Former Vice President Joe Biden accepts the Democratic presidential nomination during a speech delivered for the largely virtual 2020 Democratic National Convention from the Chase Center in Wilmington, Del., on Aug. 20, 2020. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
The Biden campaign responded to night two of this week’s Republican National Convention, casting it as an evening of “empty rhetoric” and “empty gestures.”
“Since announcing his candidacy for President and immediately upon taking office, Trump has consistently attacked our values and the contributions of immigrants,” Jennifer Molina, Latino media director for Biden for President, said in a statement.
“Replacing last night’s empty rhetoric with tonight’s empty gestures does not erase four years of failed policies.”
Republicans showed a more forgiving side of President Donald Trump on Aug. 25. First Lady Melania Trump called her husband someone who will “not stop fighting for you and your families.” During the night, Trump pardoned a reformed felon and oversaw a naturalization ceremony for a diverse group of five immigrants.
Small-business owners were also given a key voice during the event, which followed the theme “Land of Opportunity,” a theme the Trump campaign said was aimed to highlight Trump’s efforts to “to empower all Americans.”
Aside from Melania, other members of the Trump family, Tiffany and Eric Trump, also gave speeches. Other big speakers at the Aug. 25 convention—which followed an opening night that focused on the theme “Land of Promise”—included Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), and Larry Kudlow, director of the National Economic Council.
First Lady Melania Trump waves as President Donald Trump looks on after her address to the Republican National Convention from the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, on Aug. 25, 2020. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, an Aug. 26 Reuters/Ipsos poll found that Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden saw no bounce in popular support after last week’s Democratic National Convention.
That marks a shift from many past election cycles. The previous Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton, saw a 4-percentage-point gain against Trump after her party’s 2016 convention, while Trump’s support also rose 4 points after his party’s gathering that year.
In her statement, Molina said Republicans and the Trump campaign “are trying to use their convention to create an alternate reality and distract from the crisis they created.”
“But here are the facts: millions of Latinos are out of work and facing economic uncertainty, the community has the highest rate of infection from COVID-19 while the Trump Administration has spent four years trying to undermine our access to healthcare.”
One of the speakers on Aug. 25 was Latina pastor Norma Urrabazo, who has been serving at the International Church of Las Vegas for 17 years.
Urrabazo, who is on the Executive Board of the National Latina/Latino Commission, began the night with a prayer that included the mentioning of Jacob Blake, the black man who was shot in the back by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Urrabazo also included law enforcement in her prayer.
Democratic presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden speaks as his vice presidential running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris, listens during their first press conference in Wilmington, Del., on Aug. 12, 2020. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)
Speakers at the convention delivered addresses either in front of an empty hall or remotely due to concerns about the spread of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party ) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus.
In an Aug. 26 tweet, Biden promised that as president he will “protect America.”
“I will protect you and your family. I will defend our nation from threats seen and unseen,” he wrote on Twitter. “It’s the least of what we should expect from an American president.”
The Democratic National Convention, which was conducted in a similar format last week, featured a number of people who voted for Trump in 2016 but have since switched to support Biden.
Epoch Times reporter Ivan Pentchoukov, Reuters, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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