JUDY WOODRUFF: Our White House
correspondent, Yamiche Alcindor,
was watching the convention's

opening hours today. And she
will be covering it all week.

And Yamiche joins me now.

So, Yamiche, you have been
talking to people who have been
organizing this. How do they

want to distinguish what
they are doing from what
the Democrats did last week?

YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Well,
Republicans say that they are
eager to make the case that they

are more optimistic, more
positive than Democrats.

They say that the theme of this
entire convention is going to
be honoring the great American

story. Tonight's
theme in particular
is "Land of Promises."

And what they say is that
they really want to talk about
all the greatness of America.

They want to talk about the
history of America as being one
that is amazing, as one that

is positive. They say that
Democrats focused too much
on the flaws of America.

We are likely going to see
President Trump, I'm told, every
single day of the convention,

though he might not speak every
day. Another thing to note
is, there are going to be a

host of topics on
this convention's
agenda, including jobs,
immigration. Of course, the

coronavirus is going to
be a huge talking point.

The main message, though, is
going to be that President
Trump is the best person to lead

the nation through the pandemic,
and that, if he is reelected,
the vaccine will be produced

at the end of 2020,
and that things will go
back to normal by 2021.

JUDY WOODRUFF: So,
Yamiche, as you're saying,
today, the president
spoke actually at length.

He showed up at the convention
in Charlotte, spoke, I think,
for longer than people expected.

He did bring up the coronavirus.
What does that tell us? And
what have you learned about

what he may say at the end
of the week when he makes
his acceptance speech?

YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Well,
the president's statements
are -- show the tension
between what the campaign

and officials say that
they want to do, which
is have this optimistic
convention, as I said,

and what the president often
does, which is really talk
about fear and talk about the

dark parts of America
and what could happen
if Joe Biden is elected.

So, today, he spoke for more
than -- or at least over an
hour at the convention. And

what he was talking about in
particular, he said Democrats
are trying to use COVID-19

to steal the election.
That's a big, big thing
for the president to say.

And he said that he
believes that, if he loses,
the election was rigged.
Now, there are election

watchers who say that that's
sort of dangerous language.

But the president says that he's
really doubling down on this
idea that he is the person that

can protect Americans, and that
Joe Biden has really failed.
And he also made the case

today and has and will be
making the case all week that,
if Democrats are elected, that

this will become a socialist
country, and that it will
still -- be sort of Venezuela.

Democrats, again, take real
issue with that and say that
that is a completely false thing

to say. But the president is
really looking at this and
saying the Democrats who want

- - are pushing mail-in voting
and pushing people going to
the ballots, that they are

people who don't really
understand the democracy
in America, and that
they want to do nefarious

things.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And, finally,
Yamiche, tonight, prime time,
what are we looking for from the

convention tonight?

YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Well,
tonight, we're going to
have a host of speakers.

There's a lot of people whose
last name is Trump, including
Donald Trump Jr. We're also

going to hear from Tim Scott,
the only black Republican in
the Senate. We're going to hear

from Nikki Haley, who at
one point was actually
talked about as possibly
replacing Vice President

Pence.

And what we're going to hear
is really a theme of people
saying that President Trump took

care of America, that he was
someone who ushered in great
economic change, and that he was

someone who, again, can
lead America through
having more jobs, and
really someone who will

help America recover
from the coronavirus.

The other thing to note is,
though, that as we hear some of
the things that we're hearing,

Republicans are really going
to be pushing for an emotional
feel, talking about everyday

Americans who were involved in
maybe gun shootings or involved
in crimes that are committed by

undocumented immigrants.

The Democrats did that,
making an emotional
appeal. The Republicans
are going to be trying

to do that too. But they're
going to be doing that by trying
to attack the Democrats and

really saying that
they're wrong for the job.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Yamiche Alcindor
following it from the White
House and following it for

us all week long.

Thank you, Yamiche.

YAMICHE ALCINDOR:
Thanks so much.