Republican Party Opens Day 1 Of 2020 RNC With Nomination Of Donald Trump, Mike Pence

With the opening of the 2020 Republican National Convention on Monday, President Donald Trump was officially selected as the Republican party’s presidential nominee for the 2020 general election in November. Trump was named after an in-person delegate roll call vote held in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Trump earned 2,395 delegates as of Monday, well past the 1,276 delegates needed to secure the nod. Former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld, the only other name on the primary ticket seeking the party’s nomination, earned one delegate.

“We’re getting ready to do things like nobody has ever seen before, but the best way to bring unity is success,” Trump said at the 2020 RNC. “Success brings unity and we were there and then we got hit with the plague and we won’t forget that.”

The president, breaking with tradition, addressed the convention shortly after the nomination was finalized, again alleging without evidence the only way he'd lose the election is if the Democrats stole it.

Trump took to Twitter shortly after to criticize the apparent lack of coverage of the roll call by CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News.

Vice President Mike Pence was named nominated to the No. 2 spot by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

“I am proud to announce the vice president, Michael R. Pence, has the unanimous support of this convention to be the Republican Party’s nominee for the office of vice president of the United States of America,” McCarthy said.

Pence took to the stage in Charlotte to thank the party. He also took a shot at former President Barack Obama for comments he made during the 2020 Democratic National Convention.

“I heard the other day that Democracy is on the ballot,” Pence said. “But I think we all know, the economy is on the ballot. Law and order is on the ballot. Our most cherished ideals of freedom and free markets are on the ballot. That's why we need four more years of President Donald Trump in the White House.”

While the focus this week will be on the 2020 RNC, Joe Biden’s campaign is already starting its first major media blitz to try and counteract it. The Biden-Harris campaign released its first notable ad, “Heal America,” which says new leadership is needed if the U.S. is to recover from the current crises gripping the country.

“Today, as the Republican Convention gets underway, Biden for President released a minute-long ad showing the stark contrast between Joe Biden’s positive, hopeful and inspiring vision for the country and Donald Trump’s divisive, harmful and chaotic presidency has let down working families during the national crises,” a campaign press release said. “At its core, the ad is about bringing America back together — a notion that will be lacking from the Republican Convention — and a sharp distinction to the current occupant of the White House.”