things interesting."
  • Deadly violence rocked Wisconsin following the police shooting of a black man Jacob Blake. NBA players boycotted games forcing the league to postpone playoffs.
  • Pence touted Donald Trump's response to the coronavirus pandemic which has killed nearly 180,000 Americans with 1000 dying each day. Pence said the US is on track for a vaccine by year's end.
  • Democrats, watchdogs assailed ethics violations in use of White House and political appointees as performers in day two of the convention.
  • The Joe Biden campaign dismissed the RNC day 2 proceedings as "alternate reality" and  a "delusion".

Another day of RNC comes to an end

By Farrah Tomazin

That’s it for the second last day of the Republican National Convention; thanks for joining us.

It was a night that focused heavily on law and order, race relations, and gender equality - issues that Trump believes will assist his path to victory on November 3.

Tomorrow we’ll hear from the President himself, when he formally accepts his party’s nomination with a speech at the White House.

Until then, stay safe.

Outreach to black male voters

By Chris Zappone

The Trump administration is keen to reach out to black male voters, which has been reflected in the line-up of the RNC. Jack Brewer, an ex-NFL player, made the case for Trump. Last night Georgia state representative Vernon Jones appeared.

The Republican Party has sought to reach out to black community for decades but has been hampered by both by policy and the party primarily white identity. This year, with so much in flux, the Trump campaign is looking to make in-roads.

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Others focused on a non-miraculous comment Joe Biden made during the Democratic National Convention.

A little funny business

By Chris Zappone

Some fishy messages on ditching the Democratic Party circulating online.

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Some fishy call-ins to the public affairs channel in the US.

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Pence accuses Biden of cheerleading for China, even as Trump praises China.

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Trump ends the night with an anthem and an adoring crowd

By Farrah Tomazin

After Pence concludes his speech, Donald Trump joins him on stage, together with Melania Trump and Karen Pence.

They stand for a rendition of Star-Spangled Banner, the song that was inspired by the battles waged on these grounds at Fort McHenry in Baltimore.

No masks: Donald and Melania Trump greet well-wishers at Fort McHenry after Vice-President Pence's speech.

Once country crooner Trace Adkins finishes the anthem, Trump, Pence and their wives walk off the stage to greet soldiers and other guests in the audience.

They pose for photos and mingle with the adoring crowd, most of whom are not wearing masks or social distancing.

It's a stark contrast to the virtual Democratic National Convention last week, where Joe Biden and Kamala Harris gave their speeches to an almost empty auditorium.

Democrats would eliminate petrol powered cars: Senator Joni Ernst's big claim

By

Senator Joni Ernst said Joe Biden and Kamala Harris sought to “essentially ban animal agriculture and eliminate gas[petrol]-powered cars.”

But Biden’s plan on energy and the environment is not as far-reaching as the Green New Deal sponsored by Represenative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other Democrats.

Senator Joni Ernst

Biden’s plan calls for “net-zero emissions no later than 2050.” That’s 30 years from now. The Green New Deal operates on a 10-year timeline and includes more stringent energy restrictions and steeper spending on green infrastructure.

Biden’s plan says that “we must look at all low- and zero-carbon technologies,” leaving the door open to carbon capture and other fossil-fuel-based sources.

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"I humbly accept your nomination to run as Vice President": Mike Pence

By Farrah Tomazin

US Vice President Mike Pence is up now, to formally accept his nomination as the Vice Presidential candidate.

This is an important speech because it will make the case for Trump's re-election, and also lay the foundation for Pence's own possible tilt at the White House in 2024.

Mike Pence accepting the nomination for vice president.

In line with tonight’s theme “Land of Heroes”, Pence is accepting the nomination from the historic Fort McHenry in Baltimore, the place that inspired the American national anthem.

It takes about 90 seconds for the VP to lash out at the Democrats.

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Mayor Pete takes aim at Mike Pence

By Farrah Tomazin

Soon we'll hear from Vice President Mike Pence, who will formally accept his nomination as Donald Trump's running mate.

Before he was VP, Pence was the 50th governor of Indiana - home to former Mayor of South Bend Peter Buttigieg.

The Democrats have kept a fairly low profile since their Convention last week, but "Mayor Pete" came out swinging today to take aim at Pence for his views on homosexuality.

Pence once argued that homosexuality was a choice, during his fight in the early 1990s against local efforts ban discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Buttigieg, an openly gay Afghanistan war veteran, hasn’t forgotten.

“As a Hoosier myself, born and raised here in Indiana, I’m no stranger to Vice President Pence’s divisive, anti-LGBTQ politics, and I’ve certainly never hesitated to stand up to his agenda of imposing an archaic worldview, stripping countless Americans - including me - of their rights,” Buttigieg wrote in a fundraising email today.

“I don’t expect him to come around. Yet, it is still jarring that a man rooted in faith and scripture would punch the clock every day for a boss whose conduct flies in the face of every notion, liberal and conservative, of basic morals or decency.”

Violent crime and race take centre stage at the RNC

By Farrah Tomazin

Law and order takes centre stage again, this time with the story of Sam Vigil, the widower of Jacqueline Vigil, a woman was shot and killed in her front driveway in Albuquerque when she was trying to go to the gym.

Vigil was in the White House last month as the president announced “Operation Legend” - a plan to surge federal agents into states fighting violent crime.

Vigil's speech is followed by civil rights activist Clarence Henderson, who was hailed as a hero nearly 60 years ago when, as a young black man, he participated in a sit-in at a segregated North Carolina lunch counter.

“I don't even have a birth certificate and never attended an integrated school, and I'm the only one out of my immediate family who graduated from college,” he says. “You know what else? I'm a Republican, and I support Donald Trump.

“If that sounds strange, know your history. It was the Republican party that passed the 13th amendment abolishing slavery... It was a Republican Party that passed the 15th amendment, giving black men the right to vote. Freedom of thought is a powerful thing.”

Chen Guangcheng, the 'barefoot lawyer' from China

By Chris Zappone

Chinese civil rights activist Chen Guangcheng, known as the "barefoot lawyer" for his advocacy for the poor and downtrodden, discusses his arrest and beating by the Chinese Communist Party.

Chen, who now lives in the US, said: "The CCP is an enemy of humanity. It is terrorising its own people. And it is threatening the well-being of the world."

Chinese civil rights activist Chen Guangcheng.

Chen's appearance will surely raise eyebrows in Beijing where the Chinese Communist Party is entangled in a tussle with the US over trade, technology and influence.

"We need to support, vote and fight for President Trump for the sake of the world."

Trump's personalisation of the US contest with China will also be watched by others, including, in Australia.

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'Be a radical for our republic'

By Chris Zappone

North Carolina congressional candidate Madison Cawthorn gave an optimistic, rousing speech on freedom and the possibilities for the US.

North Carolina congressional candidate Madison Cawthorn.

Cawthorn who is wheelchair bound after an injury in a car smash, then stood as he urged the conservatives: "Be a radical for freedom. Be a radical for liberty. Be a radical for our republic for which I stand one nation under God with liberty and justice for all."

You may recall the final words, which come from the Pledge of Allegiance, recited at the beginning of the school and sports events in the US.

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