Linda McMahon, former administrator of the Small Business Administration, at the Republican National Convention.
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For updates from the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, visit NPR Network’s live updates pagePlus: You can watch live video from NPR of tonight’s speeches. Here’s how to do it.
Ahead of former President Donald Trump’s keynote address tonight, the speaker schedule has attempted to show a softer, friendlier side of Trump than his presidential and campaign image.
Several employees at Trump’s golf courses have spoken of his character, such as John Nieporte, the head golf professional at Trump International in Florida.
“For 25 years, I witnessed firsthand his generosity and his remarkable character,” Nieporte said. “He could have chosen a quiet life. He could have played more golf, but he cared so much about America and our people, he just kept working and he did it for us.”
The buildup to Trump’s acceptance speech also largely avoided overshadowing the former president’s big moment.
Trump’s speech tonight is expected to be lighter and focus more on unity than typical campaign review This year, those speeches painted a bleaker picture of the country, frequently attacking President Biden and Democrats and using harsh language toward his opponents.
The effort to change the tone of this week’s convention comes as a majority of Americans do not believe Trump is qualified to be president, according to an NPR/PBS News/Marist poll.
WWE CEO turned small business administrator Linda McMahon calls Trump a fighter
Linda McMahon, who served as administrator of Trump’s Small Business Administration, shared her perspective as a colleague, employee and friend of the former president.
McMahon, along with her husband Vince, spent decades as CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) before unsuccessfully running for both Connecticut’s U.S. Senate seats in 2009 and 2010.
She served as Trump’s small business administrator from 2017 to 2019, when she resigned to join pro-Trump super PAC America’s First Act. She introduced herself on stage as the president of America First Policy InstituteFounded in 2021 by former Trump advisers.
McMahon opened with what she described as “probably not a typical Donald Trump story,” recounting the time she met him at Mar-a-Lago for a meeting and witnessed a sweet interaction between him and his 4-year-old granddaughter.
“He kissed her on both cheeks, she took off her hat and patted his head, and he smiled with the love that a grandfather can give,” she said, joining a long list of RNC speakers who described Trump as a loving family man.
McMahon said she first met Trump while she was working at WWE, when he “has been a part of some of the most exciting and critically acclaimed storylinesin the company’s history.”
She said she was honored to serve in his cabinet at his invitation and recalled traveling the country to talk to business owners and job creators.
“They know they have a president who understands them and fights for them,” she said.
McMahon described Trump as a champion of jobs and “the best friend the American working class has ever had in the White House.” And, in true WWE fashion, she described him as “not just a fighter” but “a good man.”
“He has the heart of a lion and the soul of a warrior, and I believe that if necessary, he will stand at the gates of hell to protect our country,” she added.
