TRUMP: ‘WE WILL UNITE’: In one of the longest acceptance speeches in modern American history, former President Donald Trump regaled delegates to the Republican National Convention with stemwinder that was equal parts rally-style riffs and soaring rhetoric read dryly from a teleprompter.
The speech ran for just over an hour and a half, ending with Trump promising to unite the country and “very quickly” make America great again. “Together, we will save this country, we will restore the republic, and we will usher in the rich and wonderful tomorrows that our people so truly deserve,” Trump said before loading on the superlatives. “America’s future will be bigger, better, bolder, brighter, happier, stronger, freer, greater, and more united than ever before.”
“We are Americans. Ambition is our heritage. Greatness is our birthright. But as long as our energies are spent fighting each other, our destiny will remain out of reach. And that’s not acceptable,” he said in a scripted segment. “We must instead take that energy and use it to realize our country’s true potential and write our own thrilling chapter of the American story. We can do it together. We will unite.”
TRUMP MAKES PITCH TO ‘ALL OF AMERICA’ AND SOLIDIFIES HOLD OVER GOP IN RNC ACCEPTANCE SPEECH
‘I DON’T HAVE WARS’: Perhaps Trump’s most grandiose claim is that he will bring peace to the world upon taking office. “Our opponents inherited a world at peace and turned it into a planet of war. We’re in a planet of war,” he said. “Look at that attack on Israel. Look at what’s happening with Ukraine. The cities are just bombed out. How can people live like that, where buildings, massive buildings, are falling to the ground?”
“With our victory in November, the years of war, weakness, and chaos will be over. I don’t have wars. I had no wars other than ISIS, which I defeated. But that was a war that was started. We had no wars. I could stop wars with a telephone call. I could stop wars with just a telephone call.”
“Under President Bush, Russia invaded Georgia. Under President Obama, Russia took Crimea. Under the current administration, Russia is after all of Ukraine. Under President Trump, Russia took nothing,” he said. “I was the first president in modern times to start no new wars. You know, we were the toughest, we were the most respected.”
ISIS ATTACKS IN SYRIA AND IRAQ RISING DRAMATICALLY
KIM JONG UN, ‘I THINK HE MISSES ME’: Trump touted his ability to get along with dictators such as China’s Xi Jinping and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un .
“Kim Jong-un, I got along very well with him. The press hated when I said that. How could you get along with him? Well, you know, it’s nice to get along with somebody that has a lot of nuclear weapons,” Trump said.
“In the old days, they’d say, ‘That’s a wonderful thing.’ Now they say, ‘How can you possibly do that?’ But, no, I got along with him. And we stopped the missile launches from North Korea,” he continued. “Now, North Korea is acting up again. But when we get back, I get along with him. He’d like to see me back, too. I think he misses me, if you want to know the truth.”
TAIWAN ‘WILLING TO TAKE ON MORE’ DEFENSE RESPONSIBILITY AFTER TRUMP BARB
CHINA, IRAN, AND RUSSIAN SUBMARINES : Trump gave no hint about his plans for supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia or for defending Taiwan, making only glancing reference to the world hot spots. However, he promised the return of harsh sanctions for Iran and railed against the recent visit of four Russian warships to Cuba, including a ballistic missile nuclear submarine.
“Now China is likewise circling Taiwan, and Russian warships and nuclear submarines are operating 60 miles off the coast in Cuba,” Trump said, while falsely stating that “The press refuses to write about it.”
“If that were me running this country and we had nuclear submarines in Cuba, I will tell you that the headlines every day would be, what’s wrong with our president?” He said. “You’re not hearing about this. Russia has nuclear submarines and warships 60 miles away … They don’t want to mention it, but now maybe they will.”
“Iran was going to make a deal with us. And then we had that horrible, horrible result that we’ll never let happen again, the election result,” Trump said, accusing Democrats of “using COVID to cheat.”
“And they took off all the sanctions, and they did everything possible for Iran. And now Iran is very close to having a nuclear weapon, which would have never happened,” Trump blaming President Joe Biden for all the world’s ills.
“I’m only going to use the term once, Biden. I’m not going to use the name anymore, just one time. The damage that he has done to this country is unthinkable. It’s unthinkable.”
RNC FINALE: TOP FOUR TAKEAWAYS FROM THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION
Good Friday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre ( @jamiejmcintyre ) and edited by Christopher Tremoglie . Email here with tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. Sign up or read current and back issues at DailyonDefense.com . If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email and we’ll add you to our list. And be sure to follow me on Threads and/or on X @jamiejmcintyre
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HAPPENING TODAY: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is in London today, meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at 10 Downing Street. He is scheduled to address the British Cabinet, the first foreign leader to have the privilege since U.S. President Bill Clinton in 1997.
“Ukraine is, and always will be, at the heart of this government’s agenda, and so it is only fitting that President Zelensky will make a historic address to my Cabinet,” Starmer said in a statement . “Russia’s incremental gains on the battlefield are nothing compared with the collective international support for Ukraine or the strength of ties between our people.”
Zelensky is looking to shore up European support given the likelihood that Trump will return to office and the threat that he might cut off military assistance to force Ukraine to make peace with Russia and President Vladimir Putin’s terms.
“I will end every single international crisis that the current administration has created, including the horrible war with Russia and Ukraine, which would have never happened if I was president,” Trump said in his speech last night accepting the GOP nomination for president.
TRUMP’S PICK OF JD VANCE AS RUNNING MATE COULD SEAL UKRAINE’S FATE
LOVE THAT IRON DOME: In his speech, Trump discussed the effectiveness of Israel’s Iron Dome system for defending against short-range rockets and suggested he would cover the entire United States with a giant Iron Dome.
“Israel has an Iron Dome. They have a missile defense system. Three hundred and forty-two missiles were shot into Israel, and only one got through a little bit. It was badly wounded. It fell to the ground,” he said. “We will replenish our military and build an Iron Dome Missile Defense system to ensure that no enemy can strike our homeland. And this great Iron Dome will be built entirely in the USA.”
“Ronald Reagan wanted this many years ago, but we really didn’t have the technology many years ago. Remember, they called it starship, spaceship, anything to mock him. But he was a very good president. Very, very good,” Trump said in what was obviously an unscripted moment. “Now we have unbelievable technology, and why should other countries have this and we don’t? No, no. We’re going to build an Iron Dome over our country, and we’re going to be sure that nothing can come and harm our people.”
Iron Dome is a system specifically tailored to the threat Israel faces from Katyusha rockets and was jointly developed by the U.S. and Israel.
The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) proposed by Reagan in the 1980s was a concept for a system of space-based lasers that would shoot down ballistic missiles before they reached the U.S. It was dubbed “Star Wars” by critics. Currently, the U.S. employs a multi-layered missile defense that includes ground-based interceptors, ship-based anti-missile systems, and terminal missile systems, including THAAD and Patriot.
TRUMP CREDITS ‘ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION’ CHART ON SCREEN AT RALLY WITH SAVING HIS LIFE
CURING CANCER, AND EVERYTHING ELSE: Trump didn’t promise the Moon, but he did make sweeping claims that everything would be better once he takes over.
“We will unleash the power of American innovation. And as we do, we will soon be on the verge of finding the cures to cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and many other diseases. We're going to get to the bottom of it,” Trump said. “You remember this gentleman that I don't want to mention other than one time I had to [Biden]? … This man said, we're going to find a cure to cancer. Nothing happened. We're going to get the cure for cancer and Alzheimer's and so many other things.”
“America is on the cusp of a new golden age. But we will have the courage to seize it … We're going to bring this into a golden age like never seen before,” he vowed. “A few short days ago, my journey with you nearly ended, we know that. And yet here we are tonight all gathered together talking about the future promise and a total renewal of a thing we love very much. It's called America. We live in a world of miracles. None of us knows God's plan or where life's adventure will take us.”
REACTION TO TRUMP'S RNC SPEECH ON STRENGTH AND UNITY
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Examiner : Trump makes pitch to ‘all of America’ and solidifies hold over GOP in RNC acceptance speech
Washington Examiner : RNC finale: Top four takeaways from the Republican National Convention
Washington Examiner : ISIS attacks in Syria and Iraq rising dramatically
Washington Examiner : Iran rebuffs suggestion of assassination plot against Trump
Washington Examiner : US military ends Gaza pier operations, will bring aid through Israel’s Ashdod Port
Washington Examiner : Taiwan ‘willing to take on more’ defense responsibility after Trump barb
Washington Examiner : Top US general in NATO: ‘Supporting Ukraine is vital for our security’
Washington Examiner : Russia’s space-based nuclear weapon threatens ‘entire modern way of life’
Washington Examiner : China scraps nuclear weapons talks with US, citing arms sales to Taiwan
Washington Examiner : Trump credits ‘illegal immigration’ chart on screen at rally with saving his life
Washington Examiner : FBI director declines House committee request to testify about Trump shooting
Washington Examiner : Furious GOP senators confront Secret Service director at Republican convention
Washington Examiner : Germany aside, Europe attempts to build bridges with Trump
Washington Examiner : Trump’s pick of JD Vance as running mate could seal Ukraine’s fate
Washington Examiner : Opinion: US should threaten European Union over X extortion
Defense News : US close to sending $2 billion in security aid across the Indo-Pacific
AP : Yemen’s Houthi rebels claim drone strike that kills 1 person, injures at least 10 in Tel Aviv
Military Times : Iranian proxies attack US base in Iraq for the first time in months
AP : Russia seeks 18-year prison sentence for US reporter on trial on espionage charges
BBC : Germany Plans to Halve Military Aid for Ukraine
Washington Post : Opinion: Let Ukraine fly its jets from ‘sanctuary bases’ on NATO territory
Defense One : Europe, US Gird for Russian Hybrid Warfare Attacks
The Economist : Russia’s vast stocks of Soviet-era weaponry are running out
Air & Space Forces Magazine : Brown Visits Philippines and Japan, Pledging to Bolster Ties in the Face of China
Breaking Defense : SOUTHCOM Chief Calls for ‘Marshall Plan’ for Western Hemisphere to Counter Russia, China
Defense News : Navy Missile Intercepts Target Using Army’s New Missile Defense Radar
The War Zone : F-35s Set to Get Missile-Luring Expendable Active Decoys
Air & Space Forces Magazine : B-2 Gets Big Upgrade with New Open Mission Systems Capability
Federal News Network : What Happened When the Air Force Neglected Its Biggest Plane for Too Long
Defense News : Navy missile intercepts target using Army’s new missile defense radar
Military.com : Here Are the Air Force’s Toughest Jobs That Earn a Bonus, But the Service Won’t Explain Planned Cuts
Air & Space Forces Magazine : Air Force Scholarship Puts Aviation Rookies on the Path to Become Rated Officers
Task & Purpose : Mental Health Program for ‘Vulnerable’ Troops Fails to Reach 70% of Enrollees
SpaceNews : Air Force Plans ‘Sprint Week’ to Experiment with ABMS Solutions from Industry
Air & Space Forces Magazine : After SpaceX Rocket Mishap, SPACECOM Boss Has ‘Full Confidence’ in Fast Return to Launch
Aviation Week : USAF Sees Secure Cooperation with International CCA Programs
Breaking Defense : Pentagon Inspector General to Put the Microscope on Hypersonic Defenses, CJADC2 ‘Strategy’
THE CALENDAR:
FRIDAY | JULY 19
9 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW — Center for Strategic and International Studies discussion: “U.S.-China relation," with U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns https://www.csis.org/events/fireside-discussion-us-ambassador-china-nicholas-burns
10:30 a.m. — Center for a New American Security virtual discussion: "Adapting NATO's Nuclear Posture to Current Threats," with Vipin Narang , acting assistant defense secretary for space policy; and Stacie Pettyjohn , director of the CNAS Defense Program https://www.cnas.org/events/virtual-event-adapting-natos-nuclear-posture
TUESDAY | JULY 23
6:30 a.m. 2425 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Virginia — Association of the U.S. Army “Coffee Series” in-person event with Lt. Gen. Sean Gainey , commanding general of U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command https://www.ausa.org/events/coffee-series/ltg-gainey
WEDNESDAY | JULY 24
11:30 a.m. — Washington Post Live virtual discussion: “Cyber landscape, terrorism threat and transnational repression,” with Matthew Olsen , assistant attorney general for national security https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live/2024/07/24/matt-olsen
2 p.m. House Chamber — Joint meeting of the House and Senate to receive an address from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
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