MILWAUKEE– Milwaukee (AP) – donald trumpsomber and bandaged, he accepted the Republican Party’s presidential nomination on Thursday at the Republican National Convention in a speech that describes in detail the assassination attempt that could have ended his life just five days earlier.
“I shouldn’t be here tonight,” Trump told the packed convention hall as thousands of people listened in silence. “There was blood running everywhere, but in a way I felt very safe because I had God on my side.”
The 78-year-old former president, best known for his bombastic and aggressive rhetoric, began his acceptance speech with a softer and more deeply personal message, directly inspired by his encounter with death. He later returned to a tone closer to his typical campaign message, outlining his priorities on immigration and the economy, but also referencing false theories of voter fraud and the accusations against him.
“The discord and division in our society must be healed. We must cure him quickly. As Americans, we are united by a single destiny and a shared destiny. We went up together. Or we will fall apart,” Trump said, wearing a large white bandage on his right ear, as he has done all week, to cover a wound he suffered in Saturday’s shooting. “I’m running to be president of all of America, not half of America, because there is no victory in winning for half of America.”
Later in the speech, he falsely suggested that Democrats cheated during the 2020 election that he lost — despite a series of federal and state investigations proving there was no systemic fraud — and suggested “we should not criminalize dissent or demonize political disagreement.” ”, even when he has long called for prosecutions to be brought against his opponents.
Trump’s speech marked the climax and conclusion of a massive four-day Republican rally that drew thousands of conservative activists and elected officials to the swing state of Wisconsin, as voters weigh in on an election that currently presents two deeply unpopular candidates. Sensing a political opportunity in the wake of his near-death experience, the often bombastic Republican leader has adopted a new tone that he hopes will help generate even more momentum in an election that appears to be shifting in his favor.
But with less than four months left in the competition, major changes to the race are possible, if not likely.
Trump’s appearance appears as Democrat Biden, 81 years old Clings to his party’s nomination in the face of relentless pressure from key congressional allies, donors and even former President Barack Obama, who fear he won’t be re-elected after his disastrous debate.
Long pressured by allies to run a more vigorous campaign, Biden is isolated at his Delaware beach house after being diagnosed with COVID-19.
With the stage to himself, Trump praised the many supporters who witnessed his assassination attempt and asked for a moment of silence for Corey Comperatore, the retired fire chief killed at the rally. The Comperatore jacket and helmet were placed on stage as Trump spoke.
Trump walked over to the uniform and kissed the Comperatore’s helmet during the moment of silence.
Although Trump offered a gentler tone than usual Thursday night, the packed program of speeches on the convention’s final day was also designed to project strength in an implicit rebuke of Biden. He was decidedly more masculine than he has been for much of the week.
Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White called Trump “a true American badass.” Kid Rock sang a song with the chorus “Fight, fight!” And wrestling icon Hulk Hogan described the former president as “an American hero.”
Hogan got a raucous response when, on the main stage, he ripped off his shirt to reveal a red Trump-Vance “Make America Great Again” shirt.
“As an artist, I try to stay out of politics,” Hogan said as he briefly broke character. “I can no longer remain silent.”
Like many speakers during the convention, Carlson also suggested that recent events were divinely inspired and that he wondered “if something bigger is happening.”
“I think it changed him,” Carlson said of the shooting, praising Trump for not lashing out in anger afterward.
“He did his best to unite the country,” Carlson added. “This is the most responsible and unifying behavior from a leader I have ever seen.”
Former first lady Melania Trump and Ivanka Trump, the president’s eldest daughter and former senior adviser, joined Trump in the convention hall before his speech, making their first appearances there. But none of the women spoke.
Although Republicans were prepared to emerge from their convention more united than in recent memory, Democrats are bitterly divided about whether Biden should continue to lead the ticket. Biden, following his disastrous performance in the debate against Trump last month, resisted mounting pressure to drop out, with his own Democratic party convention scheduled for next month in Chicago.
Hours before balloons were scheduled to rain down on Trump and his family inside the convention hall, Biden’s deputy campaign manager, Quentin Fulks, appeared near Milwaukee and repeatedly insisted that Biden would not step aside.
“I don’t want to be rude, but I don’t know how many more times I can respond to this,” Fulks told reporters. “There are no plans to replace Biden at the polls.”
Nearly two-thirds of Democrats nationwide say Biden should step aside and let his party nominate a different candidate, according to an AP-NORC poll released Wednesday.
The convention showcased a Republican Party reshaped by Trump since he shocked the Republican establishment and won over the party’s base on his way to the party’s nomination in 2016. Rivals Trump defeated — including Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis – set aside past criticism and gave him their unconditional support.
Even his pick for vice president, Ohio Senator JD Vance, Trump’s pick to lead his movement into the next generation, was once a fierce critic who suggested in a private message since it became public that Trump could be “ the Hitler of America.”
Security was the main focus in Milwaukee after Trump’s near-assassination. But after nearly four full days, there have been no major incidents inside the convention hall or the large security perimeter surrounding it.
The Secret Service, supported by hundreds of law enforcement officers from across the country, had a large and visible presence. And during Trump’s nightly appearances, he was surrounded by a wall of protective agents wherever he went.
Meanwhile, Trump and his campaign undisclosed information about your injury or the treatment you received.
“The assassin’s bullet came within a quarter of an inch of taking my life,” Trump said. “Despite such a heinous attack, we stand united tonight, more determined than ever.”
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Associated Press reporters Michelle L. Price in Milwaukee and Emily Swanson in Washington contributed to this report.
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