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Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump, Eric Trump and Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance listen as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks on Day 2 of the Republican National Convention (RNC), at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S., July 16, 2024.
Prominent Republicans who previously challenged or criticized Donald Trump used the second night of the RNC as an opportunity to pay tribute to the former president.
In speech after speech, multiple Republicans who ran against Trump for the GOP presidential nomination showered the ex-president with praise on Tuesday – perhaps to lay the groundwork for a shot at Cabinet posts if Trump returns to the White House.
Vivek Ramaswamy, who months ago said Trump was a “wounded” politician who faces too many challenges to be successful, now says he is “the president who will actually unite this country.” On Tuesday, the entrepreneur said the US was facing a national identity crisis, and made the case that Trump would solve the problem by reviving the “ideals of 1776.”
Former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, who previously described Trump as “unhinged” and questioned whether her former boss was “mentally fit” enough to serve as president, said Tuesday that the ex-president asked her to speak at the RNC in the name of national unity.
“Trump has my strong endorsement, period,” said Haley, who may want to be secretary of state given her diplomatic credentials. But in a message to voters who might be skeptical of the former president, Haley also said, “You don't have to agree with Trump 100% of the time to vote for him.”
“I haven’t always agreed with President Trump. But we agree more often than we disagree,” she added.
Meanwhile, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gave a full-throated endorsement of Trump in his speech. “Let’s send Donald Trump back to the White House," DeSantis said, while attacking Biden as too old for the job. Less than a year ago, DeSantis suggested that Trump didn’t have the stamina to be president again and had “lost the zip” on his “fastball.” But he’s singing a different tune as Trump continues to tighten his grip over the Republican Party.
We’ll be watching to see if their efforts to kiss the ring ultimately pay off as Trump’s possible second administration takes shape.