The Republican National Convention opened in Charlotte, North Carolina, with dire warnings from President Trump and his backers that a Joe Biden presidency could destroy the country. Trump began the convention claiming without any evidence that Democrats were trying to steal the election.

President Donald Trump: “The only way they can take this election away from us is if this is a rigged election. We’re going to win this election.”

Little attention was paid on the opening day of the Republican National Convention to the over 177,000 Americans who have died during the COVID-19 pandemic or the tens of millions of workers who have lost their jobs. While Trump was repeatedly praised by the speakers during the convention, dissent is growing within the Republican Party. On Monday, former Senator Jeff Flake joined with over two dozen other former Republican members of Congress to launch a new group: Republicans for Biden.