CHARLOTTE, NC — After the Democrats' turn last week, the attention now turns to the GOP. The Republican National Convention is underway, and President Donald Trump will spend the week making his case for re-election. 

Trump officially became the party's nominee Monday after a scaled-down group of delegates gathered for a roll-call vote in North Carolina. Just six from each state, including Texas, are allowed at the convention due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

“Like, President Trump, we are pro-life, we are pro-family. We are pro-law-and-order. We are pro-law enforcement. We are pro-military. We're pro-Second Amendment,” Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said as he cast the Texas’ ballots during the roll call. “We cast all 155 votes for my friend, and the only hope that every American in this country has for true liberty and true freedom and true opportunity.” 

In a surprise appearance, the president also showed up in person in the host city of Charlotte, and took some time during his first speech at the RNC to make his case to Texans. 

Trump said if George Washington could come back from the dead, with Abraham Lincoln as his running mate, “You’re not going to win the State of Texas, if you have no oil, no guns, and no religion.” 

Just 336 delegates descended upon North Carolina to conduct some official party business, which was a stark contrast to the Democrats’ all-virtual convention last week. 

“Safety is number one for us and the president, and so we've all taken COVID tests. We all are wearing masks indoors, and you know, doing all the necessary precautions. But the point is, we're really excited about today. We’re excited to renominate, officially, the president of the United States,” Tommy Hicks, co-chair of the Republican National Committee, said. 

The president is expected to appear every night of the RNC, along with family members and his biggest allies. Two Texans will have prime time speaking roles: Navy Seal and Freshman U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Houston and anti-abortion activist Abby Johnson. 

“We're so excited, we're gonna have a great vision that the President lays out for the people of the United States of America. It's not going to be a bunch of Hollywood stars. It's going to be a lot of regular American people who have seen firsthand exactly how the policies that this President and this administration have put forth in the last three and a half years has helped them, and how that’s going to help rebuild the country going forward,” Hicks said. 

Bucking tradition to keep the White House free from campaigning, President Trump will formally accept the nomination there on Thursday, hoping to convince voters he is the one who can lead the country out of a public health and economic crisis. 

Abhi Rahman, a spokesperson for the Texas Democratic Party, was quick to criticize the president’s comments today.

In a statement, Rahman said, "More than 500,000 Texans have contracted the coronavirus. 11,500 Texans are dead from the coronavirus. More than 3 million Texans remain unemployed. Oil hit zero dollars a barrel a few months ago. All because of Donald Trump's failed leadership. Now, Trump wants to take away Texans' health insurance in the middle of a pandemic. No sitting President, even if their name was George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, or even Ronald Reagan, is going to win Texas with a track record like that."