| Vice President Pence made the Republican case for four more years of President Trump’s administration while warning voters on Wednesday night that they “won’t be safe in Joe Biden’s America.” While accepting the nomination as Trump’s running mate, Pence assailed Biden as a “Trojan horse for the radical left,” wrong on domestic and international policy and a threat to “life and liberty.” Speaking from a flag-bedecked Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Md., Pence used the third night of the Republican National Convention to argue that Trump’s opponent would set the United States on a “path to socialism” and must be defeated on Nov. 3. The Associated Press: GOP convention takeaways: Pence pounces while crises swirl. Only hours before the address, Pence amended his originally prepared remarks to condemn the riots and violence taking place in Kenosha, Wis., following the Sunday police shooting of Jacob Blake, which set off protests across the country. In his speech, Pence offered unequivocal support for law enforcement, a Trump campaign theme. “Let me be clear: the violence must stop – whether in Minneapolis, Portland, or Kenosha. Too many heroes have died defending our freedoms to see Americans strike each other down,” he said to applause from an in-person audience seated in rows of folding chairs outdoors. The vice president expressed support for the right to peacefully protest, but added, “We will have law and order on the streets of America for every American of every race, and creed and color.” Pence, who is a somber and disciplined public speaker, did not mention Blake’s name during his address. He also used the opportunity to criticize Biden, saying that unlike the Democratic ticket, he and the president unequivocally support men and women in uniform. “We will stand with those who stand on the thin blue line, and we're not going to defund the police — not now, not ever,” Pence said. The Hill: Pence condemns Kenosha, Wis., violence, backs police in convention speech. The Hill: GOP sticks to convention message amid uproar over Blake shooting in Wisconsin. The Hill: Biden praises Milwaukee Bucks response to Blake shooting. The vice president also touted the administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic as head of the White House coronavirus task force. Pence commended the administration’s leadership during the six-month-old crisis as the “greatest mobilization since World War II,” pointing to what he said are 800,000 daily tests and efforts to fast-track an effective vaccine. “Last week, Joe Biden said ‘no miracle is coming.’ What Joe doesn’t seem to understand is that America is a nation of miracles,” Pence said, continuing, “and we’re on track to have the world’s first safe, effective coronavirus vaccine by the end of this year.” In closing, the vice president offered a glancing nod to the pandemic’s effect on the economy, saying that with four more years of a Trump presidency, “we will make America great again, again.” The Hill: Trump, Pence seek to flip the pandemic script with the GOP convention. Tim Alberta: GOP attacks Biden’s faith even as Pence shows his: Takeaways from RNC Night 3. Matt K. Lewis, Daily Beast: Pence just made the case for four more years that Trump couldn’t. The New York Times: From Trump’s shadow, Mike Pence can see 2024. Trump’s rollercoaster handling of the COVID-19 crisis since March has undercut his standing with female voters, including with the suburban Republican women who favored the fast-talking businessman from New York over Hillary Clinton in 2016. In focus groups and polls, many GOP women say they object to Trump’s confrontational manner, his tweeting and his shifting approach to the federal government’s handling of a new virus that has killed at least 180,000 people in the United States and left nearly 15 million unemployed. In an attempt to shore up Trump’s standing among women who are likely voters, his campaign staged a female-dominated convention on Wednesday that glossed over specific policies while showcasing conservative women who vouched for Trump and pummeled Biden. The march of pre-recorded speeches from females in officialdom included second lady Karen Pence, outgoing White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), who is in a tough reelection contest, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), who insinuated that Biden may be in cahoots with communist China, and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who recently welcomed Trump’s mask-optional rally at Mount Rushmore. 
© Getty Images The Hill: Ernst says Iowa flyover country to the national media. The Hill: Convention speaker Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) credits Trump for a spike in GOP women running for office. The Hill: Conway hails Trump as “champion” of women. The Washington Post recently reported a “gender chasm” facing the GOP, which helps explain why the Trump team is trying to repair the problem in the next 60 days. Women this month favored Biden by more than 20 points, according to an average of national polls conducted between late June and early August. “Trump has created an environment where women are not particularly interested in the Republican Party,” said GOP strategist Sarah Longwell, who has conducted regular focus groups with female Trump voters who say they no longer approve of the president. Another voting bloc in the Republican convention spotlight: Black men. From sports celebrities to military leaders, and from clergy to ex-convicts, the convention presented African American Trump supporters who urged Black voters to “think for themselves.” At issue for both parties is voter turnout. Biden’s campaign wants to recreate the minority coalition that helped former President Obama twice win the White House, and Republicans want to improve Trump’s margins and depress support for the Democratic nominee. The tipping point is Black men (The New York Times). Trump and the GOP struck a balancing act in the convention’s messaging to minorities, reports The Hill’s Marty Johnson. Another convention target: Voters of faith. Speeches this week have been replete with mentions of prayer and freedom to worship, a sign that faith remains a guidepost for how Republicans approach the 2020 race. In a Pew Research Center survey last month, 82 percent of white evangelicals and 55 percent of all Christians said they planned to vote for Trump; 88 percent of black Protestants supported Biden (Christianity Today). Tonight the president will officially accept the GOP nomination for president as part of a 10:30 p.m. address from the South Lawn of the White House. Among those who are also scheduled to speak tonight are Ivanka Trump, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson. The Associated Press: Trump’s big night: Expect talk of GOP progress, Democratic anarchy. The White House said a postponement of the president’s address was under consideration because of Hurricane Laura, a Category 4 storm (Politico). The Hill: Marjorie Taylor Greene to attend Trump nomination speech at White House. Matt Flegenheimer, The New York Times: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) didn’t get a convention invite. He still has plenty to say. Stagecraft: The National Park Service is in hot water with ethics watchdogs for a slickly produced video promoting Trump along with approval to host a fireworks spectacle following his acceptance speech tonight (The Hill). … One thousand to 1,500 guests are expected to attend the president’s South Lawn speech in the midst of a pandemic, in addition to production crews and White House staff members, CBS News reports. … Critics accuse the president of using the White House and government resources as props for partisan political purposes in violation of the law and ethics requirements, but the U.S. Office of Special Counsel ruled the Hatch Act does not apply to the president or vice president and the White House and the RNC say all restrictions are heeded (VOA News). … According to Nielsen, the first night of the GOP convention drew an estimated 17 million TV viewers across 11 networks. Online and digital news coverage and viewing expanded the audience, but both political parties saw declines in television viewership for their respective convention openers (NBC News). 
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