Donald Trump’s voice cracked with emotion Thursday night as he described the moment an assassin’s bullet pierced his ear.
“I shouldn’t be here,” he told supporters at the Republican convention in Milwaukee.
“Yes you are, yes you are,” the crowd chanted.
Friends, aides and family say the experience changed a former president known for his blistering speeches at rallies and blunt language.
Instead, he led a moment of silence Wednesday in memory of firefighter Corey Comperatore, who died in the shooting, describing how he survived only by the grace of God and calling for a united nation.
Donald Trump expressed gratitude for the outpouring of love he received after being shot by an assassin while addressing the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
“We must overcome discord and division in our society. As Americans, we are bound by the same destiny and fate. We rise together or we fall together,” he said.
“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.”
Trump has shown a more emotional side to himself this week, describing the pain he felt when talking about the shooting in his convention speech.
“Let me begin this evening by expressing my gratitude to the American people for their outpouring of love and support following the attempted assassination at my rally on Saturday,” he said.
‘As you know, the assassin’s bullet came within a quarter of an inch of taking my life. Many people have asked me what happened, and so I will tell you, and you will never hear it from me again, because it is too painful to tell.’
He went on to graphically describe how he realized he was under attack.
But the evening was largely a very enthusiastic occasion for Trump, in case anyone thought this could still be the staid Republican Party of Mitt Romney in 2012.
Hulk Hogan took off his shirt, three speakers praised the former president’s golfing prowess and Kid Rock added a “fight, fight” chant and a line about “No Show Joe” to his classic hit “American Bad Ass.”
Once again, it provided a stunning split-screen view of American politics.
While the 78-year-old former president basked in the adoration of his supporters, his 81-year-old rival, Joe Biden, was holed up in his Delaware beach house with COVID-19, fighting for his political life as his party tries to move on and find a better candidate for the election.
Donald Trump entered the final night of the Republican convention in Milwaukee with a firm grip on the party just days after an assassin’s bullet pierced his ear.
Once again, Trump has the Republican Party in the palm of his hand.
That was far from certain, however, when he announced in 2022 that he would run for the White House again.
He had lost the 2020 election and alienated his allies in his desperate bid to cling to power.
Days before he launched his election campaign, the Republican Party’s “red wave” had evaporated in the midterm elections. Strategists blamed the disappointing results on Trump’s hardline policies and his role in rolling back constitutional protections for abortion rights.
He was charged with four criminal offenses and sentenced in a New York court.
But his grip on his party is now stronger than Biden’s, and Saturday’s shooting helped draw out even skeptics like Nikki Haley, who had called him “unhinged” during their bitter primary contest.
John Fredericks, a radio host and Trump confidant, said the party was changing after the assassination attempt, just as its leader had changed.
“You can’t go through a near-death experience, survive death by a millimeter by turning your head from the hand of God and not change your perspective on a lot of different things,” he said.
In two weeks, he said, the chants of “lock him up” and calls for retaliation will be history.
Republican presidential candidate and former US President Donald Trump, Lara Trump, Eric Luke Trump and Carolina Dorothy Trump look on
A supporter wears a bandage on his ear in solidarity with former President Donald Trump
House Speaker Mike Johnson said it was never in doubt.
“He’s a strong leader at a dangerous time for the country and we need that kind of leadership,” she said as she patrolled the convention grounds, stopping to take selfies. “I think that’s what’s encouraged everyone.”
‘After the attempted murder, the emotion behind it and the support are even stronger.’
Thursday was President’s Day. Trump’s fingerprints were all over the program, with three staffers and a son on the agenda.
Among the speakers described as “everyday Americans” was the head professional at his West Palm Beach golf club, John Nieporte, who praised his “perfect swing.”
His lawyer Alina Habba was given a speaking slot (‘he has an incredible golf swing’), as was one of his closest friends, Steve Witkoff, a real estate mogul.