Coverage of this event has ended. Get the latest news and live updates on the Republican National Convention here.
What to know about RNC Day 2
- Former GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley endorsed Donald Trump tonight at the Republican National Convention, making her strongest comments in support of the former president as she called for party unity. Haley, whom some booed as she took the stage, was followed by another vanquished Republican rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
- The show of unity from former foes is intended to demonstrate to Republicans that the party is unified behind Trump. Several of the speeches touched on the failed attempt to assassinate Trump, with some saying God had intervened to shield him to allow him to continue to do work on Earth.
- Trump and running mate JD Vance of Ohio were in attendance for tonight's speeches. A source familiar with Trump's plans said he changed his schedule to show up earlier than expected this evening to hear his former rivals speak.
- The theme for the second day of the convention is "Make America Safe Once Again." Many of the speakers focused on immigration and border security.
- Away from Milwaukee, Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., was found guilty today on all counts in his federal bribery case and faces sentencing in October.
Fact check: Did Trump have record low unemployment for Black, Hispanic, Asian Americans and women?
Lara Trump, the former president's daughter-in-law who is a co-chair of the Republican Party, delivered an address at the convention, touting employment rates while he was in office.
Statement
"Let's not forget what life actually looked like under President Donald Trump ... record low unemployment rates for African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans and women."
Verdict
This is mostly true, though it omits that Biden has matched or beaten most of these records.
Analysis
The Black unemployment rate hit a record low of 5.3% in September 2019, but in April 2023, under Biden, unemployment fell to 4.8%.
It's a similar story on the Hispanic unemployment rate. September 2019 saw a record low in the Hispanic unemployment rate, 3.9%, a mark that was matched during the Biden administration in September 2022.
For Asian Americans, the claim appears true, but the data goes backonly to 2000. Asian unemployment in April 2019 was just 2.1%.
For women, however, the record low unemployment rate was set in February 1953, at 2.5%. The low under Biden and Trump was 3.1%. That having been said, far more women are seeking work now than they were in the 1950s.
RNC Trump supporters welcome the idea of RFK Jr.'s joining team Trump
After a video that showed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the phone with Trump went viral this morning, in which Trump seemed to insinuate Kennedy should join his re-election effort, NBC News asked three convention attendees whether they'd welcome the prospect of Trump-Kennedy teamwork.
"I think that would be absolutely amazing," said Brent Lovett, 61, a construction developer from Silver Spring, Nevada. "I hope that Robert Kennedy Jr. will consider coming in and helping with vaccination research."
Randy Fine, 50, a Florida state lawmaker, said Kennedy's joining Trump's team could help Trump's chances in November. "If Donald Trump can add to the coalition, that’s just going to run up the score and the victory," he said.
Brian Bledsoe, a Texas delegate, said he didn't know much about Kennedy but would welcome him with open arms if it meant he dropped his presidential bid. "I would prefer to be more of a two-person race between Trump and Biden," Bledsoe, 44, a truck driver, said of Kennedy's campaign. Asked whether he'd want him in Trump's Cabinet, he said, "I guess if it takes him out of the race ... politically in a strategic way."
Convention concludes for the second day
The second day of the convention has concluded. Tomorrow, Vance is expected to speak and formally accept the vice presidential nomination.
Lara Trump makes her pitch for Trump at end of second RNC night
Lara Trump, a Republican National Committee co-chair, made her pitch for Trump near the end of the second night of the convention with a focus on the American dream.
"Trump is an American, an American who conquered the business world ... an American whom even Barack Obama admits people consider the American dream," she said.
Lara Trump also spoke about the success and wealth her father-in-law had had in business and television, adding that he could have retired but "decided to give back ... in order to improve the lives of all Americans, Black, white, brown, gay, straight."
Lara Trump puts her fist up; crowd follows with chants of ‘fight’
Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump spoke tonight about the attempted assassination of her father-in-law and the now-iconic photo of him pumping his fist in the air after the shooting and saying "fight."
“It was in the midst of it all,” she said, “that he knew how defining that moment would be for our country, and he hoisted his fist in the air.”
As she spoke, she held her fist in the air, and many attendees did the same, some chanting, “Fight! Fight! Fight!”
Lara Trump addresses assassination attempt on father-in-law Trump
Lara Trump said in her convention speech that nothing prepares you for a moment like the assassination attempt on Trump.
"Our family has faced our fair share of death threats, mysterious powder sent to our homes, tasteless and violent comments directed towards us on social media. But none of that prepares you as a daughter-in-law to watch in real time someone tried to kill a person you love," she said.
"None of that prepares you as a mother to quickly reach for the remote and turn your young children away from the screen so that they’re not witness to something that scars the memory of their grandpa for the rest of their lives," she added.
She thanked everyone for the prayers and well-wishes and said her heart goes out to the family of Corey Comperatore, the Trump supporter who was killed in the assassination attempt Saturday.
Ben Carson celebrates Trump's being 'alive and well' after assassination attempt
Ben Carson touched on the assassination attempt against Trump on Saturday in his convention speech.
"Last weekend, they tried to kill him, and there he is over there — alive and well," Carson said.
Trump stood up from his chair in the VIP box and waved to the delegates. Carson, like Sanders before him, then invoked religious imagery, saying God had shielded Trump.
Carson ran for the GOP nomination in 2016 and was secretary of housing and urban development under Trump.
Sanders stokes 2028 speculation
Trump’s former White House press secretary clearly and explicitly wanted to put a more humanizing face on her former boss in a speech that was very well received in the room. Her name was briefly speculated about in the early days of the veepstakes, but she has political ambitions that could extend well beyond Arkansas and onto the 2028 national stage.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders makes a Biden age joke: 'Bring Your Husband to Work Day'
Reflecting on her work with Trump, Sarah Huckabee Sanders reminisced about celebrating "Bring Your Kid to Work Day" in the Trump White House.
And, in a not-so-subtle shot at Biden's age and mental fitness, she said it was "much like Jill now drags Joe to ‘Bring Your Husband to Work Day.’”
Fact check: Are Democrats banning gas cars?
Statement
"Let's not forget what life actually looked like under President Donald Trump ... record low unemployment rates for African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans and women."
Statement
"Let's not forget what life actually looked like under President Donald Trump ... record low unemployment rates for African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans and women."
Analysis
National Democrats aren't trying to ban gas cars, but their plans to promote electric vehicles would fundamentally shift the car market in ways that would push consumers to buy them.
The EPA's forthcoming rules aim to curb carbon emissions in a big way, and car companies will need to give consumers incentives to meet those limits — most likely by making electric vehicles more affordable.
While just 8% of cars on the market last year were electric vehicles, according to Cox Automotive, the agency estimates that to meet the emission limits, electric vehicles would have to make up 30% to 56% of "new light-duty vehicles" by 2032.