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."
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.
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Haley had rocky start, ends strong
Nikki Haley, Trump’s biggest challenger in the 2024 Republican primary, was met with some scattered boos as she took the stage.
One woman seated in the crowd said, mockingly, “Now she’s going to dig herself out of the hole.”
But she got more of the audience on her side throughout her speech, and by the end, many stood up out of their seats and even tipped their hats.
-ABC News’ Alexandra Hutzler
Nikki Haley officially endorses Trump
Nikki Haley, Trump’s former GOP primary rival, officially endorsed the former president for the first time after walking out to applause and some boos.
"President Trump asked me to speak to this convention in the name of unity," Haley said. "I'll start by making one thing perfectly clear: Donald Trump has my strong endorsement, period."
Trump stood up to applaud.
Fact check: Undocumented immigrants and crime
Trump and other Republicans have pointed to the murder of Laken Riley and other recent crimes committed by undocumented immigrants as proof there's an ongoing migrant crime wave.
The reality is that there is no evidence that points to a major surge in crime caused by recent arrivals.
According to the latest FBI statistics, which are released quarterly, violent crimes were down 6% in quarter 4 2023 through December 2023 compared to the same time frame the previous year.
There was a 13% decline in murders, and a 4% drop in property crimes across the country. That declining trend followed unprecedented spikes in 2019 and 2020, Trump's last two years in office.
U.S. citizens also commit crimes at higher rates than undocumented immigrants, according to data.
A 2020 study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showed U.S.-born citizens "are over 2 times more likely to be arrested for violent crimes, 2.5 times more likely to be arrested for drug crimes, and over 4 times more likely to be arrested for property crimes" than undocumented immigrants.
Ted Cruz blames Democrats for murders by undocumented suspects
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz came out and slammed Democrats for immigration policies he claimed led to vicious crimes in various states.
He cited the murder cases of Kate Steinle, Laken Riley and Rachel Moran, which all involved suspects who were undocumented immigrants, as examples.
"Tonight, I speak for Kate and Lincoln and Rachel," he said.
Cruz praised Trump's policies as president and vowed that the former president would be tougher on undocumented immigration and crime.