Trump Offers Unity, Then Returns to Familiar Attacks in Speech
Trump’s allies claimed he emerged from his assassination attempt as a changed man, revising his Republican National Convention speech to advocate for national unity. As he commenced his one hour and thirty-three minute address on Thursday night, it appeared that vision was taking shape. Trump recounted the shooting incident that nearly ended his life in vivid detail. “There was blood pouring everywhere and yet in a certain way I felt very safe because I had God on my side,” he stated. “I’m not supposed to be here tonight.” The epilogue of his survival narrative was a plea for Americans to unite. “The discord and division in our society must be healed,” he declared. “We must heal it quickly.”
However, once he concluded the choreographed spectacle, Trump reverted to the Trump we are all familiar with. He falsely accused the left of stealing the 2020 election. He referred to the former Democratic Speaker of the House as “crazy Nancy Pelosi.” He asserted that U.S. cities were “flooded with illegal aliens.” He painted President Joe Biden’s America as a dystopian hellscape on the brink of irreversible decline. “The damage Biden has done,” Trump remarked. “I will only use the word once. I won’t use the word again.”
This served as a reminder that Trump remains the same individual, with the same grievances and obsessions. Despite gesturing towards reconciliation, he maintained his brand of full-throttle politics that has transformed the Republican Party. This was largely a consequence of impulse: Trump’s attacks and provocative asides were not pre-written in the speech.
When he improvised, Trump transformed what was intended to be an unconventional convention speech into a MAGA rally. When he adhered to the teleprompter, he remained faithful to a message of coast-to-coast cohesion. “I am running to be president for all of America, not half of America,” Trump stated, “because there is no victory in winning for half of America.”
Trump’s speech came at a time of uncertainty. Following Biden’s disastrous debate performance, there has been a wave of Democratic backlash to remove him from the ticket. The revolt appeared to freeze after the Trump rally shooting, but on Thursday it began to gain momentum. Party leaders such as Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi have reportedly encouraged him to step aside. The New York Times reported hours before Trump took the stage that Biden was “more receptive” to relinquishing power. (The Biden campaign insists he will not withdraw from the race.) In other words, Trump had an additional reason to mention Biden’s name only once. The incumbent President may not be his ultimate opponent.
The accelerating Democratic panic presented a stark contrast to the scene on the floor of Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum. Trump’s latest triumph left his supporters ecstatic. They were dancing in conga lines between speeches. They frequently chanted “Fight! Fight! Fight!,” echoing Trump’s chants to the Pennsylvania crowd after being shot. Some wore bandages on their right ears as a gesture of solidarity.
Trump fed off an audience that acknowledges his return to the White House is within reach: He is currently leading in most polls; Biden’s standing in swing states has plummeted since the debate; and the attempt on Trump’s life has provided him with a fresh wave of momentum.
In his speech, Trump acknowledged the cards he had been dealt. For someone who so often blames others, he seems to understand that his greatest obstacle to a second term could be himself. “I better finish strong,” he remarked. “Otherwise we’ll blow it and I can’t let it happen.”
Trump concluded the gathering on a triumphant note. He is on the verge of an unprecedented political comeback, both for himself and the right-wing populist movement he spawned. Thursday night was a moment few could have envisioned on Jan. 7, 2021, the day after a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol. “Nothing will sway us, nothing will slow us, and nothing will ever stop us,” he declared.
To that end, his speech reaffirmed something many had suspected: No matter what, Trump will always be Trump.