RNC 2020: Five of the wildest moments from this year’s Republican gathering

Donald Trump brought 2020 convention to a close on Thursday night

After four days of apocalyptic warnings, ranting speeches and a bizarre claim about hamburgers, president Donald Trump brought the Republican National Convention (RNC) to a close on Thursday night with a speech from the White House.

Speaking from the South Lawn in front of a crowd of around 1,500, Mr Trump warned that his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, posed an existential threat to US, claiming the former vice president would “demolish” the American dream should he win November’s election.

Fearmongering appeared to be the theme for most of the week, as speaker after speaker sought to portray the race for the Oval Office as a choice between “law and order” under Mr Trump, or the breakdown of society with Mr Biden.

In addition to the obvious scare tactics, there were a number of episodes at the event which erred on the slightly more bizarre side, even by the standards of a party whose leader recently welcomed the support of QAnon conspiracy theorists, who believe that a cabal of Satan-worshipping Democrats, Hollywood celebrities and billionaires runs the world while engaging in paedophilia, human trafficking and the harvesting of a supposedly life-extending chemical from the blood of abused children.

Here, we bring you five of the most baffling moments of the RNC 2020.

1) Kimberly Guilfoyle shouts at an empty room

In a pre-recorded address broadcast on day one of the convention, Kimberly Guilfoyle delivered a high-decibel speech which drew astonished reactions.

Ms Guilfoyle, a former Fox News host and girlfriend of the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr, shouted loudly throughout her address, which she delivered to an empty room while violently waving her arms and gesticulating.

The 51-year-old said Joe Biden and Kamala Harris would “destroy” the country and “enslave” Americans with a “victim ideology” if elected.

Concluding her speech, Ms Guilfoyle raised her arms high into the air before declaring: “the best is yet to come”.

2) Donald Trump Jr says Joe Biden is “Loch Ness monster of the swamp”

Donald Trump Jr delivered an address that led to accusations that he was high on drugs, claims he later denied.

Appearing “glassy-eyed” and sweaty, according to onlookers, the president’s son – like his other half – delivered apocalyptic warnings that America would not be safe under a Democratic administration run by Mr Biden.

The 42-year-old also said Mr Biden is the “Loch Ness monster of the swamp” in a bizarre comparison to the mythical creature legend said to be hiding in the depths of a Loch Ness, thousands of miles away in Scotland

3) Gun-toting St Louis couple address conference

Despite facing charges of unlawful use of weapons, a St Louis couple who pointed guns at unarmed Black Lives Matter protesters addressed the convention.

Mark and Patricia McCloskey – both lawyers – addressed the audience in a pre-recorded speech, denouncing the charges against them and hitting out at what they described as the “mob” who passed their Versailles-style mansion.

The demonstrators had been marching towards the home of St Louis mayor Lyda Krewson to demand an end to police brutality.

“The radicals are not content just marching in the streets,” said Mark McCloskey in his Monday address. “They want to walk the halls of Congress. They want power. This is Joe Biden’s party. These are the people who will be in charge.”

4) Mitch McConnell says Democrats want to control the number of hamburgers people can eat

Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell contended Democrats want to limit the number of hamburgers Americans can eat as he urged voters to give his “friend president Donald Trump” a second term in office.

The Kentucky Republican spoke from his home state rather than the White House. “This election is consequential,” Mr McConnell said, warning Democrats want to “decide how we should live our lives.” His message was simple: Democrats want central control over all decisions American make under a socialist form of government.

In a more bizarre turn, he then specifically claimed that Democrats wanted to control how people eat.

Democrats “want to tell you what kind of car you can drive and even how many hamburgers you can eat,” Mr McConnell said in his pre-recorded speech.

5) Women’s suffrage likened to the formation of the Tea Party

During night three, RNC viewers were shown a newsprint montage of the women’s suffrage moment, which started with a segment that placed emphasis on the words Tea Party, in an apparent reference to US conservative political movement.

View the full video below