Anne Funder, whose 15-year-old son died of an accidental fentanyl overdose, gave a moving and tear-jerking speech about the dangers of the deadly drug, to which Trump responded.
The California mother said her son Weston was a great older brother to his three younger siblings and loved soccer, surfing and hockey.
She described with tears in her eyes how he was a cheerful and energetic young teenager who grew into a responsible young man.
Funder said she warned him about the dangers of drugs and told him to stay away from them.
But tragically, her son died after taking a dose of a synthetic drug that was not thought to be lethal.
She then blamed Democrats for his death, earning a huge round of applause from the emotional audience.
Anne Fundner, a mother whose 15-year-old son died after taking pills laced with fentanyl, gave a moving speech Tuesday night that appeared to provoke a response from Donald Trump
“I hold Joe Biden, Kamala Harris — the border czar, what a joke — Gavin Newsom and every Democrat who supports open borders responsible for the death of my son,” she told the crowd at the RNC.
Her comment blaming Democrats for her son’s death resonated with the audience, who seemed to be on the edge of their seats listening to Funder.
“Like most teenagers, Weston wanted to fit in. And in a moment of peer pressure, he tried something someone gave him and it cost me my baby’s life.”
“We did everything right. I had those conversations with him and fentanyl still found my son. And on February 27, 2022, our lives were destroyed and our baby was gone.”
She said the Democrat’s support for loose border restrictions led to an increase in fentanyl smuggling into the U.S. and thus to the death of her son Weston.
Financier advocated designating the cartels, which produce most of the fentanyl consumed in the US, as terrorist organizations.
According to her, this measure could lead to fewer deaths among young Americans.
After her remarks, Trump appeared to shout, “We have to do this,” to his new running mate for vice president, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio).
When Funder called for cartels to be designated as terrorist organizations, Trump appeared to agree
Funder on stage with images of her son Weston behind her
At times, Funder began to melt during her speech, as she clearly felt the heavy emotions that came flooding back as she talked about her son
“This was not an overdose, this was a poisoning,” Funder said.
“His entire future, everything we wanted for him, was blown to pieces in the blink of an eye, and Joe Biden does nothing.”
Latest CDC data shows 107,941 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2022 – the equivalent of 295 deaths per day and one percent more than the previous year.
The main driver of the increase was fentanyl, which is deadly even in small doses. The illicit drug was responsible for nearly 70 percent of the deaths.
American youth are also particularly vulnerable to the drug. There are many reports of children, like Weston, who took one pill and died.
Unfortunately, preliminary figures for 2023 suggest that the epidemic continues to grow.
Fentanyl is often added as a filler to illegal drugs such as ecstasy and cocaine. It is often pressed into pills
There were 110,640 estimated deaths in the 12 months to October that year.
Oregon, which is experimenting with drug decriminalization, is currently seeing the largest increase in deaths.