MILWAUKEE − Talk about split screen.
Applause rang out as Donald Trump arrived to watch the Republican National Convention on Monday night accompanied by Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, the man he handily won the nomination and was chosen as his running mate.
An hour earlier, NBC had aired a one-on-one interview with Joe Biden, who is battling for his political future.
The two photos reflect Republicans’ growing optimism about a shift in momentum in a rematch that has been fought within the margin of error all year.
in The New York TimesA Siena College poll released Monday showed that Trump not only led Biden by 3 percentage points in Pennsylvania, a must-win state for Democrats, but also trailed Biden by just 3 points in Virginia, enough to give the Democrats a state they had previously seen as a sure bet.
Biden, meanwhile, is trying to convince his base of voters and public officials that he is smart and healthy enough to be renominated at the Democratic Convention in Chicago next month.
“I’m an old man,” Biden told NBC host Lester Holt in an interview designed to demonstrate his suitability for what is arguably the toughest job in the world. “But, number one, I’m three years older than Donald Trump. Number two, I have a vastly superior mental capacity.”
He called it a “legitimate question” but gave no indication that he would heed calls from Democratic donors and lawmakers to back away from the nomination.
When asked who he would consult about it, he replied, “Me. I’ve been doing this for a long time.”
A vibrant crowd, a disciplined message
On the first night of the four-day Republican Convention, the FinServ Forum was buzzing with energy and the message coming from the stage was disciplined.
Even some of the Republicans’ most firebranded voices, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who is currently running for governor, stuck to the script: On a night that was supposed to focus on the economy, they slammed Biden’s record on inflation and praised Trump’s record on manufacturing.
While speakers denounced Biden as incompetent and weak, they did not condemn him or his sharply worded attacks on Trump, including the assassination attempt on Vance and Donald Trump Jr. that took place at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday and came shortly after.
The move reflects the Trump campaign’s decision to tone down the atmosphere at the national convention and call for national unity following the violence that nearly claimed the former president’s life. Trump said he rewrote his acceptance speech at the convention in the wake of the shooting, discarding a “fine” copy of the original manuscript.
While Trump, known for his inflammatory rhetoric on race, immigration and other issues throughout his career, could reach some voters who are tired of his rhetoric, not everyone is convinced he can maintain a moderate tone.
Trump, who doesn’t speak at the convention until Thursday, waited in the hallway and then walked down a red carpet before the crowd listened intently as country music singer Lee Greenwood sang “God Bless the USA” on video screens around the venue.
Trump’s right ear was covered with a neat square bandage, hiding the gunshot wound.
Despite one rally attendee being killed and two injured, several speakers at the convention said it was an act of God that Trump escaped serious injury.
“If you didn’t believe in miracles before Saturday, you should believe in miracles now,” declared Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina. “The American Lion has risen and roared! He has roared!”
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem likened Trump to Abraham Lincoln.
“Donald Trump is calling for us to be touched by our good angels,” she said.
The original text of Senator Ron Johnson’s speech was mistakenly loaded onto the teleprompter and then read by the senator himself, revealing last-minute changes that were made behind the scenes.
He didn’t complain about his new opening line: “We face a solemn moment in history, and we should all heed President Trump’s call for unity, strength and resolve.”
He then read a sentence that was cut from the revised version, in which he called the Democratic agenda “a clear and present danger to America, our institutions, our values, and our people.”
Final speech and cold water for the Democratic Party
Of all the speakers, the most shocking to Democrats may have been the last: Sean O’Brien, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, became the first Teamsters leader to speak at a Republican convention.
He said the union is not “subservient” to any political party, despite decades of supporting Democrats. That’s not guaranteed this time around, not this year.
Contributor: Lawrence Andrea
