Donald Trump phones in to NC Republican Convention to blast Biden, boast 'big' win (2024)

GREENSBORO — As guests dined on steak during the North Carolina Republican Convention on Friday night, they had no idea there was a surprise speaker.

Despite not being able to attend in person, former President Donald Trump spoke for about four minutes to a ballroom filled with his supporters in the Koury Convention Center after son Eric, who was a keynote speaker, gave him a call as a nearby microphone relayed the conversation.

During his short address, Trump attacked President Joe Biden over his handling of the border and inflation.

“Nobody can want this guy as president,” Trump said. “Inflation is going up, gasoline, energy is going up. The people continue to pour through the border.”

Trump also continued to repeat baseless claims about the 2020 presidential election being stolen by Democrats.

“There was never so much cheating in the history of elections than that,” Trump continued. “They used COVID to cheat.”

Trump concluded by promising to win North Carolina again after narrow victories in 2016 and 2020.

“We’re gonna win, we’re gonna win big and we won’t let you down,” said Trump as chants of “USA” erupted throughout the room.

North Carolina, a battleground state, should again figure prominently in the upcoming presidential election — a fact not lost on the Trump campaign. The former president was here in April and is expected to be in Charlotte on Sunday for NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600.

Until then, the state GOP convention serves as another opportunity for Trump to cement his candidacy here. Helping to further that cause this weekend will be other high-profile Republicans such as former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and N.C. Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson of Greensboro.

While Trump touched on many topics during his short remarks, he notably didn’t spend much time talking about his many legal troubles.

However, son Eric didn’t hold back in claiming the court system was being used to derail his father’s campaign.

“The entire country sees through the legal lawfare,” Eric Trump said.

He was joined on Friday night by wife, Lara, who is a Wilmington native, N.C. State graduate and the new co-chair of the Republican National Committee.

She said the RNC and Trump campaign had become closely intertwined since she took the position in March.

“Prior to today we worked alongside the RNC as the Trump campaign but never were we fully integrated, one party, like one entity,” she said. “We truly are that now. There is no daylight between the RNC and the Trump campaign. We are one group.”

Many have seen her installation as a way to ensure Trump’s grip over the Republican Party — and solidify his chances of becoming the 47th president.

On Friday night, the daughter-in-law of the former president urged Trump supporters to vote early, a tactic more commonly associated with the Democratic Party than the GOP. Now, however, it’s becoming more of a common refrain as the campaign heads into summer.

“Life happens, right? You never know what could happen day to day,” she said. “You don’t want to wait and miss your opportunity to get your vote banked.”