Donald Trump made a dramatic entrance to cap off the first day of the Republican National Convention, drawing enthusiastic cheers from the audience just days after surviving an assassination attempt. The former president entered the Fiserv Forum in downtown Milwaukee to a thunderous reception, his ear heavily bandaged from a recent injury.
After being officially nominated as the party’s 2024 presidential candidate, Trump walked into the venue, acknowledging the crowd’s chants of “Fight! Fight! Fight!”—a reference to his own words immediately following the attack. Displaying a rare moment of restraint, Trump waved from a box alongside his newly chosen running mate, U.S. Senator J.D. Vance.
The incident at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, which tragically resulted in the death of a supporter, has highlighted the intense political divisions in the country ahead of the November 5th election. President Joe Biden, who has labeled Trump a threat to democracy, condemned the shooting and called for Americans to resolve their differences through voting rather than violence. Authorities are still investigating the motive behind the shooting, as the gunman was killed by the U.S. Secret Service.
In an NBC interview aired on Monday night, Biden admitted he erred by previously suggesting Trump should be in the “bullseye,” but criticized Trump’s frequent use of violent rhetoric on the campaign trail. Biden has ordered an independent review to determine how the assailant managed to get so close to Trump despite heavy security.
The four-day convention will climax with Trump’s keynote address on Thursday, where he will formally accept the party’s nomination. The assassination attempt and subsequent convention events have shifted the spotlight away from Biden, who has been dealing with speculation about his re-election viability following a poor debate performance. Biden dismissed these doubts in an NBC interview, emphasizing the falsehoods Trump promoted during their debate.
Trump’s selection of Vance, the author of “Hillbilly Elegy,” marks a significant shift from Vance’s earlier criticism of Trump to becoming one of his staunchest supporters. Vance’s stance on abortion, favoring state-level decision-making, has been a contentious issue, drawing criticism from Democrats and Biden, who labeled Vance a “Trump clone.”
Despite ongoing legal battles, Trump has seen several recent victories. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon recently dismissed federal charges in Florida related to classified documents, and his other legal issues, including efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, face delays and potential dismissal following a Supreme Court ruling granting him immunity for many official acts as president.
The race between Trump and Biden remains close, with Trump leading in several key swing states according to public opinion polls. The convention continues to be a critical moment for the Republican Party as it rallies behind Trump for another run at the presidency.