Nikki Haley calls for unity, offers 'strong endorsement' of Donald Trump during RNC speech

July 16 (UPI) -- Nikki Haley , former Donald Trump rival and ambassador to the United Nations, called for unity Tuesday on the second night of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where she offered her "strong endorsement" of the former president.

"I'll start by making one thing perfectly clear. Donald Trump has my strong endorsement, period," Haley announced to loud cheers and a standing ovation.

The second night of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee featured a long list of notable speakers, which included Florida Sen. Marco Rubio , House Speaker Mike Johnson , Vivek Ramaswamy, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz , as the focus turned to immigration and crime under the banner "Make America Safe Once Again." Trump and his vice presidential running mate, J.D. Vance, joined the crowd on the convention floor to hear the speeches.

"Our country is at a critical moment," Haley said. "We have a choice to make. For more than a year, I said a vote for Joe Biden is a vote for President Kamala Harris . After seeing the debate, everyone knows it's true. If we have four more years of Biden or a single day of Harris, our country will be badly worse off. For the sake of our nation, we have to go with Donald Trump."

Haley also spoke directly to those Americans who she said may not agree with Trump.

"My message to them is simple. You don't have to agree with Trump 100% of the time to vote for him. Take it from me, I haven't always agreed with President Trump. But we agree more often than we disagree," she said. "We agree on keeping America strong. We agree on keeping America safe."

"I am here tonight because we have a country to save. And a unified Republican party is essential for saving her," Haley added to cheers of "USA, USA."

Haley, who worked during the Trump administration as the ambassador to the United Nations, argued President Vladimir Putin of Russia invaded Crimea during the Obama administration and invaded "all of Ukraine " during the Biden administration.

"But when Donald Trump was president, Putin did nothing. No invasions. No wars," Haley said. "A strong president doesn't start wars, a strong president prevents wars."

As Haley moved to the topic of immigration, she called the border crisis the "single biggest threat Americans face."

"Under Joe Biden, migrants are coming into our country by the thousands everyday and we have no idea who they are, where they end up and what they plan to do, and let me remind you that Kamala Harris had one job and that was to fix the border. Now imagine her in charge of the entire country," Haley argued.

Before closing, Haley talked about serving on Trump's cabinet and how he welcomed input from others, even those who disagreed with him.

"We are so much better when we are bigger. We are stronger when we welcome people into our party who have different backgrounds and experiences," Haley said. "Our foreign enemies win when they see Americans hate each other. They see that today on college campuses or in a field in Butler, Pennsylvania."

Rubio was among the last to speak Tuesday night, as he called for a change this November to put "America first."

"There is absolutely nothing dangerous or anything divisive about putting Americans first," Rubio argued.

"Anyone who was offended about putting America first has forgotten what American is and what American means. American isn't the color of our skin or our ethnicity," Rubio said. "As the life story of our next vice president J.D. Vance reminds us, we are all descendants of ordinary people who achieved extraordinary things."

Rubio also remembered firefighter Corey Comperatore, who was killed Saturday during the shooting at Trump's rally in Pennsylvania.

"These are the Americans who wear the red hats and wait for hours under a blazing sun to hear Trump speak," Rubio said. "And what they want -- what they asked for -- it is not hateful or extreme. What they want is good jobs and lower prices. They want borders that are secure, and for those who come here, to do so legally. They want to be safe from criminals and terrorists. And they want for our leaders to care more about our problems here at home than about the problems of other countries far away."

DeSantis, who ran against Trump in the primary, called on Americans during his speech to support the former president.

"Donald Trump, he's been demonized. He's been sued. He's been prosecuted. And he nearly lost his life," DeSantis told the crowd. "We cannot let him down, and we cannot let America down."

DeSantis also touched on recent calls for Biden to step down.

"I am alarmed that the current president of the United States lacks the capability to discharge the duties of his office," DeSantis said. "Let's be honest here. Biden is just a figurehead. He's a tool for imposing the leftist agenda on the American people."

Trump supporter and former rival Ramaswamy used his speech to speak to various groups, including "legal immigrants."

"You're like my parents," Ramaswamy said. "You deserve the opportunity to secure a better life for your children in America."

To "illegal immigrants," Ramaswamy said, "we will return you to your country of origin, not because you're all bad people, but because you broke the law. And the United States of America was founded on the rule of law."

Ramaswamy also addressed Black communities.

"The media has tried to convince you for decades that Republicans don't care about your communities. But we do. We want for you what we want for every American: safe neighborhoods, clean streets, good jobs, a better life for your children and a justice system that treats everyone equally regardless of your skin color and regardless of your political beliefs."

Cruz opened his speech Tuesday giving "thanks to God Almighty for protecting President Trump," before warning about the "invasion" at the southern border.

"The numbers don't show us the true price that our country is paying," Cruz said, as he claimed "illegal immigrants" are raping and murdering Americans.

"Democrats cynically decided they wanted votes from illegals more than they wanted to protect our children," Cruz added, despite non-citizens, including permanent legal residents, not being able to vote in federal, state and most local elections. "Today, as a result of Joe Biden's presidency, your family is less safe, your children are less safe, the country is less safe."

Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York and chair of the House Republican Conference was one of the first speakers to open the second night of the convention.

"Our constitution and the soul of our very nation are on the ballot. Under Joe Biden, Americans have suffered crisis after crisis," Stefanik said, as she cited the border crisis, violent crimes and inflation. "All while corrupt democrat prosecutors and judges wage illegal and unconstitutional lawfare against President Trump in an effort to do Joe Biden's political bidding."

"From the catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan to Putin's invasion of Ukraine to Hamas ' terrorist attack against our most precious ally Israel," Stefanik added, as she condemned anti-Semitic protests on college campuses. "President Trump will bring back moral leadership to the White House, condemning anti-Semitism and standing strong with Israel and the Jewish people."

Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise , House majority leader who survived a politically motivated shooting at a Congressional Baseball Game practice in 2017, discussed Saturday's assassination attempt on Trump.

"Not many know that while I was fighting for my life, Donald Trump was one of the first to come console my family at the hospital. That's the kind of leader he is," Scalise said, adding "Courageous under fire, compassionate toward others."

Scalise went on to attack Biden's spending, saying once Trump is back in the White House he will "make the Trump tax cuts permanent. And yes. We will end taxes on tips and deliver another tax cut for working families."

And he accused the Biden administration of opening up the U.S. southern border "to the entire world," as he promised Trump will "lock down the border and yes, we will finish building the wall," to loud cheers from the convention crowd.

Johnson, the U.S. House speaker from Louisiana, called for unity during his speech earlier in the night.

"We are not just united as Republicans, we are uniting as Americans in the wake of the assassination attempt on the life of President Trump," Johnson said as announced a House investigation into Saturday's events.

"American people deserve to know the truth and we will ensure accountability," Johnson vowed.

"We in the Republican Party are the law-and-order team. We always have been and always will be the advocates for the rule of law," Johnson said, adding, "and we all know that that principle is in serious jeopardy today."

"Our rights do not come from government, they come from God," Johnson told the cheering crowd, before listing the seven core principles of American conservatism.

"Individual freedom, limited government, the rule of law, peace through strength, fiscal responsibility, free markets and human dignity," Johnson said, adding that the "radical, woke progressive left has disdain for those principles."

"They want tear down those foundations and remold us into some sort of borderless, lawless, Marxist, socialist utopia. We are here to say, 'Not on our watch,'" Johnson proclaimed.

Other speakers Tuesday night included Dr. Ben Carson , former Housing and Urban Development secretary; Lara Trump, co-chair of the Republican National Convention and daughter-in-law to the former president; and Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.