Trump assails rival Biden, accepting Republican nomination for second White House term

[webfact]

Trump assails rival Biden, accepting Republican nomination for second White House term

By Jeff Mason and Joseph Ax

 

U.S. President Donald Trump claps hands near of U.S. first lady Melania Trump before delivering his acceptance speech as the 2020 Republican presidential nominee during the final event of the Republican National Convention on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, U.S., August 27, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump, accepting the Republican nomination for a second term, said on Thursday that he alone stands as a bulwark against the forces of socialism, anarchy and extremism that his Democratic rival Joe Biden would champion if elected in November.

 

Speaking from the White House South Lawn despite criticism he was using the executive residence as a political prop, Trump asserted that a Biden victory would only worsen the crises besieging the country.

 

"This election will decide whether we save the American dream or whether we allow a socialist agenda to demolish our cherished destiny." Trump said on the fourth and final night of the Republican National Convention. "This election will decide whether we protect law-abiding Americans, or whether we give free rein to violent anarchic agitators and criminals who threaten our citizens."

 

Despite the coronavirus pandemic, Trump delivered his remarks in front of more than 1,000 people, standing in front of dozens of American flags and basking in chants of "Four more years!" and "U.S.A.!"

 

Though an incumbent seeking a second four-year term, Trump remains a self-styled outsider, an approach that won him the White House, his first elected office, in 2016 on a promise to end the crime and violence he said was afflicting the country.

 

On Thursday, he and other Republican speakers argued that state and city Democratic leaders, not the Trump administration, were to blame for the racial strife convulsing U.S. cities, including Kenosha, Wisconsin, where this week police shot and paralysed a Black man.

 

"No one will be safe in Biden's America," Trump said despite the surge of unrest during his watch.

 

As the night unfolded, Biden struck back on Twitter, writing, "When Donald Trump says tonight you won't be safe in Joe Biden's America, look around and ask yourself: How safe do you feel in Donald Trump's America?"

 

The made-for-television scene - befitting the first reality TV host to serve as president - stood in marked contrast to Biden's acceptance speech last week, which was broadcast live from a largely empty arena in a nod to the disease.

 

The crowd, seated in white chairs inches apart, showed little evidence of social distancing or face masks despite health experts' recommendations.

 

The coronavirus prompted both political parties to scale back their conventions and make events mostly virtual. The Trump campaign said it had taken appropriate health precautions.

 

In a reminder of the country's divisions, attendees could hear anti-Trump protesters at nearby Black Lives Matter Plaza as he spoke.

 

MORE THAN 180,000 DEATHS

More than 180,000 people have died in the United States from the coronavirus - more than any other country, according to a Reuters tally - amid a fresh wave of protests over the latest high-profile police shooting of a Black American.

 

In Kenosha, relative calm returned after three nights of civil strife ending on Tuesday, including arson, vandalism and deadly shootings.

 

Trump, a former New York real estate developer, is seeking to turn around a re-election campaign that has been largely overshadowed by a health crisis that has put millions of Americans out of work.

 

In his speech on Thursday, Trump repeated his assertion that China is to blame for the pandemic and promised to rebuild what Republicans have called the "greatest economy" in history. But opinion polls have shown most Americans are disappointed in his response to the coronavirus, which he played down for weeks.

 

While his approval rating among Republican voters remains high, dissent is mounting within the party. In three open letters being published on Thursday and Friday, Biden won endorsements from more than 160 people who worked for Republican former President George W. Bush or for past Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney and John McCain, the New York Times and Politico reported.

 

Earlier this week, 27 former Republican lawmakers endorsed Biden while the Lincoln Project, among the most prominent Republican-backed groups opposing Trump, said a former Republican Party head had joined it as a senior adviser.

 

Thursday's program aimed to counterbalance those defections, featuring a video showcasing former Democratic voters who say they now support Trump and remarks from U.S. Representative Jeff Van Drew, who abandoned the Democratic Party to join the Republicans after voting against Trump's impeachment this year.

 

"Joe Biden is being told what to do by the radicals running my former party, the same radicals trying to install him as their puppet president," he said.

 

The program also included several emotional appeals, including from the parents of Kayla Mueller, an aid worker who died after being held captive for months by Islamic State militants in Syria. The Mueller parents said they blamed the Obama administration for failing to rescue Mueller.

 

The Republican convention has attracted fewer television viewers than its Democratic counterpart on two of its three nights so far, including on Wednesday, according to early Nielsen Media Research.

 

A total of 17.3 million people watched the third night of the mostly virtual Republican National Convention on Wednesday, according to Nielsen, fewer than the 22.8 million viewers for the third night of last week's Democratic convention.

 

Trump kicked off the week on Monday by accusing Democrats of seeking to steal the election by advocating for mail-in voting. His previous high-profile speeches have also emphasized grim themes, including his inaugural address in January 2017 that described "American carnage."

 

(Reporting by Jeff Mason and Joseph Ax; Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu, Jason Lange, Trevor Hunnicutt and Jonathan Landay; Editing by Soyoung Kim and Howard Goller)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-08-28

 

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[chrisinth]

5 minutes ago, webfact said:

As the night unfolded, Biden struck back on Twitter, writing, "When Donald Trump says tonight you won't be safe in Joe Biden's America, look around and ask yourself: How safe do you feel in Donald Trump's America?"

No horse in the race, but truth should hurt.

 

Far, far to much talk from Donald with zero responsibility of his appointment.

[Eric Loh]

Lie fest has now move on to blame fest. People are simply tire of this repeating lies and blames. The country is the midst of a pandemic, civil unrest, hurricane, raging wild fires, massive unemployment and economic uncertainty and expect the President to provide visions to navigate through these crisis. Yet it is the same old Trump's hate and avoidance of responsibilities type speech. 

[Sujo]

It certainly was low energy, full of lies, no surprise there.

 

Kind of funny him blaming biden for the chaos when he is the one who is president.

[ThaiFelix]

I guess the contents of Donald's speeches are by now restricted to attacking his rival as he has no positive accomplishments to boast about and no-one believes his promises anymore eg his promise to return law and order.

[jcsmith]

1 hour ago, ThaiFelix said:

I guess the contents of Donald's speeches are by now restricted to attacking his rival as he has no positive accomplishments to boast about and no-one believes his promises anymore eg his promise to return law and order.

It's all he's got.

[Mavideol]

1 hour ago, Sujo said:

It certainly was low energy, full of lies, no surprise there.

 

Kind of funny him blaming biden for the chaos when he is the one who is president.

always easy to blame somebody else.... since when did Trump ever took responsibility for anything

[Mavideol]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

 

"No one will be safe in Biden's America," Trump said despite the surge of unrest during his watch.

he's the one currently in charge and the militias keep doing/following his instructions to create unrest "only" on democrats run states. He has no agenda and no class to hold a proper dialogue during the campaign, the only thing he knows how to do is to scream and insult anyone not agreeing with him

[Mavideol]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

The Republican convention has attracted fewer television viewers than its Democratic counterpart on two of its three nights so far, including on Wednesday, according to early Nielsen Media Research.

but the RNC/FOX (fake) news were saying their viewers were ahead of the DNC by big numbers.... Trump and his (fake) numbers  555

 

https://www.foxnews.com/media/fox-news-record-rnc-audience-outdrawing-cnn-msnbc

 

but another news outlet has a different approach

 

https://meaww.com/republican-convention-rnc-2020-draws-17-million-tv-viewers-down-26-from-2016-dems-live-streams

[twocatsmac]

13 minutes ago, Mavideol said:

but the RNC/FOX (fake) news were saying their viewers were ahead of the DNC by big numbers.... Trump and his (fake) numbers  555

 

https://www.foxnews.com/media/fox-news-record-rnc-audience-outdrawing-cnn-msnbc

 

but another news outlet has a different approach

 

https://meaww.com/republican-convention-rnc-2020-draws-17-million-tv-viewers-down-26-from-2016-dems-live-streams

????   just like the last elections (fake) numbers.

 

Prepare for another 4 years of denial. ????

[Boon Mee]

Prepare for another 4 years of positive leadership under President Donald J. Trump! ???? 

MAGA 

[candide]

The serial liar was up to his reputation!

[Silurian]

Did Donald's acceptance speech end yet? The incessant droning was absolutely mind numbing. You could see parts of the crowd checking their smartphones about a half hour into it. I think Donald was putting himself asleep by the way he was holding on so tightly to the podium.

 

Terrible speech delivered by a terrible person (woman, man, camera, TV).

 

[ballpoint]

3 hours ago, ThaiFelix said:

... no-one believes his promises anymore eg his promise to return law and order.

Sadly, as Lincoln is famously claimed to have said, you can fool some of the people all of the time (though he actually said you can fool a part of the people all the time).  Trump relies on this as he divides the country and plays on the fears of its most insecure citizens - the 'we'll all be murdered in our beds' brigade.  As we've seen in arms control debates and Trump rallies, there are all too many who do believe his lies.  And, as the 2016 election showed us, that 'all too many' doesn't even have to be most of the people for the horror show to continue.

[klauskunkel]

President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he alone stands as a (tremendous) bulwark (of fascism) against the forces of socialism, anarchy and extremism and Mexicans and blackish looking people and the Chinese Virus, however, if things turn out badly he could count on his good friends Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un to provide assistance, since America's traditional allies don't want to talk to him anymore.

[Isaan sailor]

Joe Biden has the full support of CCP, BLM Antifa and the vast majority of TV posters, as far as I can see...

[Brickbat]

He talks like Biden is the President.
Master of insults, blaming Biden, when America currently is damn mess under his watch.

As for the stock market, that 7 Trillion Powell has pumped into stocks will come back to bite future generations.

 Has the Rep party gone nuts?

[Tippaporn]

Yet another Dem, Nancy Pelosi, opining that Biden should not debate with Trump.  “Don’t tell anybody I told you this.  Especially don’t tell Joe Biden.  But I don’t think there shouldn't be any debates.”

 

The Dems are scared to death of what might happen if Biden debates Trump.  We've had presidential debates uninterrupted starting in 1976.  This would be a first.  I don't know about anyone else but I can't say it would be for any reason other than Joe Biden is scared sh!tless.  Imagine that for a moment.  A presidential nominee afraid to debate his opponent in public.  And people would vote for this coward?

[riclag]

The average American swing voters in those swing states like Minnesota Wisconsin and Illinois are  gonna decide this election!

 

 The optics of the last 3 months of violence and thuggery in some of those cities by the biden supporters,  sealed the election for the lefts 22k man, imop

[riclag]

21 minutes ago, Tippaporn said:

Yet another Dem, Nancy Pelosi, opining that Biden should not debate with Trump.  “Don’t tell anybody I told you this.  Especially don’t tell Joe Biden.  But I don’t think there shouldn't be any debates.”

 

The Dems are scared to death of what might happen if Biden debates Trump.  We've had presidential debates uninterrupted starting in 1976.  This would be a first.  I don't know about anyone else but I can't say it would be for any reason other than Joe Biden is scared sh!tless.  Imagine that for a moment.  A presidential nominee afraid to debate his opponent in public.  And people would vote for this coward?

 To your point. You remember the surprise Mr. Trump gave the so called media, in the second debate! biden might be imop worried of that

Edited August 28, 2020 by riclag

[Orton Rd]

3 hours ago, Boon Mee said:

Prepare for another 4 years of positive leadership under President Donald J. Trump! ???? 

MAGA 

Indeed at least the man can deliver an hour speech where the Biden stumbled through 20 minutes with blunders. There really should be a mental health check before anyone can run for president, if there was Biden would fail.

Edited August 28, 2020 by Orton Rd

[tlandtday]

Who in their right mind would want to have a lawyer leader such as Biden who has been  nothing but a political hack all his life?  Talk about sucking the govt tit.  What has the guy accomplished in all his years... very little...

[Redline]

7 hours ago, Eric Loh said:

Lie fest has now move on to blame fest. People are simply tire of this repeating lies and blames. The country is the midst of a pandemic, civil unrest, hurricane, raging wild fires, massive unemployment and economic uncertainty and expect the President to provide visions to navigate through these crisis. Yet it is the same old Trump's hate and avoidance of responsibilities type speech. 

He's had the same strategy his entire life

[Redline]

1 hour ago, Tippaporn said:

Yet another Dem, Nancy Pelosi, opining that Biden should not debate with Trump.  “Don’t tell anybody I told you this.  Especially don’t tell Joe Biden.  But I don’t think there shouldn't be any debates.”

 

The Dems are scared to death of what might happen if Biden debates Trump.  We've had presidential debates uninterrupted starting in 1976.  This would be a first.  I don't know about anyone else but I can't say it would be for any reason other than Joe Biden is scared sh!tless.  Imagine that for a moment.  A presidential nominee afraid to debate his opponent in public.  And people would vote for this coward?

Like the guy the dodged the military countless times?  Why should Biden debate him, he can win anyway.

Trump doesn't follow protocol~who cares?  Biden knows what he's doing.

I think Trump should debated Harris~that would be comedic.

Edited August 28, 2020 by Redline

[Mavideol]

1 minute ago, Redline said:

I think Trump should debated Harris~that would be comedic.

I am all for it, his big mouth would be shut for sometime

[candide]

1 hour ago, Tippaporn said:

Yet another Dem, Nancy Pelosi, opining that Biden should not debate with Trump.  “Don’t tell anybody I told you this.  Especially don’t tell Joe Biden.  But I don’t think there shouldn't be any debates.”

 

The Dems are scared to death of what might happen if Biden debates Trump.  We've had presidential debates uninterrupted starting in 1976.  This would be a first.  I don't know about anyone else but I can't say it would be for any reason other than Joe Biden is scared sh!tless.  Imagine that for a moment.  A presidential nominee afraid to debate his opponent in public.  And people would vote for this coward?

And, as usual, you take a quote out of context.

"Don’t tell anybody I told you this. Especially don’t tell Joe Biden. I don’t think that there should be any debates,” Pelosi said. “I do not think that the president of the United States has comported himself in a way … that has any association with truth, evidence, data and facts.”

 

“I think that he’ll probably act in a way that is beneath the dignity of the presidency. He does that every day,” Pelosi added. “But I think he will also belittle what the debates are supposed to be about.”

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/nancy-pelosi-says-biden-shouldnt-debate-trump-i-dont-think-that-he-should-dignify-that-conversation-2020-08-27

 

Plus, Biden has agreed to debate. How is he a coward?

[Mavideol]

1 hour ago, Tippaporn said:

Yet another Dem, Nancy Pelosi, opining that Biden should not debate with Trump.  “Don’t tell anybody I told you this.  Especially don’t tell Joe Biden.  But I don’t think there shouldn't be any debates.”

 

The Dems are scared to death of what might happen if Biden debates Trump.  We've had presidential debates uninterrupted starting in 1976.  This would be a first.  I don't know about anyone else but I can't say it would be for any reason other than Joe Biden is scared sh!tless.  Imagine that for a moment.  A presidential nominee afraid to debate his opponent in public.  And people would vote for this coward?

afraid is a big word, Biden is a classy educated person and would be ready for a well civilized dialogue but we all know that's expecting too much from Trump, the only things he does on the debates is screaming and insulting, should look back at 2016 to refresh the memory

[Isaan sailor]

3 minutes ago, Mavideol said:

I am all for it, his big mouth would be shut for sometime

I might like that too.  It means Joe would have to drop out.  Maybe living in his basement will force it.

[Paul Henry]

Unfortunately 70 minutes of continual lying. Trump had the opportunity to tell  America what his plan for the next 4 years is on how to "MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN". He failed in the last four years. The state of the country now is a direct reflection of how he has made it in the last four years. (NOBODY BUT HIM). He is now blaming the Democrats and Biden ( and Obama) for his absolute failure. He forgets that Biden was not leading the fight while Trump stuffed up everything he promised and lied about. It is very hard to see how or why the republicans continue to support or believe the make believe president. Nearly all of the elected Republicans have failed their constituents. A handful have lived by and committed to their promises and oaths. The unanswered question is why have so many Republicans failed to think and act for themselves,like sheep they have blindly follow the repetitive lies of Trump and forsaken the people who voted and put them in power.

ALL republicans must remember the future of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is in their hands. The country has forever stood fast against all dictators and despots until they have one at the helm of the country. Republicans have failed the hundreds of thousands of loyal Americans who have died to maintain the heritage of a free and democratic country

[EVENKEEL]

5 hours ago, Mavideol said:

he's the one currently in charge and the militias keep doing/following his instructions to create unrest "only" on democrats run states. He has no agenda and no class to hold a proper dialogue during the campaign, the only thing he knows how to do is to scream and insult anyone not agreeing with him

Please prove your post, the part about the militias creating unrest in dem states. Or perhaps you're selling wolf tickets.