Former President Trump formally accepted the Republican presidential nomination for a third time on Thursday night, capping a momentous six days in which he survived an attempted murder, He selected a running mate and made nightly appearances before fawning crowds and speakers at the party's national convention.
Trump began his speech in a more subdued tone than usual, with occasional flashes of his usual bombastic energy, but he soon turned menacing, painting a grim vision of an America in need of restoration.
Much of the 92-minute speech was dominated by him recounting and processing the story of Saturday's assassination attempt, saying it would be the only time he would recount the incident “because it's too painful to tell.”
Trump appeared at Milwaukee's Fiserv Forum wearing a white bandage covering his ear, which had been cut off when a 20-year-old gunman shot him during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The assassination attempt that came within millimeters of success cemented party unity around its presidential nominee.
“If I hadn’t moved my head at that last moment, the assassin’s bullet would have found its mark and I wouldn’t be here tonight. We wouldn’t be together,” Trump said.
“I shouldn't be here tonight,” he said.
“Yes, you are!” the crowd shouted.
Trump also held a moment of silence for Corey Comparator, The retired firefighter who died in Saturday's shooting. A uniform with Comperatore's name on it hung on the stage and at one point Trump walked over and kissed the helmet.
Trump attended the convention every night and watched as Republican allies and former adversaries — including those who ran against him in the primaries, such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley — praised him.
He began his speech with a call for unity, “because there is no victory in winning for half of America.” However, it didn’t take long for Trump to return to his usual attacks on President Biden, calling him one of the worst presidents in history and adding: “I’m not going to use that name anymore.”
Maintaining his usual rhetoric on immigration, he blamed Biden for an “invasion” at the southern border.
“We got them out and it was a pleasure,” he said. “They put them in a police van, took them back and got them out of our country.
“I will not allow these murderers and criminals to enter our country,” he added. Numerous studies have shown that immigrants are not linked to high crime rates.
He lashed out at Biden for his decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, calling it “the worst humiliation in the history of our country.” He claimed, without evidence, that he “could stop wars with a phone call.”
Trump said the war in Ukraine would not have happened if he had been president and boasted of having a good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Trump was the first US president to meet with the dictator.
The convention formalized the party's platform as well as its potential candidates for president and vice president. The new platformThe bill, which passed Monday, outlined party priorities that were markedly different from those of previous years. It does not call for a national ban on abortion and remove language The document, which defines marriage as the union between a man and a woman, is just 16 pages long, dozens of pages shorter than a typical party platform.
The week began with Trump's announcement of JD VanceOhio senator and author of “Hillbilly Elegy,” as his vice presidential running mate. Vance, who He spoke on Wednesday, He defended his Midwestern origins, frequently mentioning battleground states like Pennsylvania and Michigan.
With the assassination attempt and the announcement of his running mate, Trump dominated headlines this week. But Biden, who paused campaigning after Saturday's shooting, has come under scrutiny again in recent days as a representative. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank) asked him to step aside, becoming the highest-ranking Democrat to call for replacing the party's presidential nominee.
Biden announced on Wednesday that he would withdraw from the campaign because I had tested positive by COVID-19. On Thursday there was speculation that President was opening himself up to the possibility of stepping aside and allowing someone like Vice President Kamala Harris to become the Democratic nominee.
Former First Lady Melania Trump made A rare public appearanceDressed in a red suit, she smiled and waved to the crowd. She has refrained from campaigning, though she did offer a statement in the hours after her husband's killing on Saturday, calling on Americans to “get over the hate, the vitriol.”
The convention's closing night had a boxing theme, with appearances by World Wrestling Entertainment co-founder Linda McMahon, former Trump Small Business Administration administrator, Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White and retired professional wrestler and actor Hulk Hogan.
“What are you going to do when Donald Trump and all the Trumpomaniacs go nuts on you?” Hogan roared, making a reference to his catchphrase during his glory days in the ring. Hogan, whose real name is Terry Gene Bollea, ripped off his shirt to reveal a red, sleeveless Trump-Vance T-shirt.
Eric Trump, the presidential hopeful's son, praised his father's achievements as president and highlighted Trump's persecuted stance, saying he was “silenced, slandered and attacked mercilessly by a corrupt administration.”
