RNC 2024 Day 3 updates: JD Vance touts working class roots in debut as VP nominee

The theme at the RNC on Wednesday is "Make America Strong Once Again."

ByMeredith Deliso, Ivan Pereira, Chris Boccia, Alexandra Hutzler, and Tal Axelrod
Last Updated: July 17, 2024, 11:38 PM EDT

Day three of the Republican National Convention centered around vice presidential candidate JD Vance as he introduced himself to Republicans as Trump's running mate.

The day was held under the theme of "Make America Strong Once Again."

Former President Donald Trump made an appearance at the convention hall to watch his running mate make his national debut. Other notable speakers included Trump's son and granddaughter and several Gold Star families who expressed their support for the former president.

Despite calls for unity, several speakers spent time bashing President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and the Democrats on several issues including immigration, crime and Israel.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing:
Jul 17, 2024, 9:33 PM EDT

Florida Rep. Michael Waltz, military vet, addresses crowd

Florida Rep. Michael Waltz, the first Green Beret ever elected to Congress, was the latest elected military veteran to address the RNC on Wednesday night.

Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL) speaks on stage on the third day of the Republican National Convention on July 17, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wis.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

"Folks, we have deployed all over the Middle East, all over Africa, all over Afghanistan, and I have never in my lifetime seen the world falling apart like it is under Joe Biden," he began. "And that's because under President Trump, we had a president who defeated ISIS, broke Iran, stood with Israel, always stood with our allies, made China pay."

He called Biden's withdrawal from Afghanistan a "debacle" and "stain on our national conscience."

Florida Congressman Michael Waltz speaks to the crowd at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
7:01

Florida Rep. Michael Waltz addresses the RNC

Florida Congressman Michael Waltz speaks to the crowd at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
ABCNews.com

Jul 17, 2024, 9:27 PM EDT

Afghanistan was when it all turned south for Biden

Multiple speakers tonight have taken President Joe Biden to task for his handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Well, Americans agreed with their assessment: In an Aug. 13-16, 2021, poll from Morning Consult/Politico, only 31 percent of voters approved of Biden's handling of the situation. Even worse for Biden, the withdrawal was the event that really seemed to catalyze the collapse in his approval rating. On Aug. 15, 2021, the day the Taliban returned to power, Biden's net approval rating was +8 points in the 538 average. But by Sept. 3, his disapproval rating was higher than his approval rating, which has been true every day since.

-538's Nathaniel Rakich

Jul 17, 2024, 9:25 PM EDT

Kimberly Guilfoyle fires up crowd

Kimberly Guilfoyle, a former 2020 campaign staffer and Donald Trump Jr.'s fiancée, got the crowd fired up in her speech on the floor.

Guilfoyle claimed that under President Joe Biden, the country "is more dangerous, vulnerable and impoverished than anyone had thought possible."

"We are closer to World War III than any time in my life," Guilfoyle said.

Kimberly Guilfoyle speaks during the Republican National Convention on July 17, 2024, in Milwaukee.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP

She said Republicans would "restore an era of national pride where freedom of speech is respected and cancel culture is ended, [and] where high school girls only compete with other girls, not biological men."

Jul 17, 2024, 9:20 PM EDT

2 veterans address RNC

Two veterans billed by the RNC as "everyday Americans" addressed what they saw as failings of the Biden administration.

Sgt. David Bellavia, a Medal of Honor recipient who served in Fallujah, Iraq, argued that Biden has demoralized America's military.

"Military recruitment has plunged. Confidence in the armed forces has reached a 20-year low," he said. "Under President Donald Trump, our enemies will know that American power is as decisive as it is overwhelming."

In this split image, medal of Honor Recipient Staff Sergeant David Bellavia Ret. and military veteran Scott Neil speak on stage on the third day of the Republican National Convention on July 17, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wis.
Getty Images

Scott Neil, a Green Beret veteran, criticized Biden over the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

"We want to prove that America remains the land of opportunity for those brave enough to reach out and grab it. But tragically, almost three years ago, my fellow veterans and I recoiled at the bloody anarchy of President Biden's withdrawal from Afghanistan," he said, with the crowd booing. "We saw weakness and chaos. We saw 13 of our brothers and sisters lose their lives."