Donald Trump made a triumphant entrance on the first night of the Republican National Convention on Monday, receiving a raucous ovation from the party faithful just two days after a would-be assassin’s bullet grazed his right ear.
Entering the Fiserv Forum in downtown Milwaukee with a thick bandage over his ear, Trump was greeted by chants of “Fight! Fight! Fight” from the crowd, referencing his reaction moments after the incident. The former president mouthed “Thank you” and settled into a box with some of his children and U.S. Senator J.D. Vance, whom Trump had announced earlier in the day as his running mate.
Trump is set to formally accept the party’s nomination in a prime-time speech on Thursday and will face Democratic President Joe Biden in the Nov. 5 election. The four-day convention began less than 48 hours after a gunman opened fire at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, killing one supporter. The gunman was shot dead, and his motive remains unclear.
During Monday’s session, six everyday Americans spoke about the impact of inflation on lower and middle-income families, while Republican leaders criticized the Biden administration as being out of touch. Senator Tim Scott, who briefly ran against Trump for the nomination, attributed Trump’s survival to divine intervention.
“Our God still saves,” Scott said. “He still delivers and he still sets free. Because on Saturday, the devil came to Pennsylvania holding a rifle, but an American lion got back up on his feet and he roared!”
Vance, 39, was a fierce Trump critic in 2016 but has since become one of his staunchest defenders, supporting Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was marred by widespread fraud. Vance is popular with Trump’s core supporters, but his conservative stance on issues like abortion may alienate moderate voters. He will address the convention on Wednesday.
Biden commented that Vance is “a clone of Trump on the issues,” while other Democrats criticized Vance’s record on reproductive rights. Vance stated on Fox News that he supports Trump’s position that each state should decide on abortion laws.
Opinion polls show a close race between Trump, 78, and Biden, 81, with Trump leading in several swing states. Trump has not committed to accepting the election results if he loses. The head of the main fundraising super PAC supporting Trump’s campaign, Taylor Budowich, said on X that MAGA Inc had raised more than $50 million on Monday. Elon Musk plans to donate around $45 million a month to a new pro-Trump super PAC, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Following the shooting, Trump said he would revise his acceptance speech to emphasize national unity. “The speech will be a lot different, a lot different than it would’ve been two days ago,” Trump told the Washington Examiner.
The day began with another legal victory for Trump when U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed federal charges accusing him of retaining classified documents after leaving the White House. Trump is due to be sentenced in New York in September for trying to cover up a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. His other two indictments on federal charges in Washington and state charges in Georgia, related to his efforts to overturn his 2020 election defeat, are delayed and could be limited by a Supreme Court ruling that grants him immunity for many official acts as president.
“This dismissal of the Lawless Indictment in Florida should be just the first step, followed quickly by the dismissal of ALL the Witch Hunts,” Trump said on Truth Social on Monday, also referencing the prosecutions of hundreds of his supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
The assassination attempt has altered the dynamics of the presidential campaign, previously focused on concerns about Biden’s age and acuity. Nearly two dozen Democrats in Congress have called for Biden to end his reelection bid. The focus this week will be on Trump, who has the opportunity to deliver a unifying message or continue his dark portrayal of a nation under siege by a corrupt leftist elite.
Biden has cast Trump as a threat to U.S. democracy, comments that some Republicans say contributed to the atmosphere leading to the shooting. Following the incident, Biden sought to lower the political temperature. “There is no place in America for this kind of violence,” he said in a White House address on Sunday.
In an interview with NBC News on Monday, Biden said it was a “mistake” to tell donors last week it was “time to put Trump in the bullseye” but noted that Trump has often used incendiary language. Biden ordered an independent review of the security lapse and congressional investigators are questioning the head of the U.S. Secret Service.