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RNC 2024 Day 2 updates: Trump rivals take center stage along with divine intervention

The theme of Tuesday's session is "Make America Safe Again."

Last Updated: July 16, 2024, 10:18 PM EDT

The second day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee ended Tuesday with appearances from some of former President Donald Trump's former rivals: former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy -- all calling for Republican Party unity.

They were joined by some of Trump's longest allies including Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Ben Carson in bashing the Democrats over what they claimed were harmful and failed policies.

The program focused on law and order with a theme of making the country "safe again."

Trump, with a bandage on his ear, made an appearance again Tuesday evening -- just days after he was wounded in an assassination attempt at one of his rallies in Pennsylvania over the weekend. Several speakers touched on that God spared Trump in the shooting, saving him for a divine plan for the presidency.

9 hours and 9 minutes ago

Sen. Tom Cotton defends Trump-era border policies

The Arkansas senator spoke on the second day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
The Arkansas senator spoke on the second day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas defended Trump-era border policies in a speech focusing on immigration.

"Donald Trump said you can't have a nation without borders and he defended those borders," Cotton said.

"Joe Biden thinks borders are racist," Cotton falsely claimed.

"Donald Trump will secure our border once again," he continued while referring to Biden's policies as ones of "open borders, amnesty and chaos."

Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton speaks during the second day of the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, July 16, 2024.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

9 hours and 14 minutes ago

Fact check: Undocumented immigrants and voting

It’s already illegal for noncitizens to vote in the United States.

Several Republican leaders and RNC guests have argued without any evidence that undocumented immigrants are voting in elections.

However, doing so is a federal offense that is punishable by jail time and could lead to deportation.

Although there is no comprehensive database that tracks instances of noncitizen voting on a large scale, there has never been any evidence that proves it has happened on a scale that could have swayed federal elections.

Conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation runs a database that contains a sampling of proven instances of election fraud across the United States. By ABC News' count, out of 1,499 proven election fraud cases that they list, they document less than 100 cases of noncitizens voting.

A study by the Brennan Center for Justice that looked at 42 jurisdictions, representing 23.5 million votes, found an estimated 30 incidents of suspected noncitizen voting in 2016.

9 hours and 21 minutes ago

DeSantis says America can't afford a 'Weekend at Bernie's' presidency

Florida governor and former Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis ripped into Biden's age and questions about viability when he took the stage.

"We need a commander-in-chief who can lead 24 hours a day, seven days a week. America cannot afford four more years of a 'Weekend at Bernie's' presidency," he said, referencing the 1989 comedy.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks during the second day of the 2024 Republican National Convention, in Milwaukee, July 16, 2024.
Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images

DeSantis claimed that Biden was just the "figurehead" who acts as "a tool for imposing a leftist agenda of the American people."

The Florida governor and former candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination spoke on the second day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
The Florida governor and former candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination spoke on the second day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

9 hours and 28 minutes ago

Haley calls for a 'unified Republican party'

During her speech, Nikki Haley made an appeal to those who don't fully support Trump.

"My message to them is simple. You don't have to agree with Trump 100% of the time to vote for him," she said.

"Take it from me, I haven't always agreed with the president. But we agree more often than we disagree. We agree on keeping America strong," she continued.

She said a "unified Republican party is essential" for saving the country. She criticized President Joe Biden as showing "every possible sign of weakness" on foreign policy and Vice President Kamala Harris as contributing to the "border disaster."

"We are stronger when we welcome people into our party who have different backgrounds and experiences," she said. "Right now we need to be strong to save America. This is a defining moment, not only for our party but for our country."

Trump’s former campaign rival delivered a speech on the second day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
Trump’s former campaign rival delivered a speech on the second day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.