Donald Trump accepted the Republican Party’s presidential nomination on Thursday (18) at the Republican National Convention in a speech that described how he felt during an assassination attempt that could have ended his life.
“I shouldn’t be here tonight,” Trump said in the packed convention hall as thousands listened in silence. “There was blood everywhere, but somehow I felt very safe because I had God by my side.”
The 78-year-old former president, known for his bombastic and aggressive rhetoric, delivered a softer and deeply personal message, directly inspired by his brush with death. He called for a moment of silence for Corey Compatore, the retired fire chief who was killed at the rally.
“The discord and division in our society must be healed. We just heal this quickly. As Americans, we are united by a unique destiny and a shared fate. We rise together. Or we will crumble,” Trump said, wearing a large white bandage on his right ear, as he had throughout the week, to cover a wound he suffered in Saturday’s shooting. “I am running to be president of all America, not half of America, because there is no victory in winning for half of America.”
Trump’s speech marked the climax and conclusion of the four-day Republican convention that drew thousands of conservative activists and elected officials to the state of Wisconsin.
Sensing a political opportunity in the wake of his near-death experience, the often bombastic Republican leader adopted a new tone that he hopes will help him generate even more momentum in an election that seems to be swinging in his favor.
But with less than four months until the end of the race for the White House, significant changes are possible, if not likely.
Trump’s appearance comes at a time when 81-year-old Democrat Biden is facing relentless pressure from his key allies in Congress and donors who fear the president will not be able to secure reelection.
Although Trump offered a gentler tone than usual on Thursday night, the packed speaking schedule on the final day of the convention was also designed to project strength in an implicit rebuke to Biden.