Trump promises Libertarian in his cabinet if party backs him

Zoom in: "Keep getting your 3% every four years," Trump said when the crowd booed.

• Moments earlier, he had called himself a Libertarian and said he would be a "true friend to Libertarians in the White House." Those remarks drew mixed responses from the crowd.
• What earned Trump the loudest cheers and applause, however, was his promise to commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht, the operator of an unlawful web marketplace dubbed Silk Road.
• The former president also promised to free WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and Jan. 6 Capitol rioters.

The big picture: The convention, with the theme "Become Ungovernable," began as Trump faces the prospect of a felony conviction in connection with a $130,000 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.

• Trump claimed — as he's done repeatedly — that he has been unfairly targeted with gag orders.

What they're saying: David Boaz, a distinguished senior fellow of the Libertarian think tank Cato Institute, criticized the decision to have Trump speak at the national convention.

• "The Libertarian Party is a political party. Not a very successful one, but it is a party organized to run candidates and win elections," Boaz said on Thursday, per NBC-affiliated WJAR.

• "And no political party's nominating convention has invited a leading candidate from another party to be the most prominent speaker at their convention."
• It was a point Trump also highlighted in his speech.

Angela McArdle, chair of the Libertarian National Committee, said in a news release announcing Trump's speech: "For 50 years, we've been trying to get our candidates on the main stage with major party POTUS candidates and we've finally succeeded in bringing one to our stage."

• "We will do everything in our power to use this incredible opportunity to advance the message of liberty," she added.

Go deeper: RFK Jr. challenges Trump to a debate at Libertarian convention