Former President Trump turned the 2024 Republican National Convention into a campaign rally in his first speech since surviving an assassination attempt, claiming that God was on his side during the shooting and calling for the unification of his party to “save this country”.
Trump disclosed details of his near-death experience as he addressed thousands of mourners in Milwaukee and formally accepted the Republican Party’s presidential nomination.
Here are the five big takeaways from the last night of the convention:
Trump went into detail about murder
After four days of suspense, Trump opened his convention closing speech by telling the story of his experience during the assassination attempt at his Saturday rally in Pennsylvania, where a gunman hit his ear with a bullet, killed a rally attendee and injured two others.
“As you already know, the assassin’s bullet came within a quarter of an inch of taking my life. Many people asked me, ‘What happened? Tell us what happened, please,’” Trump said.
He promised to tell the crowd “exactly what happened,” but vowed he would “never” tell it a second time “because it’s actually too painful to tell.”
Trump waxed poetic about the “warm, beautiful day in the early evening” and the crowd “cheering” in Pennsylvania, which he then said was interrupted by a “loud, hissing sound” and the sensation of the bullet hitting his ear.” really, really difficult.”
Trump wore a white bandage on his ear that had been injured in the incident. In the crowd, some RNC attendees wore similar earmuffs, which one woman said was done “in solidarity” with the former president.
Although he described a “terrible night” and a tense brush with death when “a lot of bullets” were fired, he said he felt “serene.” He thanked God for his survival and said it was “probably” a “providential moment.”
The crowd was riveted by Trump’s story and began chanting “fight” when the now-viral photo of the former president surrounded by Secret Service agents and raising his fist in the air appeared on the screen behind him.
Trump was what he was before
Previous speakers seemed to lay the groundwork for a softer version of Trump to take the stage.
A Wednesday night appearance by Trump’s granddaughter, Kai Madison Trump, introduced the former president as a “normal grandpa” who “gives us candy and soda when our parents aren’t looking” and “always wants to know how we’re doing at school”. .”
On Thursday, Linda McMahon, who served as Trump’s small business administrator, shared an anecdote about Trump and his 4-year-old granddaughter at their Mar-a-Lago residence, in which he “smiled with the love that only a grandfather could have. given” when the girl “messed up his hair”.
McMahon acknowledged that the anecdote was “probably not your typical Donald Trump story” and said the former president was “a good man” with “the heart of a lion and the soul of a warrior.”
But the Trump who spoke on Thursday night was the same one seen at every rally since he launched his campaign in 2015.
The text of the speech released in advance focused primarily on Trump’s plans for a potential second term and discussions of the problems he sees the country facing, but he frequently deviated from planned remarks, turning instead to praising allies and attack your enemies.
Although the written script did not include President Biden’s name, Trump apparently couldn’t resist directly attacking his opponent, saying that “if you took the 10 worst presidents in the history of the United States… add them up, they won’t have done the damage that Biden caused.”
He also attacked former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), calling her “Crazy Nancy” and earning her boos from the audience. A Pelosi spokesperson later responded that Trump has not adopted a “new tone” as some expected and is the same candidate he was.
Trump also criticized the United Auto Workers leader for jobs being sent overseas to countries like China, saying he should be “ashamed” and “fired.”
At the same time, Trump leaned into the week’s “unity” theme, especially at the end of his speech when he went back to the script, saying that the country’s “destiny” will be out of reach if people spend their energy on fight each other. other.
“Instead, we must harness that energy and use it to realize our country’s true potential – and write our own exciting chapter in American history,” he said.
The event was like a rock concert
The crowd was electric throughout Thursday night’s lineup, which included appearances from celebrities such as music star Kid Rock, fight promoter Dana White and wrestling legend Hulk Hogan.
Hogan, whose legal name is Terry Bollea, provoked chants of “USA” during comments that praised Trump and his newly named running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, as “the greatest tag team of my life.”
He also highlighted the noisy and celebratory crowd.
“When I got here tonight, there was so much energy in this room that I thought maybe I was in Madison Square Garden getting ready to win another title,” Hogan said. “But what I discovered was that I was in a room full of real Americans, brother.”
Meanwhile, Kid Rock had the crowd chanting “fight” and “Trump” while singing his song “American Bad Ass.”
Later in the night, Trump made a splashy entrance to a live performance of Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” and wandered around the stage, waving to the audience and clapping as the song ended before taking the podium.
The night ended with a cinematic drop of more than 100,000 red, white, blue and gold balloons, as Trump’s family joined him on stage and the Fiserv Forum crowd went wild.
Hulk Hogan almost stole the spotlight
It’s a difficult task to outshine Trump, but Hogan almost did it.
The fighter brought down the house in Milwaukee while giving a speech praising the former president.
The crowd started chanting “USA” as soon as Hogan took the stage.
But perhaps the most emotional moment during his appearance came when the wrestling legend ripped his shirt while speaking to the crowd, unleashing an almost deafening collective roar from the audience.
“When they tried to kill the next president of the United States, enough was enough, and I said let Trumpamania run wild, brother,” he said, to thunderous applause, in a play on the catchphrase “Hulkamania.”
Later, Hogan sat in Trump’s box with the former president’s family, and Trump himself seemed to acknowledge how much Hogan energized the crowd.
“How about the Hulkster?” Trump asked later that night, to which attendees responded with applause.
Biden’s Problems Were an Undercurrent
While Republicans reveled in Trump’s first speech after the shooting and celebrated his formal acceptance of the party’s nomination, Democrats continued to watch internal battles rage over Biden and his 2024 candidacy.
In the midst of the RNC, Montana Sen. Jon Tester became the second Democratic senator to call on Biden to withdraw from the presidential race.
Tester, a vulnerable Democrat running for re-election in a red state, said he appreciates the incumbent’s “commitment to public service and our country” but that Biden “should not seek re-election to another term.”
The Montana senator’s action added to the ongoing Democratic drama, which had been toned down slightly after the rally shooting but was renewed when more prominent party names piled in earlier this week.
On Wednesday, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) shared “serious concerns” about Biden’s ability to defeat Trump in November and Rep. Jim Costa (D-Calif.) joined the calls, saying it’s time to Biden “passes the torch.”
Trump mentioned Biden by name only once in his RNC speech — although the reference was not in the remarks that were released in advance.
“I will only use the term once, Biden. I will no longer use the name. Just once,” Trump said, and although his speech resonated with the administration, he avoided talking about the drama unfolding in the hallway.
Talk is growing about the possibility of Vice President Kamala Harris replacing her boss at the top of the ticket, and members of the Democratic Party are murmuring that a decision on Biden’s political future could come in a matter of days as its own presidential convention August approaches.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
