Actor Scott Baio spoke in support of presumptive GOP presidential nominee at the Republican National Convention on Monday, focusing his brief speech on what it means to be an American.
The 55-year-old actor, perhaps best known for his role on the sitcom Happy Days, began his remarks by thanking the veterans who have served in the United States military, in keeping with the evening’s theme of “Make America Safe Again.”
“I can’t tell you how much of an honor it is to stand up here and talk about a man that I trust with the lives of my family and the health of our country,” Baio said.
“America is an easy place to get to. But for you first-time voters, it’s important for you to know what it means to be an America,” the actor continued. “It doesn’t mean getting free stuff. It means sacrificing. Winning. Losing. Failing. Succeeding. Sacrificing. And sometimes doing the things you don’t want to do, including the hard work, in order to get where you want to be. And that’s what it means to be an American.”
Baio went on to warn that America is in a “very bad spot” in which all the things that Americans hold dear “are being attacked every single day.”
“Is Donald Trump a messiah? No. He’s just a man,” he continued. “A man who wants to give back to his country, America. The country that has given him everything. A country that has also given all of us so much. And now it’s time to give back to her.”
“We have a choice in November,” Baio went on. “We can go for Hillary Clinton, who wants to continue the same policies that are wrecking this country, policies that make us unsafe; a woman who somehow feels that she is entitled to the presidency, that she’s somehow owed it.
“Or we can go for Donald Trump. A man doing this from the goodness of his heart, and genuinely wants to help. A man who knows how to get things done. A man who says what he means and means what he says.”
“Hillary Clinton wants to be president for Hillary Clinton. Donald Trump wants to be president for all of us,” Baio concluded. “So of course, let’s make America great again. But let’s make America America again.”
Watch Baio’s full speech above.
Follow Daniel Nussbaum on Twitter: @dznussbaum