Unity thrives at RNC as Trump rallies his ex-rivals, widens reach to voters post-shooting

A unmistakable sense of unity pervaded over the second night of the Republican National Convention as disparate Republican factions and their standard-bearers lined up to support former President Donald Trump.

While acknowledging their differences with the party nominee, many of the party’s heavyweights, including his former primary rivals from both the 2016 and 2024 nomination cycles, came together and urged a divided GOP currently wrestling with an ideological shift in its outlook, to unite behind Trump.

The Tuesday evening speeches presented a marked contrast to the 2016 primary, in which Republicans offered tepid, or even reluctant expressions of support for the then-outsider candidate who had trudged past more than a dozen more conventional Republicans to clinch the nomination.

The convention itself comes in the wake of an assassination attempt on Trump that saw him sustain a gunshot wound to the right ear while holding a rally in Butler, Penn. After being hit, a defiant Trump was escorted by the Secret Service offstage, but not before he pumped his fist to show the audience he was alright.

“In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand United, and show our True Character as Americans, remaining Strong and Determined, and not allowing Evil to Win,” Trump posted in the aftermath. 

The plea for unity, moreover, appears to signal a messaging shift for Trump, who has traditionally relied on more divisive rhetoric, casting his campaign as a struggle against opposing forces and entities on behalf of his supporters. But Republicans appear eager to seize on the narrative and, just days later, his former rivals for the Republican nomination echoed his calls for unity.

Nikki Haley

Among the most notable of the Tuesday evening speeches was that of former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who emerged as the last remaining challenger to Trump for the party's nomination in the 2024 cycle. 

Widely regarded as a foreign policy hawk and the current standard bearer of the Bush-era Republican old guard, Haley’s campaign saw her earn considerable condemnation from Trump, who gave her the nickname “birdbrain.” Trump even went so far as to declare that her donors would be “permanently barred from the MAGA camp.”

"We don’t want them, and will not accept them, because we Put America First, and ALWAYS WILL!" he said in January.

But that sentiment evidently did not survive where Trump himself did, and Haley found herself addressing the convention at the former president’s request “in the name of unity.”

“I’ll start by making one thing perfectly clear: Donald Trump has my strong endorsement. Period,” she began, before addressing Trump’s detractors and encouraging them to seek common ground with the party nominee, despite their disagreements.

"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. And we agree that Democrats have moved so far to the left, that they're putting our freedoms in danger. I'm here tonight, because we have a country to save and our unified Republican Party is essential for saving her."

“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,” the former ambassador said. “In this moment, we have a chance to put aside our differences and focus on what unites us and strengthens our country."

Haley went on to encourage her supporters, and voters motivated largely by foreign policy, to look to Trump’s record on the issue, saying “when Donald Trump was president, Putin did nothing… no invasions, no wars. That was no accident.”

“Putin didn’t attack Ukraine because he knew Donald Trump was tough,” she asserted. "A strong president does not start wars, a strong president prevents wars." 

Ron DeSantis

The Florida governor’s appearance at the RNC appeared to mark the definitive end of a particularly bitter feud over DeSantis’ 2024 presidential run. Throughout his campaign, DeSantis courted traditional conservatives and evangelical voters, positioning himself to the right of Trump on keynote social issues.

DeSantis ultimately dropped out after the Iowa Caucus and endorsed Trump. During his speech at the RNC, he highlighted his own successes in transforming Florida into a Republican stronghold, insisting that Trump would offer the best path forward for the party at the national level.

“Now electing Donald Trump gives us a chance to do this all across America. And we have a responsibility to step up and make it happen,” he declared. “We have a responsibility to preserve what George Washington called the ‘sacred fire of liberty.’” 

“This is a fire that burned in Independence Hall in 1776, when 56 men pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor to establish this nation. It's a fire that burned at a cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, with our names and first Republican President pledged this nation to a new birth of freedom,” he went on. “It's a fire that burned at the foot of the Berlin Wall in 1987, when our nation's 40th president stood in front of that wall and said, ‘Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.’”

“This is not a responsibility we should fear. It's a responsibility. We should welcome after all, if not us, who? And if not now, when?” he went on. “Let's make the 45th president of the United States the 47th president of the United States.”

Ted Cruz

The Texas senator was one of Trump’s longest-lasting rivals in the 2016 Republican primary. The two generally did not trade barbs for much of the cycle, but their relationship decidedly soured toward the end of the contest, as the race boiled down to fewer candidates.

After dropping out of the primary, Cruz then told Republicans to “vote your conscience” in his RNC speech, declining to name Trump at all. His Tuesday evening address was a decided reversal of his past tepidity.

"As a result of Joe Biden's presidency, your family is less safe. Your children are less safe. The country is less safe. But here's the good news: we can fix it. And when Donald Trump is president, we will fix it!" Cruz declared, according to the Texas Tribune. "We know this because he's done it before. I know this because I worked hand in hand with President Trump to secure our border and we achieved the lowest rate of illegal immigration in 45 years."

“God bless Donald J. Trump,” he added.

Marco Rubio

Rubio was another of Trump’s opponents in the 2016 primary and also made Trump’s shortlist of potential running mates this cycle. Though he eventually lost the slot to Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, Rubio pushed forward with his support for Trump and used his speech to speak to the importance of the everyday American people.

“The life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind is in the hands of God,” he said. “We were brought to the precipice of the abyss and by the hand of God, reminded of what truly matters in our lives and in our country. It is our people who must always matter the most in everything we do.”

“By giving voice to everyday Americans, President Trump has not just transformed our party, he has inspired a movement,” he went on. “A movement of the people who grow our food, and drive our trucks, the people who make our cars and build our homes, the people whose taxes fund our government, and whose children fight our wars.”

He then paid tribute to Corey Comperatore, the man who lost his life during the assassination attempt against Trump, calling him a “hero” and highlighting his dying act of shielding his family from the assassin’s bullet.

“These are the Americans who wear the red hats and wait for hours under a blazing sun to hear Trump speak. And what they want, what they ask for, it is not hateful or extreme,” Rubio said. “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.”

“There is absolutely nothing dangerous, nor anything divisive about putting Americans first,” he asserted.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X.