WASHINGTON-AP (WBAP/KLIF) – President Donald Trump made a surprise appearance at Baltimore’s Fort McHenry following Vice President Mike Pence‘s speech at the Republican National Convention.
The president, first lady, Pence and Pence’s wife stood on stage with their hands over their hearts as country music star Trace Adkins performed “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Trump didn’t make any comments at the podium, but after the national anthem, he and the first lady greeted people in the audience, chatting with supporters while standing a few feet away.
Pence was delivering the evening’s keynote from Fort McHenry, where Americans defended Baltimore Harbor from the British in the War of 1812.
Pence seized on the national reckoning over racial injustice to argue that Democratic leaders are allowing lawlessness to prevail in cities from coast to coast.
He and others described cities wracked by violence, though protests in most locations have been largely peaceful.
Chris Wallace of Fox News called the speech, a ‘well-crafted’ and ‘very effective‘ attack on Biden record.
Meantime, President Trump will accept the Republican nomination for president tonight from the White House.
Trump’s decision to use the White House as the backdrop for his acceptance speech and other events during the RNC is getting a lot of attention as lawmakers and legal experts voice concern over The 80-year-old Hatch Act.
That law bans public servants from participating in activities contributing towards the success or failure of a particular political party.
White House chief of staff Mark Meadows dismissed the law on Wednesday, saying “Nobody outside of the Beltway really cares” about the Hatch Act.”
WBAP will carry the speech tonight beginning at 9PM.
(Copyright 2020 WBAP/KLIF 24/7 News. This report contains material from the Associated Press and Fox News.)