Remarks at the 2024 Republican National Convention – July 18, 2024

Well hello, Milwaukee, and good evening, America.

Let me take one second to say hello to my fellow delegates from Connecticut.

My name is Linda McMahon, and I am the chair of the America First Policy Institute. [applause] I'm perhaps one of the few people who's been privileged to call Donald Trump a colleague and a boss. But he's also a friend.

Let me share a little story that's probably not the typical Donald Trump story. I had a meeting scheduled with him at Mar-a-Lago. And as he welcomed me, his little four-year-old granddaughter ran up to him. He scooped her up with delight and asked her, “Who's the most beautiful girl in the world?” And she said, “Me.” Then he asked, “And who do you love the most in the world?” And she said, “You, Grandpa,” and he kissed her on both cheeks. Then she whisked off his hat and mused his hair, and he smiled with the love that only a grandfather could have given.

I first met Donald Trump when I was the CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment. [applause] For fun, he became part of some of the most compelling and highest-rated storylines in the company's history. And when he became president, I was honored to serve in his cabinet running the Small Business Administration.

I traveled the country, talking to business owners and job creators. They knew they had a president who understood them and fought for them. He knew that small businesses are the engine of the American economy, and the Trump tax cuts proved to be like rocket fuel for them. Almost every business owner I spoke with was using their tax savings to grow their businesses. And ladies and gentlemen, the U.S. economy was flourishing.

But no moment during my time in the government was more poignant for me than one that happened in 2018. I traveled with the president to view the destruction which Hurricane Florence had levied on my hometown of New Bern, North Carolina. I stepped off of Air Force One and walked side by side with the president of the United States through the hangar where my father had been a shop foreman and my mom had been a budget analyst.

I watched Donald Trump walk through neighborhoods of my childhood, comforting those who had suffered such great damages. Because he was a builder, he talked to them about what it would take to rebuild, what kind of materials they should use. And he didn't just show a personal interest. He was one of them.

But now Joe Biden and the Democrats want to penalize small businesses again by hiking their taxes.

But when he's re-elected, Donald Trump will make those tax cuts permanent. [applause] And he will also offer new tax cuts like no taxes on tips. [applause] Instead of taxing American companies, Donald Trump put tariffs on China that raised billions of dollars and protected American industries. And if reelected, he'll do it again. [applause]

President Trump is a job creator and the best friend American workers have ever had in the White House. He is a champion of the forgotten men and women, as I have experienced firsthand. But the media doesn't like to acknowledge that very often.

Donald Trump is not only a fighter, ladies and gentlemen, he is a good man. [applause] He has the heart of a lion and the soul of a warrior, and I believe that if necessary he would stand at the gates of hell to defend our country. [applause] He loves this country and he would do anything to defend it and to protect us from all harm. I am confident that he will make America great again, and why? Because he did it before. [applause]

So I ask all of you here tonight, and those of you who are watching from home, to re-elect Donald J. Trump as the 47th president of the United States.

Thank you. Good night.

PBS NewsHour. “WATCH: Linda McMahon speaks at 2024 Republican National Convention | 2024 RNC Night 4.” YouTube video, 5:31. July 18, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7Z2fl627_Q