Second night of the Republican National Convention in Dallas: Trump sets the course and the GOP honors Charlie Kirk

Republicans held the second day of the Republican National Convention this Thursday at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, ahead of midterm elections in which the party is fighting to retain its majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

At the event, both President Donald Trump and leading Republican figures emphasized the importance of securing a victory in the November elections. The night also featured a major tribute to conservative activist Charlie Kirk, held on the anniversary of his tragic death.

Here are the highlights from the second day of the convention.

22:08 · Trump urges supporters to vote in November and revives his $5,000 “dividend”

And finally, it was Trump’s turn. During his highly anticipated appearance on the second night of the Republican convention, the president called on his supporters to commit to voting in the midterm elections, leading the audience in a pledge while joking about the consequences of staying home on Election Day.

“Please raise your right hand,” Trump said as he raised his own. “I pledge to the greatest president in the history of the United States that loves us so much, he can’t even breathe.” Trump then urged attendees to vote regardless of whether they were registered. “I don’t care if I’m registered or not. I’m going to try and cheat like hell, like they do.”

The president continued by asking the audience to commit to voting on November 3, while joking that they could technically vote Democrat if they wanted.

“So we swear that on November 3rd we are going to go out and vote. And you know what? If you want, you can vote Democrat, but I don’t think there’s one person in this room that’s going to vote,” Trump said.

Trump largely revisited the themes of his speech from the previous night as he closed out the Republican convention, highlighting what he described as the accomplishments of his administration. Trump also reiterated his proposal to provide a $5,000 payment to every adult U.S. citizen if Republicans retain control of both chambers of Congress after the midterm elections.

“If we win the midterms, we will, on the other hand, provide a, let’s call it a ‘Trump dividend,’ $5,000 for every adult citizen in our country, and we can do that because our country has never done better,” Trump said, echoing his remarks from the previous night.

21:55 · “JD 48”: Republicans chant Vance’s name as a potential presidential candidate

One particularly interesting moment during Vice President Vance’s speech at the Republican convention came when he was greeted with chants of “JD 48” and “48,” clearly showing how many attendees were expressing their support for the Republican leader as a potential presidential candidate in the next election and a possible successor to Trump.

Vance, who has been widely mentioned as a potential candidate, sought to keep the focus on the immediate political battle. “We've got to take care of business this November and then we'll worry about what comes next,” the vice president said.

21:29 · Vance pays tribute to Charlie Kirk and lashes out at the Democratic left in a speech interrupted by a radical

Vice President JD Vance used his remarks Thursday to pay an emotional tribute to his late friend Charlie Kirk, recalling how the conservative activist supported him when Vance addressed the Republican convention two years ago as the newly minted vice presidential nominee. “In the front row…my dear friend Charlie Kirk was smiling and cheering me and reminding me that I had a good friend right here in the convention hall,” Vance said.

The Republican leader said Kirk left behind two young children and praised his widow, Erika, for carrying on his work with courage and determination. “Now, Charlie left behind two children, two little kids, they were too young to fully understand. And a wife, the amazing Erika, who has carried on his mission with more courage and resolve than most of us will ever be asked to show,” Vance said, adding that he hopes Kirk’s children will one day understand that their father was “a great man.”

Vance described the convention as both a joyful and somber occasion while also reflecting on the political battle that brought Republicans back to the White House. He also argued that the “radicals in Washington” could not break Republicans’ determination to keep fighting.

The speech was briefly interrupted when a protester began waving a Mexican flag. “If you love Mexico so much get your ass over there. I'll buy you the plane ticket,” Vance said, before joking that “I had a whole speech written, but I think I've got to change it, because we just discovered the symbol of the far left: an idiot waving a Mexican flag at a protest when he should be waiving the flag of the United States of America.”

21:03 · Trump Jr. honors Charlie Kirk: “He loved this country more than anything”

President Donald Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., invoked Charlie Kirk’s memory during his remarks while warning Republicans about what is politically at stake in the upcoming midterm elections, portraying Kirk’s death as a reflection of the broader struggle facing the party against Democrats who are increasingly leaning toward the left and extremism.

“Charlie loved this country more than anything,” Trump said. “Charlie was good, he was pure. He represented the light. The killer that put a bullet in his neck in cold blood and the leftists who laughed and mocked his murder, well, they represent the darkness that we are all up against,” Trump Jr. said, presenting the contrast between Kirk’s legacy and the reaction to his murder as part of a broader battle between what he described as common sense and radicalism.

19:58 · Tano Tijerina Explains Why He Left the Democratic Party

Tano Tijerina, a former Webb County judge and candidate for the U.S. House in Texas’ 28th Congressional District, said during his remarks at the event that although he was once a Democrat, he decided to switch to the Republican Party because of Democratic policies at the southern border. “I didn't leave the Democratic Party. The party left me,” Tijerina said. He is challenging Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar and described himself as a conservative South Texas cowboy.

“I'm a beef-eating, gun-slinging, I'm a truck-driving, I'm a bible-thumping, Jesus-loving, callused-handed cowboy that's going to fight like hell for South Texas,” Tijerina said, drawing strong applause from the crowd.

19:09 · Mike Johnson Suggests Trump Could Run for the House of Representatives in the Future

House Speaker Mike Johnson suggested during his speech at the event that Trump could run for the House of Representatives once his term as president ends, citing former President John Quincy Adams as an example.

In addition to calling for maximum support for the party in the midterm elections, Johnson promised convention attendees that, if they were in Washington, he would take them to see a plaque honoring Adams, who returned to the House after serving as the nation's sixth president.

"Perhaps our current president will do that," said Johnson, who then noted that such a scenario might not occur by clarifying that Trump would likely "be too busy" to take on that role after two terms in the White House.

18:57 · Greg Abbott Says Republicans Will "Demolish the Democrats"

Texas Governor Greg Abbott asserted in his speech at the event that Republicans "will demolish the Democrats", while rallying his supporters around border security, public safety, and conservative policies. "We're going to keep Texas red, and we'll help President Trump keep America great," Abbott said, prompting chants of "Abbott, Abbott!" from the crowd.

Addressing national security, Abbott said that Texas had designated the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as foreign terrorist organizations. "And we're not waiting for Washington, D.C.; we will completely ban Sharia law in Texas," Abbott stated.

His remarks echoed comments previously made by Cruz, who claimed that Democrats have become communists and Islamists.

18:45 · Turning Point's Vice President Pays Tribute to Charlie Kirk One Year After His Death

In one of the event's most emotional moments, Lucas Miles, vice president of the conservative organization Turning Point, led a tribute to Charlie Kirk one year after his death, with the audience responding with thunderous applause. "A voice can be silenced, but the truth cannot. A man can be removed from his position, but if he dedicated his life to inspiring courage in others, his absence may achieve precisely what his enemies sought to prevent," said Miles, who assured the audience that "Turning Point is not dead" and that "the organization Charlie founded continues to grow."

Several speakers also mentioned Kirk, including New Mexico House of Representatives candidate Greg Cunningham, who said that Kirk was the one who inspired him to run for public office.

18:37 · Ted Cruz Lashes Out at Democrats and Calls on Republicans to "Save the U.S."

Texas Senator Ted Cruz accused the Democratic Party of being a coalition of communists and Islamists, stating during his convention speech that the party "hates Christians, hates Jews, hates the Constitution, and hates the United States." Cruz also warned against Islamic law, declaring: "Sharia law has no place in the United States. Sharia law is fundamentally incompatible with the Constitution, and we must stop it now."

The senator asserted that Democrats outside the party's most progressive wing support progressive candidates because they generate money and enthusiasm. Cruz concluded with a call to action: "Together, arm in arm, we must save the United States."