President Trump strikes a softer tone in Reno after bombastic Phoenix rally

Ralph Freso/Getty Images(RENO, Nev.) — President Donald Trump’s tone at a speech at the National Convention of the American Legion in Reno, Nevada struck a softer tone than his bombastic speech in Phoenix on Tuesday night.

“There is no country like the United States of America. We have no division too deep for us to heal, and there is no enemy too strong for us to overcome. Because in America, we never lose faith. We never forget who we are and we never stop striving for a better future. Together, we cannot fail,” he said.

Much of the difference in attitude may be explained by the two very different audiences he was speaking to over the past 24 hours.

Tuesday night’s event was a campaign rally where he was speaking to his base of fervent supporters inside; outside, thousands gathered to protest the president’s appearance.

By contrast, today’s speech in Reno was to a veterans service organization.

“We are here to draw inspiration from you as we seek to renew the bonds of loyalty that bind us together as one people and one nation,” Trump said Wednesday.

“For generations now, the American legion has taught our young people the principles of Americanism. You emphasize the need to preserve the nation’s cultural, moral, and patriotic values. You encourage the observation of patriotic holidays. You stress the need to enforce our laws, including our immigration laws. You teach the responsibilities of citizenship and the importance of the pledge of allegiance,” he said.

At one point, he did reference “history and culture,” a phrase he has used since the violent and deadly protests over the removal of a confederate statue in Charlottesville earlier this month.

In Wednesday’s speech, Trump did not specifically mention Charlottesville or ties to confederate statues.

“You teach young Americans to have pride in our history so that they will have confidence in our future. History and culture, so important,” he said today.

During Tuesday night’s speech he struck a different tone, suggesting that some people want to remove statues of “America’s great leaders,” like former Presidents George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt.

“They’re trying to take away our culture, our history and our weak leaders,” he said in Phoenix.

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