Trump Spotlights Sam Brown As a Heroic Senate Hopeful From Nevada in RNC Address

During his Republican nomination acceptance speech on Thursday night at the Republican National Convention (RNC), former President Donald Trump paid significant attention to the great state of Nevada. Importantly, Trump recognized Captain (Ret.) Sam Brown, a Silver State candidate for U.S. Senate.

Trump said of Brown:

And, by the way, we have a man in this room who is running for the US Senate from a great state, Nevada, named Sam Brown who paid the ultimate price. Thank you, Sam. Thank you, Sam. Thank you.
He paid the biggest price probably ever paid by anybody that is running for office, and I think he's going to do great.
He's running against a person that is not good, not respected, a total lightweight.
But, Sam I think paid, --really we were talking about it with some of the senators that are working so hard for Sam-- but he paid the biggest price of any senator ever to run for the Senate. I don't think anybody's ever... what he did... he was a real hero, a really great person, and he's running.
I hope that everybody gets out and votes for Sam Brown.

In response to the former president's words, Brown posted the clip of Trump's speech on X, writing:

I am deeply honored to have served our great nation in Afghanistan, and now I am equally proud to stand alongside President Trump as the next Senator of Nevada. Thank you, President Trump, for your unwavering confidence in me. Together, we will reignite the spirit of the American Dream and restore hope for all. #DutyFirst #MAGA #GodBlessAmerica

I am deeply honored to have served our great nation in Afghanistan, and now I am equally proud to stand alongside President Trump as the next Senator of Nevada. Thank you, President Trump, for your unwavering confidence in me. Together, we will reignite the spirit of the American… pic.twitter.com/GqrOnhjlCw
— Sam Brown (@CaptainSamBrown) July 19, 2024

Brown delivered a compelling speech to the RNC audience earlier in the week, recounting his journey from combat injuries that left him disfigured to a hopeful path of recovery.

Both Brown and Trump highlighted a no-tax-on-tips policy during their RNC addresses. Trump attributed the idea to a waitress in Nevada, while Brown has been a vocal advocate of this policy for service workers in Las Vegas' tourism-driven economy. Incumbent Democrat Senator Jacky Rosen reversed her stance on the issue, joining as a co-author of the bill after its endorsement by Trump and Brown in Nevada.

Trump told the audience:

At the center of our plan for economic relief are massive tax cuts for workers that include something else that stood out to be very popular, actually. Here, it’s very popular. In this building and all those hotels that are so nice, I’m staying in a nice one. It’s called no tax on tips. No tax on tips. No tax on tips.
And I got that by having dinner recently in Nevada where we’re leading by about 14 points.
Hello. I’ll see you there very soon, everybody.
And we were having dinner at a beautiful restaurant in the Trump building on the Strip. And it’s a great building and the waitress comes over.
'How’s everything going?'
Really nice person.
'How’s everything going?
'Oh sir, it’s so tough. The government is after me all the time on tips, tips, tips.'
I said, 'Well, they give you cash, would they be able to find them?'
And she said, 'Actually,' and I didn’t know this, 'very little cash is given. It’s all put right on the check. And they come in and they take so much of our money it’s just ridiculous. And they don’t believe anything we say.'
They’ve just hired, as you know, 88,000 agents to go after them even more
But I said to her, 'Let me just ask you a question. Would you be happy if you had no tax on tips?'
She said, 'What a great idea.'
I got my information from a very smart waitress.

In a separate post, Brown shared a photo of himself in the audience as Trump addressed the crowd, writing:

Thank you, President Trump! I was proud to serve before, and I’ll be proud to serve again alongside you!

Thank you, President Trump! I was proud to serve before, and I’ll be proud to serve again alongside you! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/PKb8Y073pU
— Sam Brown (@CaptainSamBrown) July 19, 2024

Brown's race is competitive, as Rosen's lead has slipped from a 14-point lead in May to a mere two-point lead in the latest July polling. In April, the Cook Political Report upgraded the Nevada Senate race from "Lean Democrat" to "Toss Up."

Democrat Nevada Senator Jacky Rosen's Seat Is in 'Peril,' As Race Moves From 'Lean Dem' to 'Toss Up'