Donald Trump predicted an “incredible victory” as he accepted the Republican Party’s presidential nomination on Thursday, buoyed by his escape from assassination and the apparent implosion of Joe Biden’s re-election campaign.
“We will have an incredible victory, and we will begin the greatest four years in the history of our country,” Trump, 78, said at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
It was his first speech since a 20-year-old man opened fire on him during a rally last week, injuring him in one ear and killing another person.
In an emotional retelling of the shooting, where Trump said “God is with me,” the former president asked for a moment of silence in honor of the victim, firefighter Corey Comperatore. In front of a silent crowd, he kissed the late firefighter’s helmet on stage.
Trump came on stage to chants of “USA,” as the crowd had been speaking of him in almost divine terms over the past week.
Warm-up events included shirt-ripping 1980s wrestling icon Hulk Hogan and conspiracy theorist and right-wing media guru Tucker Carlson, who called Trump’s survival a historic moment.
Trump became “the leader of a nation” after the assassination attempt, Carlson said.
But while the speech was promoted as the arrival of a less aggressive, more unity-seeking Trump, he soon began painting America as an apocalyptic ruin that needs saving.
Promising to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexican border, he said an “invasion” of immigrants had brought “destruction” and “misery” to a “decadent nation.”
He vowed to end Biden’s massive spending on fighting climate change, calling it a “scam.”
He again falsely claimed that Democrats cheated in his loss to Biden in the 2020 election. And, despite promises from aides that Trump would not even mention Biden by name in the speech, Trump did mention his rival and the “damage” he caused.
Trump changes his script
Despite a barrage of scandals, impeachment for his unprecedented effort to overturn the 2020 election, and conviction on 34 felonies in a New York criminal trial in May, Trump remains ahead in polls ahead of November.
Now, with Republicans with him in greater numbers than ever before, he is hopeful of a surprise return to power.
Seeking to reverse accusations that he seeks to rule as an authoritarian leader, Trump has insisted he is the “man who can save democracy” and described the ongoing criminal investigation against him as a “witch hunt.”
“We should not treat dissent as a crime,” he said.
Trump’s love-fest in Milwaukee was a contrast to the crisis surrounding the 81-year-old Biden.
The Democratic president may be forced by his own party to withdraw his nomination late Thursday and make way for Vice President Kamala Harris or another candidate, amid fears his deteriorating physical health could lead to his defeat in November.
Trump senior adviser Jason Miller told AFP that “nothing would fundamentally change” for Trump if Biden withdrew from the election.
Trump’s family was also present, and his son Eric encouraged the crowd to chant “Fight, fight, fight.”
Trump’s wife Melania, who was largely absent throughout the campaign, arrived to thunderous applause but said nothing – a marked break from American political tradition at such events.
Martial arts CEO, publicist
Supporters have lined up all week to praise the former president for his bravery after he was attacked by a gunman at a rally in Pennsylvania over the weekend.
Among those addressing the convention was Trump’s longtime friend and Ultimate Fighting Championship chief executive Dana White. Trump has attended several UFC bouts as he seeks to appeal to young male voters.
Taking a different tone, Christian evangelist Franklin Graham — whose father was a spiritual adviser to several U.S. presidents — offered a lengthy prayer for Trump.
Biden has still not recovered from his poor performance in last month’s debate against Trump, with polls showing the gap is slowly widening in this long-contested race.
The Republican campaign is also talking up Trump’s chances in Democratic strongholds such as Minnesota and Virginia.
This week Trump announced J.D. Vance, the right-wing senator from Ohio, as his vice-presidential nominee.
The 39-year-old author of “Hillbilly Elegy,” a best-selling memoir about growing up in poverty among working class America, is a former critic of Trump who has become one of his staunchest supporters.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
