#Mike Pence accepts VP nomination, says Trump ‘believes in America’ at RNC

Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday urged voters to reelect President Trump, hailing him as someone who “believes in America” at the 2020 Republican National Convention.

Accepting his party’s vice presidential nomination from Fort McHenry National Monument in Baltimore to cries of “four more years!” from a large crowd, Pence accused Biden and Democrats of demeaning the nation as it confronts the coronavirus crisis and a painful reckoning on race.

Accepting his party’s vice presidential nomination from Fort McHenry National Monument in Baltimore, Pence accused Biden and Democrats of demeaning the nation as it confronts the coronavirus crisis and a painful reckoning on race.

“The heroes who held this fort took their stand for Life, liberty, freedom and the American flag. Those ideals have defined our nation,” Pence said on the third night of the convention, themed “Land of Heroes.”

“Yet they were hardly ever mentioned during last week’s Democratic Convention,” he continued.

“Instead, Democrats spent four days attacking America. Joe Biden said we were living through ‘a season of American darkness,’ but as President Trump said, ‘Where Joe Biden sees American darkness, we see American greatness.’”

Instead, Democrats spent four days attacking America. Joe Biden said we were living through ‘a season of American darkness,’ but as President Trump said, ‘Where Joe Biden sees American darkness, we see American greatness.’”

At the battlefield of the War of 1812 that inspired Francis Scott Key to write “The Star-Spangled Banner,” Pence said the country needed a president who was a cheerleader for the nation is difficult times.

“Our country needs a president who believes in America. Who believes in the boundless capacity of the American people to meet any challenge, defeat any foe, and defend the freedoms we all hold dear.”

The speech was a sharp departure from the dark addresses of the opening night of the GOP gathering where speakers warned of a socialist apocalypse if Joe Biden gained the White House.

The former Indiana governor, 61, formally accepted his renomination as the vice president in front of approximately 100 guests and a sea of American flags — putting an end to the speculation that Trump would dump his loyal veep ahead of the November election.

President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump made a surprise appearance at the end of Pence’s speech, joining the second couple for a rendition of the national anthem and later greeted fans with them in the audience.

A staunch conservative and pro-life evangelical Christian, Pence has been a faithful advocate of Trump while shoring-up the thrice-married Manhattan property developer’s religious bonafides.

Pence acknowledged their odd-couple reputation early in the speech and said while Trump had “kept things interesting” — a nod to his brash leadership style — he praised the president as someone who has “kept his word.”

“We came by very different routes to this partnership and some people think we’re a little bit different, but we’ve learned a few things watching him deal with all we’ve been through these past few years,” he said.

“In a city known for talkers, President Trump is a doer. Few presidents have brought more independence, energy and determination to that office,” he added.

Pence attacked Biden’s record, calling him a “career politician who presided over the slowest economic recovery since the Great Depression” and labelled him “nothing more than a Trojan horse for the radical left.”

And Pence, the head of the White House’s coronavirus task force, shared his condolences with the families of the 180,000 COVID-19 victims in the United States and thanked the brave essential workers who have kept the nation running for the past six months.

He also addressed the anarchy rocking Kenosha, Wisconsin, after the shooting of Jacob Blake at the hands of police on Sunday, saying while they supported peaceful protests, the administration would have law and order.

Pence condemned Democrats for their silence.

“Last week, Joe Biden didn’t say one word about the violence and chaos engulfing cities across this country,” Pence told the crowd. “Let me be clear: the violence must stop, whether in Minneapolis, Portland or Kenosha.”

“Too many heroes have died defending our freedoms to see Americans strike each other down. We will have law and order on our streets,” he said.

Attacking Biden for not supporting school choice, lower taxes, strong borders and fossil fuels, the former Indiana congressman accused Democrats of being the party of hate, not Republicans.

“At the roots of their agenda is the belief that America is driven by envy, not aspiration — that millions of Americans harbor ill-will toward their neighbors instead of loving our neighbors as themselves,” he said.

“We stand at a crossroads, America,” he continued. “President Trump set our nation on a path to freedom and opportunity from the very first day of this administration. Joe Biden would set America on a path to socialism and decline.”

In closing he said, “With President Donald Trump in the White House for four more years, and God’s help, we will make America great again — again.”