Trump officially accepts the Republican presidential nomination

MILWAUKEE: Donald Trump formally accepted the Republican Party’s nomination for president on Thursday, days after surviving an assassination attempt at a campaign rally.

“We’re going to have an incredible victory and begin the greatest four years in the history of our country,” Trump said at the Republican convention in Milwaukee.

It was his first speech since a 20-year-old man opened fire on him, slightly injuring one ear but killing a bystander, during a rally last weekend.

“I want to be president for all of America, not for half of America, because there’s no winning in winning for half of America,” Trump said, still wearing a bandage over his ear.

Trump – who is expected to speak for about 90 minutes – took the stage to chants of “USA” from a crowd whose members spoke of him in godly terms.

Warm-up acts included legendary 1980s wrestling icon Hulk Hogan and conspiracy theorist and far-right media guru Tucker Carlson, who described Trump’s survival as a historic moment.

In the assassination attempt, Trump became “the leader of a nation,” Carlson said.

Trump, 78, has left behind a flood of scandals, his unprecedented bid to overturn his 2020 election loss to Biden and his 34 felony convictions in May at a New York criminal trial.

Now, with Republicans more united behind him than ever, he is increasingly eager for a shock return to power.

On Friday, Biden, 81, appeared close to being forced by his own Democratic Party to step down and make way for Vice President Kamala Harris or another candidate, as fears that his faltering health could lead to him losing the November.

Trump senior adviser Jason Miller told AFP that “nothing materially changes” for Trump if Biden leaves.

Trump’s family was in attendance, with his son Eric rousing the crowd in a “fight, fight, fight!” chant.

Trump’s wife Melania, who has been largely absent throughout the campaign, arrived to applause but did not speak – a notable break with US political convention at such events.

Martial arts CEO, preacher

Supporters have been lining up all week to applaud the former president for his bravery after a gunman attacked a rally in Pennsylvania over the weekend.

Others who spoke at the conference included longtime Trump friend Dana White, CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Trump has attended several UFC fights as he tries to lock in younger male voters.

In a different tone, evangelical preacher Franklin Graham — whose father was a spiritual adviser to several US presidents — offered a lengthy prayer for Trump.

With Biden still reeling from the aftermath of his disastrous debate performance against Trump last month, polls show a gap has been slowly opening in the race for a long time.

The Republican campaign even talked up Trump’s chances in Democratic strongholds like Minnesota and Virginia, potentially forcing Biden’s funds and manpower away from his “blue wall” defense in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. .

Total control

The party’s four-day convention opened Monday after Trump won the primaries in nearly every state. The aura of celebratory unity contrasts sharply with a 2016 edition hampered by party divisions and a second appearance in 2020 hampered by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The program was designed around his image, with themes for each day playing into his “Make America Great Again” rally.

The week also saw Trump name right-wing Sen. JD Vance of Ohio as his running mate.

The 39-year-old author of “Hillbilly Elegy,” a best-selling memoir about growing up poor in working-class America, is a former Trump critic who became one of his staunchest supporters.

Trump himself has emerged as a costly force after losing the 2020 election, refusing to accept the results and his supporters storming the US Capitol in an attempt to stop voter certification.

But he has since remade the Republican Party in his own image, installing close allies in key positions — including daughter-in-law Lara Trump at the Republican National Committee — and crushing dissent.