Dan Scavino, White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications and Director of Social Media, spoke on the final night of the Republican National Convention on Aug. 27, 2020.
Transcript
My name is Dan Scavino. When I was 16 years old, I got a part-time job at a golf course just outside of New York City. One day, I was cleaning golf clubs when a man pulled into the parking lot. There wasn’t a single person who didn’t know who it was. Everyone’s jaws were on the ground. It was Donald Trump. All I could think was nobody will ever believe this at school tomorrow. I never would have imagined it at this moment, but I’ve now been at President Trump’s side for almost 30 years. All these years later, there’s a part of me that still feels a sense of wonder every day when I consider the journey we have taken together and taken with so many of you watching tonight. Because my personal story with Donald Trump in so many ways is yours too. He saw potential in me, the spark. The possibility that I could be more, do more, and achieve more than even I thought was possible. That’s how he views this country. We have also just scratched the surface of what we can do together.
If there’s one thing I hope you will hear from me tonight, it is this. President Trump is a kind and decent man. I wish you could be at his side with me to see his endless kindness to everyone he meets. The media can be a fog machine, creating a partisan mist around everything that’s hard to see through, but in 2016, you navigated through it all. You found your way through the swamp and you arrived safely on the other side with Donald J. Trump as your new president. There are some things that were true then, reasons why you choose him as your country’s leader that remain true today. You know the president cannot be bought. The American people must know their president isn’t building his life, he’s building yours. He knows the president cannot be bullied. President Trump is the first leader who’s been too strong, too tough, and too savvy to be crushed by the status quo establishment and the political media class. You know the president cannot be beaten. He’s got a fighting spirit like so many of you do, and winning for America is what he does. While they call it chaos, President Trump calls it change. Just think about what we achieved together with President Trump. The strongest economy in history, the lowest unemployment rate for almost all demographic groups, black Americans, Hispanic Americans, women, and so many more. He did that once, and he will do it again. You know it and I know it. We all just need somebody to believe in our capacity to do great things. Donald Trump believed in me when I was a teenage golf caddy and he was already one of the wealthiest, most famous people on the entire planet. He saw my potential even when I couldn’t. He sees greatness in our country too and in each of you, he believes the world you dream about at night can be yours. He truly is a man of the people.
Just think about what he has done with this convention. You’ve heard from real Americans with real stories. People who are just like us. People whose lives have been forever impacted by the president and his policies. You’ve heard from people like John Peterson, who has a factory in Ohio. Tanya Weinreis, who has a small business in Montana. Jason Joyce, a fisherman from Maine, and Cris Peterson, a dairy farmer from Wisconsin. You’ve seen a man who turned his life around, get a second chance with a presidential pardon. You’ve seen brand new Americans become our fellow citizens in a ceremony at the White House. You’ve felt the passion of pro-life and religious freedom advocates and listened to the heartfelt words of a man whose family fled communism and oppression. Who needs a non-stop parade of politicians when you got an army of the people behind you? On November 3, vote for the man who believes in America, and believes in you. Vote for my friend, your friend, our friend, Donald J. Trump. Thank you and God bless the United States of America.
