If Monday was the resurrection, with talk of miracles and divine intervention as a bandaged Trump made his first public appearance after being shot, then Tuesday was the healing.
On the second day of the Republican convention in Milwaukee, the former president was praised by former opponents who months ago called him deranged or dismissed his electoral prospects.
“America has an incredible capacity for self-correction,” said Nikki Haley, Trump’s most recent primary opponent.
‘Right now, we have the opportunity to put aside our differences and focus on what unites us and strengthens our country.’
It was healing, to a certain extent.
Nikki Haley called Trump “unhinged” on the campaign trail. Now she says she’s proud to support him. She was one of several former rivals calling for a new unity in the party.
Boos echoed around the stadium as the former South Carolina governor took the red, white and blue stage at the convention.
The cheers from other delegates who wanted to hear her speak soon drowned them out. After all, this wasn’t a crowd breaking the decorum of the MAGA base, but state delegations made up of elected officials and party workers who know what it takes to win elections in November.
That’s why they roared in approval when Haley offered her “strong endorsement” of Trump. She was watching the proceedings from the “family suite,” with her son Eric and her running mate, Sen. JD Vance, standing aside.
Leslie Rossi was not among those applauding. He remained silent.
“Don’t talk to me about that woman,” said the Pennsylvania delegate, famous around the world as the owner of Trump House, a merchandise store and meeting place.
Rossi could not forgive her for turning her back on Trump during his administration, when she served for two years as permanent representative to the United Nations.
“She’s a coward,” he said.
But overall, Haley charmed the crowd. It was almost an audition for a new role under Trump, as she made it her mission to appeal to undecided voters to put aside their doubts about the former president, just as she had done.
“Our country was respected when Donald Trump was our commander in chief,” he said. “Joe Biden has failed this country.”
Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump attends the second day of the Republican National Convention (RNC) at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Haley received an awkward welcome, but won over her skeptics with a defense of Trump.
As Haley left the stage, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis arrived and received a much warmer welcome.
Trump sat with his eyes half-closed at the start of his speech, looking impassive, just as he did when he was on trial in New York.
But even he allowed himself to be won over, sometimes standing up to applaud and seeming moved by her support, his eyes filled with gratitude.
There were no boos when he finished, just cheers and applause. It wasn’t exactly deafening, but at least the crowd didn’t stand up and turn their backs on him like they did to Sen. Ted Cruz after he fought Trump to the finish for the nomination eight years ago.
Everything changed on Saturday, when an assassin’s bullet pierced Trump’s ear.
The convention revealed a different Trump, displaying a new mix of gratitude and vulnerability.
For the second night in a row he was greeted with a thunderous roar, which he returned with a clenched fist salute.
“When the president walks in, it’s like he’s God Almighty,” said George Bochetto, an alternate delegate from Pennsylvania.
Trump looks out at the crowd during the second day of the convention
Sen. Ted Cruz was another former rival who spoke Tuesday. In 2016, he was turned away by the convention crowd after a close race for the presidential nomination.
He wasn’t the only one who saw something spiritual unfolding. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the governor of Arkansas and Trump’s former press secretary, said Trump’s survival was a reminder that God wasn’t done with the nation.
Her daughter-in-law Lara Trump quoted Proverbs: “The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.”
Ahead of her, delegates mingled in the hallways. Two of them were dressed as American soldiers from the Revolutionary War. The guy in the brick suit, known for his wall-patterned suit, was in his usual place with the California delegation.
The Texas delegates were easily recognizable by their Stetson hats and oversized belt buckles. One man paired a seersucker suit with a top hat emblazoned with an image of Lincoln.
And a trendsetter arrived with his ear covered in paper in homage to Trump.
Trump’s uniform of a navy blue suit, white shirt and red tie has a new accessory: the ear patch.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis followed Haley onstage to offer her confession and seek absolution.
His war against the progressives put him on firmer ground with the faithful, and he was rewarded with a more cordial welcome.
“Donald Trump has been demonized, he’s been sued, he’s been prosecuted… and he almost lost his life,” he said.
It also provided one of the biggest laughs.
“America cannot afford four more years of a ‘Weekend with Bernie’-style presidency,” he said, referencing a comedy about two friends who try to pretend their murdered employer is still alive.
Trump loved it, threw his head back and laughed out loud.
Other moments were more somber. One of the themes of the night was insecurity, with speeches from a mother who lost her 15-year-old son to fentanyl, a man whose sister was murdered by an illegal immigrant and a mother who felt helpless when the Manhattan attorney general walked free two of the people accused of killing her son.
Sen. JD Vance prepares for his Wednesday night speech after being announced as Trump’s running mate. He is pictured with Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle
The crowd erupted into the loudest boos of the night when Madeline Brame named the prosecutor, Alvin Bragg. Bragg was the prosecutor in Trump’s hush money case and a hated figure among Republicans.
It was a reminder that Trump’s new focus on unity has its limits.
When one of the themes of the night is attacking Democrats for failing the country on public safety, there is little room for a message of national unity.
At a time when the country’s polarization fuels fears of rising political violence, the convention seeks to unite around Trump to better defeat President Joe Biden.
The booing of Haley was nothing to worry about, said Leigh Brown of North Carolina, who sported red Republican elephants on her earrings. It was nothing more than the remnants of a bitter primary that would be forgotten in time.
“I think there are just some hurt feelings,” he said.
