Conviction 'rattled' Trump 'more than people realized': report
In a deep dive into what reporters claim will be a "changed" Donald Trump after an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania left him with a bleeding ear, the founders of Axios wrote that a portion of the purported change in the former president stems from his criminal conviction in a Manhattan courtroom weeks ago.
As Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen wrote, there is reporting -- much of it based on an interview the former president participated in with conservative reporter Salena Zito — that Trump is tearing up the speech he intended to give at the Republican National Convention for a more unifying one.
Digging deeper into Trump's sudden change of heart, they report that conservative commentator Tucker Carlson suggested, "Getting shot in the face changes a man."
ALSO READ: Possible VP pick Marco Rubio and other angsty GOPers nervous Trump will mess up convention
Adding to that, they wrote, Trump insiders reportedly claim the former president feels chastened by his 34-felony-count conviction for business fraud.
As they wrote, "Trump's friends tell us sitting in court and getting convicted rattled him more than people realized," adding, "The possibility of spending his remaining years in prison slapped him straight(er). "
"He was suddenly more open to do whatever it takes to win — even if it meant toning it down in the CNN debate, and going dark in the aftermath, while some Democrats and the media torched Biden," Axios is reporting.
On a separate note, the report states that the former president has instructed his aides to make sure speakers at the RNC stick with the speeches already approved that make no mention of the almost assassination.
You can read more here.