#Trump at 2020 Republican National Convention: ‘Most important election in history’

President Trump popped in early to the Republican National Convention on its first day Monday to cries of “four more years” after being officially crowned the party’s nominee in a roll call of state delegates he called “incredible warriors.”

“If you want to really drive them crazy, you say 12 more years,” the president joked after taking the stage in Charlotte, NC, having officially garnered the needed 1,276 delegates needed for the nomination.

“We have to win. This is the most important election in the history of our country,” he continued.

Appearing after Vice President Mike Pence, Trump said he felt “an obligation” to appear in person and lamented how the coronavirus pandemic had shuttered large parts of the economy and put millions of Americans out of work.

“I felt an obligation to come to North Carolina. It’s been a place that’s been very good to me,” he continued, lashing the state’s Democrat governor Roy Cooper for not allowing him to have a large convention which he moved to Florida before eventually canceling it amid the pandemic.

Unlike Joe Biden who wasn’t featured until the final night of the Democratic National Convention, Trump is expected to take part in each day of the Republican convention before giving his acceptance speech from the South Lawn at the White House on Thursday evening.

Trump hit television networks for not carrying the convention’s roll call live on Monday which he tried to watch on board Air Force One on the journey from the White House.

“Air Force One has more televisions than any plane in history. They’ve got them in closets, they’ve got them on ceilings, floors. You can’t escape them,” he said.

“I turned to CNN and they didn’t have this,” he said, also taking shots at MSNBC and tweaking Fox News for letting commentators talk over the roll call at times.

The president continued his war against mail-in ballots, claiming that Democrats were trying to steal the election by submitting fraudulent ballots.

“They’re trying to steal the election from the Republicans. Just like they did it last time with spying on my campaign and we caught them, and that included President Obama,” he said.

“The only way they can take this election away from us if this is a rigged election. We are going to win this election,” he said.

Trump touted his achievements during his first term in office, noting his efforts to slash reregulation stymying infrastructure projects, reduce the cost of prescription drugs, withdraw the US from the World Health Organization, fund historically black colleges and universities, and appoint more than 300 new federal judges.

The speech was also a rally-like address and the president skewered Democrats with his favorite taunts, calling Biden “Sleepy Joe” and Sen. Elizabeth Warren “Pocahontas.”

“America will never be a socialist country,” Trump thundered to chants of “hallelujah” and “USA” from the crowd of delegates.

“They want no guns, they want no oil and gas,” he continued, saying the Democratic Party had become the party of left-wing radicals.

“George Washington could come back from the dead and he could choose as his VP candidate the late, great Abraham Lincoln and you’re still not going to win the state of Texas if you have no oil, no guns and no religion.”

The president also reflected on his tenure as being commander in chief, saying it’s been “an incredible experience for me.”

“This is going to be — and I really believe this — this is the most important election in the history of our country. Don’t let that get away from you.”