Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) spoke on the first night of the Republican National Convention on August 24, 2020.
Transcript
I’m Congressman Steve Scalise. We’re facing some tough challenges in America. This isn’t the first time we’ve been here. I’ve worked closely with Donald Trump over the last few years and if there’s one constant theme to how he approaches problems, it’s how much he cares about the hardworking people that Washington left behind. I’ve seen this firsthand. After I was shot on a baseball field by a leftist gunman, first responders rushed me to a hospital where I battled for my life. That same night, Donald Trump came to the hospital along with first lady, Melania Trump. They consoled my wife Jennifer. They were there for my family in my darkest hours. Donald Trump would call to check on me throughout the following weeks just to see how I was doing. That’s the kind of person he is. That’s the side of Donald Trump that the media will never show you.
Look, there’s a lot at stake. This is an election between a party that wants to burn down the foundations of our country to the ground and a party that wants to rebuild and protect our great nation. The left wants to defund the police. This is personal to me. I wouldn’t be here without the bravery and heroism of the men and women in law enforcement who saved my life. President Trump stands with those brave men and women. Joe Biden has embraced the left’s insane mission to defund them. There won’t be an America to leave to our children and grandchildren without those brave law enforcement officers and first responders. Joe Biden’s made a career in Washington for 47 years, promising things he’s never delivered. In just three short years, President Trump has delivered huge wins for American families. While Joe Biden made hollow promises when he chaired the Senate judiciary committee, Donald Trump took action and delivered criminal justice reform.
Joe Biden claims to care about the working man, but millions of good manufacturing jobs were shipped overseas during the Obama Biden years to countries like China. Donald Trump brought those jobs back. I’ve seen how deeply President Trump cares about rebuilding our evaporating middle class. President Trump pledged to give the forgotten men and women of America a real shot at the American dream, and again, he delivered. The lowest unemployment rate in over 50 years, women creating small businesses at record pace, wages rising, the fastest, by the way, for lowest income levels. What can Joe Biden say to that? What has Joe Biden done in his 47 years in Washington that can compare to that?
President Trump has delivered for the hardworking people of this great nation. It’s going to take that kind of bold leadership to get us out of this COVID crisis. After President Trump’s saved lives by shutting down flights from China and Europe, he’s now focusing the full weight of the government on a revolutionary plan to cure this virus by cutting red tape and empowering scientists to create a vaccine. This is visionary leadership and action at a time when we can’t afford another 47 years of hollow promises. America’s been through tough times before. Who better to lead us out of these times than the president who already built the strongest economy our country has ever seen. Donald Trump did it before, Donald Trump will deliver for us again. God bless you and God bless these United States of America.
 spoke on the first night of the Republican National Convention on August 24, 2020.){kind=link}