Medal of Honor recipient Bellavia speaks at RNC

BUFFALO, N.Y. — David Bellavia, a conservative talk show host from Western New York and a decorated Army veteran, said people close to Donald Trump approached him about a month ago about speaking at the Republican National Convention.

He talks about national security and military recruitment.

“Afghanistan is the main reason we lose our recruiting capacity. Parents simply don’t trust the military to keep its word,” Bellavia said.

In 2019, President Trump awarded Bellavia the Medal of Honor, and he has since promoted the merits of joining the military to recruits and families across the country.

“It’s an area I know a lot about,” he said. “I feel like an expert on it because I continue to ask people to join the military every day.”

Bellavia believes the country is tired of the war on terror and the way troops were withdrawn from Afghanistan. He compares the feeling to that following the Vietnam War.

Bellavia said America’s enemies – Iran, China and Russia – have grown stronger under the Biden administration.

“The best way to end this malaise is to be successful abroad, and there’s too much going on in the world right now where America is not playing a leadership role,” he said.

As for the convention in general, he said the atmosphere was different than at previous conventions he had attended. Bellavia said even the protesters were mostly cordial and the event seemed less about partisan politics and more about patriotism.

“Saturday changed things,” he said, referring to the assassination attempt on Trump. “Now, how long can we maintain this change of stability, that’s what we’ll see. We’ll find out on Thursday. Is it just talk or is there a significant difference?”

However, Bellavia said the shooting in Pennsylvania over the weekend could have other implications as well. He compared the Milwaukee facility to compounds in cities like Baghdad, where there are heavy security checks and a large Secret Service presence.

“The security team that accompanied President Trump was robust. It’s not something we’ve traditionally seen. It was a show of force. The Secret Service was saying, ‘Hey, whatever happened in Pennsylvania, we’ll know about it, but it’s not going to happen again and we’re going to do our best,’” Bellavia said.

Bellavia also weighed in on Trump’s choice for vice president, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio. He said that while he doesn’t know the candidate well, he would like to see more veterans like Vance in senior positions and appreciates the youth factor the 39-year-old politician brings.