The Republican National Convention’s second day kicks off tonight in Dallas, following a first day where President Donald Trump promised Americans a $5,000 payment, defended the war with Iran, and ran 44 minutes over his allotted time.
NPR Senior Political Correspondent Tamara Keith and KERA’s Collin County Accountability Reporter Caroline Love both attended day one of the convention and joined NTX Now’s Miranda Suarez and Ron Corning to talk through their takeaways from the event. These interview highlights have been edited for length and clarity. Tonight’s speaker list includes Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, and Gov. Greg Abbott, amongst others.
Trump’s keynote speech
President Donald Trump gave the keynote speech Wednesday night, and will do the same Thursday. According to Keith, he exceeded his allotted time by 44 minutes but she said that is not unusual for the president.
One of his most promising points during his speech was promising every American $5,000 if Republicans remain in control of both the House and the Senate following November’s midterm election. Keith said this proposed dividend adds up to more than $1 trillion dollars and is a frequent promise of the president’s.
She also says President Trump spoke about the Iran War much more than she anticipated.
“I went in not knowing how much he was going to address the war with Iran because that war is deeply unpopular,” she said. “He never really sold it to the American people. It is the reason that diesel is getting close to $6 a gallon, and so there was a question in my mind, is he going to address it at all?”
“He addressed it a lot,” Keith continued. “He kept talking about it, defending it, saying he had to do it. He promised that gas prices will come down just as soon as the war ends. Earlier in the day, though, he said he didn’t expect the war to end before the midterms.”
Brandon Gill’s speech
Rising star of the Republican party Brandon Gill was given almost twice the amount of time to speak than Ken Paxton. The U.S. Rep. from Flower Mound focused on criticizing Democrats in his speech, calling them “extremists” and “out of touch.”
When it comes to Texas Attorney General and U.S. Senate candidate Ken Paxton’s speech, Love said his remarks were not anything she hasn’t heard before while covering his race.
“[Paxton] hit his usual talking points,” she said. “He talked about affordability, and then he also hit his usual jabs at James Talarico and his ‘lack of Christianity.'”
What to expect Thursday
Tonight we will hear from President Trump again, as well as Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Gov. Greg Abbott, and Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson.
Love says it’s interesting Mayor Johnson is even on the list of speakers.
“He is the Dallas mayor, and he was a lifelong Democrat until about 2023 when he sort of came out as a Republican in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal,” she said. “Before that, he had served in the state legislature.”
Keith says she’s looking ahead to Vice President J.D. Vance’s speech tonight.
“Theoretically, he’s going to give more of a keynote address than the president will,” she said. “The president said, ‘Oh, I spoke so much tonight. I’m not going to do the same big thing tomorrow night.’ We’ll see what he does tonight.”
“But I’m watching J.D. Vance, Ted Cruz, and Donald Trump Jr.,” Keith said. “Tonight might be the night that we get the 2028 tryout.”
Key facts from day one
- Trump exceeded his allotted speech time by 44 minutes
- Trump promised every American $5,000 if Republicans keep control of the House and Senate
- The proposed dividend totals more than $1 trillion
- Diesel prices are close to $6 a gallon
- Trump said he does not expect the war with Iran to end before the midterms
- Brandon Gill was given almost twice the speaking time of Ken Paxton
- Mayor Eric Johnson was a lifelong Democrat until about 2023
Paxton’s familiar talking points
Ken Paxton’s speech did not break new ground, according to Love. The Texas Attorney General and U.S. Senate candidate stuck to his standard script.
He talked about affordability. He also took his usual jabs at James Talarico, targeting what Paxton described as Talarico’s “lack of Christianity.”
Love said the remarks were familiar to anyone who has been covering the Senate race.
Mayor Johnson’s party switch
One of the more intriguing items on tonight’s schedule is Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson. Love noted that Johnson’s presence on the speaker list is notable given his political history.
Johnson was a lifelong Democrat until about 2023, when he came out as a Republican in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal. Before that, he had served in the state legislature.
Looking ahead to Vance and the 2028 race
Keith said she is most interested in Vice President J.D. Vance’s address. She expects Vance to deliver a more traditional keynote than Trump, who has already said he will not repeat the same big performance two nights in a row.
“Tonight might be the night that we get the 2028 tryout,” Keith said, pointing to the potential presidential contenders she is watching:
- J.D. Vance
- Ted Cruz
- Donald Trump Jr.
The second night features a heavy slate of Texas heavyweights. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Gov. Greg Abbott, and Mayor Johnson are all scheduled to speak, as is President Trump once more.
The night ahead
Day one of the convention belonged to Trump, from the $5,000 dividend promise to his extended defense of the Iran War. Day two belongs to the rest of the party, with Vance, Cruz, and Abbott all taking the stage.
Keith’s “2028 tryout” comment frames the night as a chance for the party’s next generation to make its case. The convention continues tonight in Dallas, with the president scheduled to speak again.
Source: houstonpublicmedia.org
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