Jeffrey Lord, a former member of President Ronald Reagan’s administration, was busy discussing matters with CNN’s Anderson Cooper when the anchor suddenly shushed him. Why? Because Antonio Sabato Jr., the second Scott Baio of the Republican National Convention’s first night, was starting his hotly anticipated speech. Whether or not the General Hospital alum’s words would turns the tides of the evening or not remains to be seen, but as the former Calvin Klein model put it, his “belief in this country,” “faith in Jesus Christ,” and support for Donald Trump compelled him to speak.
“I came to the United States from Rome, Italy in 1985,” Sabato told the crowd. “I followed all the rules and finally became a naturalized citizen in 1996. Others who want to come to the U.S. should follow the same rules. We are a nation of laws for a reason. There should be no shortcuts for those who don’t want to pay or wait.”
Following his autobiographical push for Trump’s tough stances on immigration, Sabato dovetailed into a brief address of President Barack Obama and “the candidate he endorses,” saying: “Obama and Hillary Clinton promote division. Don’t be fooled, but Donald Trump is for unity. Donald Trump believes in on America, for liberty and justice for all. Having secure borders, protecting our citizens — none of this is hateful. This is the responsibility of the government!”
Throughout Sabato’s brief remarks, the bottom half of CNN’s screen displayed random “facts” about the day’s speakers. So when Sabato took the stage, whoever was responsible for text over at Ted Turner’s brainchild delivered some deliciously troll-worthy commentary:
CNN's chyron game is strong tonight. #RNCinCLE pic.twitter.com/vPD5jV55aR
— Maggie Serota (@maggieserota) July 19, 2016
As for the rest of Twitter, they just couldn’t help themselves:
Let us pause for a moment and reflect on fact that Trump's "show biz" convention amounts to Antonio Sabato Jr, Chachi and Duck Dynasty dude
— Ben White (@EconomyBen) July 18, 2016
Antonio Sabàto, Jr., who came from Italy to become a semi-famous soap opera star and model is deeply concerned about America’s future.
— Sam Stein (@samstein) July 19, 2016
Antonio Sabato Jr speaking at #RNCinCLE forever ended any remnants of a childhood crush I had
— Atima Omara (@atima_omara) July 19, 2016
https://twitter.com/TheFix/status/755206778158256133
https://twitter.com/jbouie/status/755206756771434496
https://twitter.com/mattyglesias/status/755206735191764992
https://twitter.com/jbarro/status/755206705626095616
Trump's 44 year old dry-aged piece of meat takes the stage! Antonio Sabato Jr.! #trumpsteaks #ASJinCLE pic.twitter.com/QkRxhDgFnh
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) July 19, 2016
Antonio Sabato Jr., who just spoke at #RNCinCLE, tells @ABC's @Nawazistan and @Locs_n_Laughs that he "absolutely" believes Obama is a Muslim
— Ben Gittleson (@bgittleson) July 19, 2016
As for Sabato’s seminal General Hospital heart throb Jagger Cates, it seems Brenda Barrett (Vanessa Marcil) still doesn’t want to talk to him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZAM54XiNC4