For Nebraska Delegate Fanchon Blythe, a 63-year-old mother of four, seeing Donald Trump in person was proof of divine intervention.
“The hand of God came down and protected him from that bullet. I think he was saved for some reason,” she said as tears ran down her cheeks.
“When the bullet hit his ear, his first reaction was to get up and fight. I believe God sent him to save our country and fight for the future of my children and grandchildren.”
There is no doubt that Trump’s most ardent supporters now regard him as a deity.
At last week’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Trump Bibles were sold for $75 alongside T-shirts emblazoned with the now-iconic image of Trump raising his fist, his face bloodied and the American flag behind him.
For Nebraska Delegate Fanchon Blythe (pictured), a 63-year-old mother of four, seeing Donald Trump in person was proof of divine intervention.
The deputy owner of a Labrador service dog named Lambeau (pictured) said he averaged 250 photo sessions a day.
Arkansas politician Robin Lundstrum (pictured) was one of the attendees wearing an ear patch.
Mail on Sunday’s American correspondent Caroline Graham in Milwaukee during the Republican Convention
For Blythe, who sits on the party’s powerful national committee, it is the fusion of faith and politics that he believes will send Trump back to the White House.
She said: “There have been lies and lies told against Trump, but he has united Republicans like never before. We are fed up with illegal immigrants crossing our borders, with inflation, with awareness in schools, with the left trying to tell us what a woman is.”
Many commented on how Trump’s behavior initially changed after the assassination attempt.
Nevada lawyer Jennifer McGrath, who attended the event with her 89-year-old mother Millicent, said: “It’s inevitable that you’ll change when someone tries to take your life. By the time he gave his acceptance speech, he was back to the man we know, but there was a deeper understanding.
“He’s changed on a spiritual level. He’s more thoughtful, more willing to represent not just American Republicans but all Americans.” Donald Trump Jr. told me: “My father took a bullet and I’ve never been more proud of him. He’s brought the country together. I believe in God’s plan.”
The song God Bless The USA by singer Lee Greenwood has become Trump’s anthem. He has no doubt that his victory is predestined. “This is a man who is fulfilling his destiny. His first instinct when he was shot was to stand up, show that he was okay and shout ‘Fight! Fight! Fight!'”
Nebraska Delegate Fanchon Blythe (pictured) said, “The hand of God came down and protected him from that bullet. I think he was saved for a reason,” she said as tears ran down her cheeks.
A Trump supporter poses next to an SUV decorated with political messages and flags on the back
Ms. Graham posing at the side of the stage as Donald Trump gave his speech at the convention.
“No one is going to mess with the United States with a man like that in charge, who has shown toughness in the face of evil.”
Nancy Burton, a delegate from Atlanta, Georgia, who wore a dress bearing Trump’s image, said: “People call him the messiah, but he’s a very American messiah. He’s got swagger, he’s got character. He’s literally the savior of our country.”
While there were times when the religious fervor at the convention turned into a circus (a delegate who owned a Labrador service dog named Lambeau said an average of 250 photographs were taken a day), I have no doubt that, barring disaster, Trump will triumph in the presidential election in November.
Polls show him ahead of ailing President Joe Biden in most key states, including Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Arizona.
P Rae Easley, a financier who heads a black advocacy group in Chicago, said: “Trump took steps to make things better last time and we believe he will do so when he is president again. Black people are overwhelmingly supporting him this time.”
Martha Fierro, a nurse who was born in Mexico but came to the United States at age seven and is now seeking election to the Texas Senate, said: “Democrats have turned the American dream into the American nightmare. We have to take back our country. Trump is the only one who can do it.”
As thousands of red, white and blue celebration balloons were released Thursday night and Trump took the stage with his family, his wife Melania was noticeably shaken when one loudly exploded on stage, sounding like gunshots.
The woman next to me said, “Don’t worry, a miracle saved Trump. Even if it had been a gunshot, God would have saved him again. He has a date with destiny in November and nothing will change that.”