(CN) — The second night of the Republican National Convention, which kicked off with a pardon of a convicted bank robber and featured a naturalization ceremony, was intended to highlight opportunities Americans have because of President Donald Trump’s policies.
An eighth-generation lobster fisherman from Maine, a Minnesota Mayor, a police officer from New Mexico and a Wisconsin dairy farmer each attributed their wellbeing to Trump and the policy changes and environmental overhauls he has implemented during his administration.
Jason Joyce, the lobster Fisherman praised the president's brokering of a deal to end EU tariffs of 8% on Maine live lobsters and up to 20% on Maine lobster products, while farmer Cris Peterson said Trump had acknowledged the importance of farmers and agriculture "more than any president"
But the programming, much like that of Monday evening, also featured many warnings about former Vice President Joe Biden, liberals and the media.
Cissie Graham Lynch, the granddaughter of late Reverend Billy Graham, echoed on Tuesday the divisive rhetoric that appeared throughout Monday night’s convention.
“The Biden-Harris vision for America leaves no room for people of faith. Whether you're a baker, a florist, or a football coach, they will force the choice between being obedient to God, or to Caesar, “ she said. “Because the radical left's god is government power.”
Nick Sandmann, self-described as “the teenager who was defamed by the media after an encounter with a group of protestors on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial last year,” urged voters to opt for Trump, or else, lose the election to “anti-christian, anti-Trump and anti-conservative” Democrats.
Sandmann was cast into the public spotlight when footage of the then-student donning a MAGA hat while standing in front of Native American elder Nathan Phillips went viral.
The 2019 confrontation on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial received much media attention, which depicted Sandmann as having mocked the elder, until a longer video emerged that revealed neither Sandmann nor his peers provoked the incident.
“I learned that what was happening to me had a name. It was called being canceled. As in annulled. As in revoked. As in made void,” The 18-year-old graduate of Covington Catholic High School told viewers on Tuesday.
“Canceled is what’s happening to people around this country who refuse to be silenced by the far left. Many are being fired, humiliated or even threatened. Often, the media is a willing participant,” he said.
During the convention, Tiffany Trump added to the anti-media talking point that has been popular among the president’s base throughout his term.
“People must recognize that our thoughts, opinions, and even the choice of who we vote for are being manipulated and invisibly coerced by the media and tech giants,” she said.
“If you tune into the media, you get one biased opinion or another. And if what you share does not fit into the narrative they seek to promote, then it is either ignored or deemed a ‘lie’, regardless of the truth. This manipulation of what information we receive impedes our freedoms,” added Trump.
The president’s former political opponent Kentucky Senator Rand Paul said he was “proud of the job” Trump has done as president, saying that their occasional policy differences are “far outweighed” by their agreements.
“But more important than simple agreement is accomplishment,” Paul added.
The senator said that, while others talked about criminal justice reform, “President Trump signed the First Step Act, the first real reform in a generation, and one that sought to undo the harm that others, like Joe Biden, have done.”
The First Step Act was a bipartisan bill, passed by Congress in 2018 and signed by Trump, to combat mass incarceration and its disproportionate effects on Blacks and Latinos. Applauded by both Democrats and Republicans, the bill served as the first major legislative reduction to federal drug sentences, ultimately reducing the federal prison population.
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