It is saying something that First Lady Melania Trump closed Day Two of the Republican convention with such an outstanding speech, given all the fine ones delivered Tuesday night. There were many excellent speeches and I think I watched them all. It’s no secret that I’m of the opinion that Melania is an excellent First Lady.

Melania Trump delivered her address to the convention from the newly renovated Rose Garden and it was a beautiful venue. She opened her speech by sending her condolences to victims and families of those suffering from the coronavirus. She told them that they are not forgotten. The rest of her speech was just as empathetic to others in need.

“My husband’s administration will not stop fighting until there is an effective treatment or vaccine,” she vowed. “Donald will not rest until he has done everything he can to help everyone impacted by this terrible pandemic.”

Trump expressed gratitude to medical professionals working at personal risk to themselves to help the afflicted. She also thanked military personnel, first responders and their families, calling them “heroes” in their own right. Trump celebrated 100 years of women’s suffrage.

The appeal to women and Independents was there in her speech, as she spoke as a mother and wife, as well as offering support to parents everywhere. She directly addressed mothers and called them “warriors”, acknowledging the stress and work it takes to raise children. She spoke about the people she has met across the country and overseas. The video that introduced her showed many clips of her embracing children and attending events for children. The joy on her face as she hugs a child or speaks with them cannot be faked. She lights up.

Her speech was long and there were a lot of topics covered. She did so in her usual calm, rather quiet voice. Naturally, anti-Trump Twitter showed up to mock and criticize her. The tolerant, inclusive, progressive left is not any of that.

Oh, God. She still can’t speak English.

— bettemidler (@BetteMidler) August 26, 2020

She spoke about her travels as First Lady and about the importance of her trip to Africa. Melania spoke about meeting military families and military members around the world.

The first lady mentioned her experiences visiting members of the military and their families “around the world” and those in hospitals, and thanked them for “inspiring” her. She told the story of a young hospitalized boy she met in Rome, Italy who received a heart transplant shortly after she visited him.

While she addressed her Be Best initiative and encouraged parents to sit down and talk to their children about social media and the dangers of technology, her larger appeal was about the opioid crisis. She appealed to the media to cover the drug crisis in America more widely and more often.

Trump focused on her signature “Be Best” campaign, which raises awareness about online bullying and opioid addiction, particularly among children. She said her initiative had shined a light on people and organizations who are working to protect children.

“I continue to believe that by shining a light on these positive examples, others across the country and the globe will be inspired to do their part,” she said. “Helping children is not a political goal.”

Melania went through many of her husband’s accomplishments in office. She got some laughs from the audience when she said, “Whether you like it or not, you always know what he’s thinking.” She acknowledged that he isn’t a traditional president – which is true and a big reason why many people voted for him. Frustrated voters looking for a different kind of president than the ones before Trump who talked a big game but produced very little for middle-class Americans were the ones in flyover country who put him into office. She said, “I’m here because we need my husband to be our president and commander for four more years.”

She is soft-spoken yet her message comes out loud and clear. She supports her husband unequivocally and she loves America. She thanked her immigrant parents and said she would not be where she is today without them. She noted a couple of the “unprecedented” attacks on her husband by the media. Her speech was just the right one to end the night.

Lots of Logan Act experts suddenly appeared on Twitter (that’s sarcasm) and they were very upset that the president and First Lady were using the trappings of the White House during the convention. Besides Melania delivering her speech in the Rose Garden, President Trump witnessed a naturalization ceremony for 5 immigrants, now American citizens and delivered a short speech congratulating them for legally going through the immigration process. Trump also gave a full pardon to Jon D. Ponder, a three-time offender convicted on felony charges, including bank robbery. He came out of prison a born again Christian and now runs a program to help other ex-convicts begin a new life. The FBI agent who arrested him was present, too, and both men spoke after Trump did. Ponder and the FBI agent are now best friends. It was a feel-good story about redemption and returning to the outside world to serve others.

As I said, there were lots of speeches and the majority were from ordinary Americans, which are the most effective in my opinion. Maine lobsterman Jason Joyce didn’t vote for Trump in 2016 but is in 2020 because of the work Trump has done to deregulate his industry. The lobstermen were angry that the Obama-Biden administration issued an Executive Order to ban fishing in waters that weren’t being fished anyway. It was overreach to appease the environmental wackos. Joyce told the viewers, “Stand up for your country.” There was a dairy farmer from Wisconsin and other business owners who spoke of Trump cutting the red tape that was hindering their business growth. Those were all effective and relatable.

Of the public officials that spoke, one of the best speeches was from Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron. He spoke directly to Joe Biden and blasted him for taking black voters for granted, chastising those who don’t vote for him as “not black”. He called Biden “a backward thinker.”

“I think often about my ancestors who struggled for freedom,” said Cameron, the first Black man to hold the office of attorney general in the Bluegrass State. “I also think about Joe Biden who says ‘If you aren’t voting for me, you ain’t Black,’ who argued that Republicans would put us back in chains, who said there is no diversity of thought in the Black community.”

The 34-year-old attorney general continued: “Mr. Vice President, look at me. I am Black; we are not all the same, sir. I am not in chains. My mind is my own.”

Two more days to go. Trump is dropping in each night and so far it has been fine. He’s got the tools of the incumbency and he is using them to his advantage. I don’t expect anything less. Let the critics continue to talk down America. Trump and the RNC are producing a convention that focuses on the positive accomplishments of this administration and how the results affect ordinary Americans. They offer a reason to vote for Trump, not just to vote against Biden.