The two most anticipated speeches tonight came from the top two of Donald Trump's primary challengers, and they both delivered -- in different ways. First, Nikki Haley acknowledged her late addition to the convention schedule, noting that Trump had invited her to speak to unity. Haley did a fine job with that message, declaring her unreserved endorsement of Trump and exhorting people to consider their choice carefully.
"You may not agree with Trump 100% of the time," Haley argued, noting that she famously didn't agree with Trump all the time either. But the choice, Haley warned, was between someone who kept America and the world safe and the utter chaos that the Joe Biden presidency has created. Haley ran down a laundry list of Biden disasters, starting with Afghanistan and hammering especially on Biden's enabling of Iranian terror strategies.
It was an effective, efficient speech, if not exactly one that brought down the house. Haley proved herself to be willing to make a choice, and that will resonate with the disaffected voters that have followed her until this week. Did it make the sale? Perhaps, but she did her best to convince them.
Ron DeSantis did bring down the house, but his aim was different, too. DeSantis didn't differ that much from Trump on policy or culture in the first place, and his voters are almost certainly already Trump voters. Instead, DeSantis took aim at Joe Biden, his cognitive decline, and the conspiracy of silence surrounding it. It's time to "end the Weekend at Bernie's presidency," DeSantis declared, and to "send Joe Biden back to the basement."
That's gonna leave a mark, but DeSantis also pushed hard for Republicans to fight not just for office but also for the culture and values that we profess and believe. DeSantis could have slowed down a bit, but he got caught up in the wave of enthusiasm from the convention crowd, who gave him a standing ovation at the end.
Both speeches are below.
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