Melania Trump ends night of rancour with note of empathy on virus

Washington

FIRST Lady Melania Trump capped the second night of the Republican convention by attempting to soften the image of her highly divisive husband, forgoing attacks on Democrat Joe Biden to focus on the ravaging toll of coronavirus and the nation's tortured racial history in a way US President Donald Trump usually avoids.

She acknowledged the deaths of more than 178,000 Americans and called for national unity in response - a departure from the president's customary handling of a virus he first downplayed and now seeks to put behind him. In between, she called on the nation to see the president as she does, as a leader devoted to the safety of the country and deserving of a second term.

"America is in his heart," she said in an address delivered in the newly redesigned Rose Garden at the White House. "So while at times we only see the worst of people and politics on the evening news, let's remember how we come together in the most difficult times."

The speech was a marked shift from the incendiary partisan tone and revisionist praise of Mr Trump's first term served up by the almost five hours of events that came before it. Just minutes before the first lady spoke, Mr Trump's son Eric unleashed a barrage of attacks on Democrats, saying radicals want to "erase history", and "burn the Stars and Stripes that represent patriotism and the American dream".

He misstated Mr Biden's positions, saying that the Democratic nominee "has pledged to defund the police and take away your cherished Second Amendment" - neither of which are positions Mr Biden holds.

The convention's second night was aimed less at lionising the president's achievements and more at making the case for his re-election by attempting to shore up weaknesses among crucial voting groups. It included lengthy testimonials that sought to cast him as a champion of legal immigrants and women, a group that is favouring Mr Biden by double digits nationally.

The campaign chose speakers from a map of states he needs to return to the White House - a lobsterman from Maine, a dairy farmer from Wisconsin, a Minnesota mayor and Iowa's governor, Kim Reynolds.

The unusually lengthy remarks from a first lady who often cedes the spotlight to the president also served to acknowledge another reality: He will need to at least rebuild his winning 2016 coalition, even as some voters have drifted away from Mr Trump due to his handling of coronavirus.

Mr Trump waffled early on about the seriousness of the virus, before ramping up daily public briefings, shutting them down and then later bringing them back. He has regularly sought to minimise the virus and explain the death toll by saying it could be much worse. Mrs Trump struck a different tone.

"I know many people are anxious and some feel helpless, I want you to know you're not alone," she said. "Donald will not rest until he has done all he can to take care of everyone impacted by this terrible pandemic."

The First Lady, a 50-year-old immigrant from Slovenia, acknowledged rolling protests and calls for racial justice in the United States, while Monday's convention included repeated warnings that "mobs" were coming to destroy the American way of life.

"Like all of you, I have reflected on the racial unrest in this country," she said. "We must remember that today we are all one community comprising many races, religions and ethnicities. Our diverse and storied history is what makes our country strong and yet we still have so much to learn from one another." Core to Mr Trump's re-election path is persuading voters to overlook his tweets and highly partisan attacks and still back him, a tension the First Lady acknowledged.

"We all know that Donald Trump makes no secret in what he feels about things. Total honesty is what we deserve from our president," she said. "I believe that we need my husband's leadership now more than ever in order to bring us back once again to the greatest economy and the strongest country ever known."

An administration official said that her speech was not reviewed in advance by her husband's aides. BLOOMBERG