Milwaukee (Associated Press) Donald TrumpHeavily bandaged, he accepted the Republican presidential nomination on Thursday. Republican National Convention In his speech, he described how he felt during the assassination attempt that could have taken his life.
“I wasn’t supposed to be here tonight,” Trump told a packed convention hall as thousands listened in silence. “There was blood everywhere, but in some ways I felt very safe because God was on my side.”
The 78-year-old former president is well known for his bombastic and aggressive rhetoric, but he delivered a softer, very personal message that came directly from his own experience with death: He asked for a moment of silence for slain former fire chief Cory Comperatore at the rally.
“The divisions and discord in our society must be healed. They must be healed quickly. As Americans, we are bound by one destiny and a common fate. We will rise together, or we will fall apart,” Trump said, as he has done all week, wearing a large white bandage over his right ear to hide the scar he sustained during the attack. Saturday’s shooting“I’m running for president not for half of America, but for all of America, because winning for half of America is not a victory.”
Trump’s speech marked the climax and conclusion of four days of Republican pep rallies that drew thousands of conservative activists and elected officials to the battleground state of Wisconsin as voters consider the now-close election. Two very unpopular candidatesSensing a political opportunity after his near-death experience, the bombastic Republican leader has adopted a new tone that he hopes will help generate further momentum in an election that is tilting in his favor.
But with less than four months to go until the end of the election campaign, the chances of any major changes to the campaign may be slim, but they are there.
Trump’s arrival Biden, 81, Democrat Trump has clung to his party’s nomination despite relentless pressure from Republican lawmakers and donors, as well as from former President Barack Obama, who feared his disastrous debate defeat would make it difficult for him to win reelection.
Biden, who has long been under pressure from allies to campaign more actively, has instead been isolating himself at his Delaware coastal home. Diagnosed with COVID-19.
Though Trump spoke in a softer tone than usual on Thursday night, his packed speaking program on the convention’s final day was also designed to be a show of strength in an implicit attack on Biden — and was noticeably more masculine than most of his speeches this week.
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Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White called Trump “the real American bad guy,” Kid Rock performed a “Fight! Fight!” chant and wrestling icon Hulk Hogan described the former president as “an American hero.”
Hogan drew a roaring reaction when he took to the main stage and removed his shirt to reveal Trump Vance’s red “Make America Great Again” shirt.
“As a celebrity, I try to stay out of politics,” Hogan said, briefly breaking character. “I can’t stay silent anymore.”
Like other speakers during the conference, Carlson suggested that recent events were a divine revelation and that he thought “there may be something bigger going on.”
“I think it changed him,” Carlson said of the shooting, praising Trump for not erupting in anger afterwards.
“He’s done his best to bring the country together,” Carlson added. “This is the most responsible and unifying move I’ve ever seen from a leader.”
Former first lady Melania Trump and the president’s eldest daughter and former senior adviser Ivanka Trump accompanied Trump to the venue before the speech, making their first appearance at the venue, but neither woman spoke.
Republicans were expected to leave the convention more united than they have been in recent years, but Democrats The split was intense There is ongoing debate about whether Biden should continue to lead. His disastrous defeat in the debate John McCain, who declared his Democratic nomination against President Trump last month, is resisting growing pressure to withdraw from the party with its own convention scheduled for next month in Chicago.
Hours before balloons were scheduled to rain down on Trump and his family inside the venue, Biden deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks appeared nearby in Milwaukee and repeatedly insisted that Biden had no plans to step down.
“I don’t want to be rude, but I don’t know how many more times I can answer that,” Fulks told reporters. “I have no plans to take Biden off the list.”
Nearly two-thirds of Democrats nationwide say Biden should step aside and allow the party to nominate another candidate. AP-NORC The poll was released Wednesday.
The convention showcased how Trump has reshaped the Republican Party since he shocked the party establishment and won over grassroots supporters within the party to win the presidential nomination in 2016. Rivals he defeated, including Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Marco Rubio of Florida, former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, set aside past criticism to give Trump their full endorsement.
Even Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, who was tapped as Trump’s running mate to take Trump’s movement to the next generation, was once a fierce critic, suggesting in private letters later made public that Trump could become “an American Hitler.”
Security has been a major focus in Milwaukee following the assassination attempt on President Trump, but four full days have passed without any serious incidents on the convention grounds or within the extensive security perimeter surrounding it.
The Secret Service had a large and visible presence, backed by hundreds of police officers from around the country, and a wall of guards surrounded Trump wherever he went during his nightly appearances.
Meanwhile, Trump and his team Undisclosed information About his injuries and the treatment he received.
“An assassin’s bullet came very close to taking my life,” Trump said. “Despite this heinous attack, we stand together tonight, stronger and more resolved than ever.”
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Associated Press writers Michelle L. Price in Milwaukee and Emily Swanson in Washington contributed to this report.
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