Donald Trump's Republican Party sought to present a diverse image of the candidate's support by showcasing endorsements from two African American supporters – including a state lawmakers who accused Democrats of running a 'mental plantation.'
Former NFL great Herschel Walker lent his famous name and football swagger to his endorsement, while also recalling a time he bonded with Trump at Disney World.
'I watched him as the owner of a professional football team,' said Walker, who started out his pro football career in the New Jersey Generals, a USFL team Trump owned.
NFL great Herschel Walker endorsed Donald Trump at the Republican convention
'Right after he bought the team, he set out to learn,' said the former Heisman trophy winner. 'He learned about the history of the team, the players, the coaches. Every detail. Then he used what he learned to make the team better,' said walker.
The pitch came days after Democrat Joe Biden staged a multi-cultural convention that celebrated the late civil rights hero John Lewis, had a cast of emcees including Eva Longoria, and highlighted the black and south Asian ancestral of running mate Kamala Harris.
President Trump has made repeated appeals for black support, even as his convention repeatedly blasted protesters it linked to the 'socialist left' and 'mob rule' following the death of George Floyd.
Georgia State Rep. Vernon Jones, a Democrat, delivered scathing remarks at his own party, which he accused of exploiting black voters.
'The Democratic Party does not want Black people to leave the mental Plantation they've had us on for decades,' he said.
'But I have news for them: We are free people with free minds,' said Jones, at a time when Biden is holding large leads among black voters, but hopes to build a critical advantage over Hillary Clinton's performance, where black turnout dropped off from 2012.
Georgia State Representative (D) Vernon Jones said the Democratic Party 'does not want Black people to leave the mental Plantation they've had us on for decades,' he said
Kimberly Guilfoyle pre-records her address to the Republican National Convention at the Mellon Auditorium in Washington, DC, USA, 24 August 2020. She mentioned her Puerto Rican and Irish roots
U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) waits to speak to the largely virtual 2020 Republican National Convention in a live address from the Mellon Auditorium in Washington, U.S., August 24, 2020. He called out Joe Biden for several flubs on race
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks by video feed during the largely virtual 2020 Republican National Convention broadcast from Washington
Jones accused Biden of being 'all talk and no action,' and said: 'When President Trump sought to earn the Black vote, the Democratic Party leaders went crazy!'
He talked up Trump's support for historically black colleges. 'That’s right. Donald Trump did that.,' he said.
And he talked up criminal justice reform, which Trump successfully negotiated with Congress, building on bipartisan efforts there.
'Democrats couldn’t do it! Obama couldn’t do it! Joe Biden and Kamala Harris definitely couldn’t do it!' he said.
He accused Democrats of having 'turned their backs on our brave police officers' in recent protests.
As the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported, Jones exonerated himself after facing rape accusations in 2005 when he was De Kalb County Executive in Georgia. The woman stood by her story and the state AG said the charges were dropped because the alleged victim didn't want to go through a trial.
The woman who accused him told investigators that Jones raped her, following an encounter at his home involving her and another woman. The then-29 year old acknowledged telling Jones at the time the encounter was consensual, but did so in order to leave his home. Jones and his lawyer denied the charges and issued statements saying the contact was consensual.
Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley also vouched for Trump and talked about her own diverse background.
'He knows that political correctness and cancel culture are dangerous and just plain wrong,' said Haley who is of Indian descent.
The pitches came after Democrats stressed multiculturalism at their convention
Actress Eva Longoria was one of the rotating hosts at the Democratic convention
In this image from video, Philonise Floyd, right, and Rodney Floyd speaks during the first night of the Democratic National Convention on Monday, Aug. 17, 2020 about George Floyd, who died in police custody
'In much of the Democratic party it's now fashionable to say that America is racist. That is a lie. America is not a racist country. This is personal for me,' said Haley, who called herself the 'proud daughter of Indian immigrants.'
Sen. Tim Scott, the only black Republican in the Senate, called for people to paint a 'full picture' of Trump.
He called several of Joe Biden's flubs, including one he made while appearing withe Charlamagne tha God on his syndicated show 'The Breakfast Club.' Biden walked back the comment afterwards.
'Joe Biden said if a Black man didn't vote for him, he wasn't truly black,' said Scott, recalling the incident. 'Joe Biden said black people are a monolithic community. It was Joe Biden who said "poor kids can be just as smart as white kids."'
'And while his words are one thing, his actions take it to a whole new level,' he said, blasting Biden for the 1994 Crime Bill.'
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