MILWAUKEE: Donald Trump made a grand entrance during the first night of the Republican National Convention on Monday, receiving a raucous ovation from the party faithful two days after a would-be assassin's bullet grazed his right ear.
Trump entered the Fiserv Forum in downtown Milwaukee with a thick bandage over his ear as the crowd chanted “Fight! Fight! Fight!” and raised their fists, a reference to his reaction in the moments after he was wounded.
The former president uttered the words “Thank you” and settled into a box with some of his children and U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, Trump's choice for running mate announced earlier in the day.
Trump will formally accept the party's nomination in a prime-time address on Thursday and face Democratic President Joe Biden in the Nov. 5 election.
The four-day convention began less than 48 hours after a gunman opened fire at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, killing one supporter. The gunman was shot dead and his motive remains unclear.
During Monday's session, the party gave turns to speak to six ordinary Americans who highlighted the impact inflation has had on low- and middle-income families, while Republican leaders attacked the Biden administration for being out of touch.
Sen. Tim Scott, who briefly ran against Trump for the nomination, said divine intervention saved Trump's life.
“Our God still saves,” Scott said. “He still delivers and he still delivers us. Because on Saturday the devil came to Pennsylvania with a rifle in his hand, but an American lion stood up and roared.”
Vance, 39, was a fierce critic of Trump in 2016 but has since become one of the former president's staunchest defenders, embracing his false claims that the 2020 election was marred by widespread fraud.
Vance is very popular among Trump's most diehard supporters, but it remains to be seen whether he can broaden the ticket's appeal. He shares Trump's aggressive approach to politics and his conservative statements on issues such as abortion could turn off moderate voters.
Shortly after Trump's afternoon announcement, Vance appeared on the convention floor with his wife Usha, shaking hands and hugging delegates surrounding the couple. He is scheduled to address the convention on Wednesday.
Reproductive rights issue
Biden told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland that Vance is “a clone of Trump on those issues,” while other Democrats criticized Vance's record on reproductive rights.
In an interview in Fox News On Monday night, Vance said he supported Trump's position that each state should decide for itself whether to allow abortion.
Opinion polls show a tight race between Trump, 78, and Biden, 81, although Trump leads in several key states that are likely to decide the election. Trump has not committed to accepting the election results if he loses.
The head of the main fundraising super PAC supporting Trump's campaign, Taylor Budowich, said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Maga Inc had raised more than $50 million by Monday.
Billionaire Elon Musk plans to donate about $45 million a month to a new pro-Trump super PAC, the Wall Street Journal Musk backed Trump after Saturday's assassination attempt, Reuters news agency reported, citing people familiar with his intentions.
Following the shooting, Trump said he was revising his acceptance speech to emphasize national unity, rather than highlight his differences with Biden.
“The speech will be very different, very different than it would have been two days ago,” Trump said. Washington Examiner.
The day began with another in a series of recent legal victories for Trump, when U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed federal charges accusing him of withholding classified documents after leaving the White House.
Trump is scheduled to be sentenced in New York in September for trying to cover up a hush payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in the weeks before his 2016 election victory.
But his two other indictments on federal charges in Washington and state charges in Georgia, both related to his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss, are mired in delays and could be significantly limited after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in July that he had immunity for many of his official acts as president.
“This dismissal of the lawless indictment in Florida should be just the first step, followed quickly by the dismissal of ALL witch hunts,” Trump said on Truth Social on Monday, also referencing the prosecutions of hundreds of his supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
There is no place for violence
The attempted shooting of Trump immediately altered the dynamics of the presidential campaign, which had centered on whether Biden should withdraw because of concerns about his age and mental acuity following a shaky performance in the June 27 debate.
Nearly two dozen of Biden's fellow Democrats in Congress have called on him to end his re-election bid and allow the party to choose another standard-bearer.
This week, the focus will be squarely on Trump.
With control of the party consolidated, Trump could seize the opportunity to deliver a unifying message or paint a dark portrait of a nation besieged by a corrupt leftist elite, as he has done at times on the campaign trail.
Trump has frequently resorted to violent rhetoric in his campaign speeches, labeling his perceived enemies as “vermin” and “fascists.”
Biden has called Trump a threat to American democracy, comments that some Republicans say helped foster an atmosphere that sparked the shooting, though authorities have yet to determine a motive for the assassination attempt.
Following Saturday's shooting, Biden sought to lower the temperature after months of heated political rhetoric.
“There is no place in America for this kind of violence,” Biden said in a speech from the White House on Sunday.
In an interview with NBC News On Monday, Biden said it was a “mistake” to tell donors last week that it was “time to put Trump on the spot,” but noted that Trump has often used incendiary words.
Biden ordered an independent investigation into how the gunman could have come so close to killing Trump. Congressional investigators also sought to question the head of the U.S. Secret Service, which was responsible for protecting the former president.
