Unlike former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who did not mention Donald Trump in his brief speech at the GOP convention, actor Scott Baio lavished praise on Trump, calling him "the man that I trust with the lives of my family and the health of our country."

But he did more than that.

He used a favorite talking point of conservatives, telling first-time voters, "It’s important for you to know what it means to be an American. It doesn’t mean getting free stuff."

That dog whistle of a line echoes Republican conventional wisdom, which holds that the country is divided into "makers and takers."

It echoes Mitt Romney's infamous contention in 2012 that 47% of Americans would vote for President Obama "no matter what" because they are folks "who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to healthcare, to food, to housing, to you-name-it."

Baio's final line was more of a dog howl than whistle to the white male conservatives who form the backbone of Trump's base and are dismayed by the country's changing demographics and social mores. 

"So of course, let's make America great again," Baio said. "But let's make America America again."