Just five days after surviving an assassination attempt, former President Donald Trump took to the stage at the Republican National Convention Thursday night to accept his party’s nomination for a third consecutive presidential bid.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]Making his first public remarks since the shooting, Trump called for unity in his speech, a theme that has emerged throughout the convention after the violence at his rally, which took the life of one attendee. Trump struck a more tempered tone than his usual fiery rhetoric, emphasizing healing and national unity in the aftermath of the shooting.
Trump’s remarks marked the end of a strategically orchestrated four-day event that has seen the Republican Party coalesce around his leadership once more, underscoring his enduring influence despite his ongoing legal battles and controversies. As he took the stage, a sea of delegates and supporters greeted Trump with thunderous applause, many sporting bandages on their ears in solidarity with his injury sustained in the recent shooting incident.
Here are the key moments from Trump’s speech.
Trump began his remarks by addressing the assassination attempt on his life at a rally in Butler, Penn. last weekend, describing for the first time in cinematic detail the scene of how he was shot. “You’ll never hear it from me a second time because it’s actually too painful to tell,” Trump said, saying the bullet came within a quarter of an inch of taking his life.
“Prior to the shot, if I had not moved my head at that very last instant, the assassin’s bullet would have perfectly hit its mark and I would not be here tonight,” he said.
Describing the moment he was shot, Trump said: “I heard a loud whizzing sound and felt something hit me really, really hard on my right ear.” The crowd fell silent. “There was blood pouring everywhere and yet in a certain way I felt very safe because I had God on my side,” Trump said.
Trump was rushed to a local hospital for treatment but few details have been released about his condition or care. He has worn a bandage on his right ear throughout the convention. “I’m not supposed to be here tonight,” Trump said. The crowd responded: “Yes you are! Yes you are!”
Referring to the shooting, which still lacks a definitive motive according to investigators, Trump remarked, “Once my clenched fist went up, and it was high into the air… the crowd realized I was OK and roared with pride for our country like no crowd I have ever heard before… For the rest of my life, I will be grateful for the love shown by that giant audience of patriots.”
Trump said he spoke to the families of the two people who were wounded and one killed in the shooting, calling them “real Trumpsters.” More than 6 million dollars has been raised for the families, Trump said. He then kissed the helmet of Corey Comperatore, a volunteer firefighter who was killed at the rally, and held a moment of silence for him.
Trump, whose rhetoric has often been associated with sowing division, used his speech to call for the “discord and division in our society” to be healed in the wake of the shooting.
“The discord and division in our society must be healed, and we must heal it quickly,” he said. “We rise together or we fall apart. I am running to be President for all of America, not half of America. Because there is no victory in winning for half of America.”
Read More: How America Can Still Come Together
“This election should be about the issues facing our country and how to make America successful, safe, free, and great again,” Trump continued. “Our politics too often divide us.”
After a federal judge dismissed the criminal case against Trump over his alleged mishandling of classified documents, the former President called on Democrats to drop the other cases against him. He’s facing criminal cases in Washington, D.C. and Georgia over his alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, and was convicted of falsifying business records to cover up hush-money payments in a New York trial in the spring.
“We must not criminalize dissent to demonize political disagreement, which is what’s been happening in our country, likely at a level that nobody has ever seen before,” he said. “In that spirit, the Democrat Party should immediately stop weaponizing the justice system and labeling their political opponent as an enemy of democracy.”
He continued: “If Democrats want to unify our country they should stop these partisan witch hunts… and they should do that without delay and allow an election to proceed that is worthy of our people. We’re going to win it anyway.”
Trump acknowledged his wife Melania, in her first public appearance at the convention. “On this journey, I am deeply honored to be joined by my amazing wife, Melania,” he said. “You also did something really beautiful, a letter to America, calling for national unity,” he continued, referencing a statement she put out after the shooting at his rally. “And it really took the Republican Party by surprise. I will tell you it was beautiful.”
Trump also took a moment to introduce his newly-appointed running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, who many consider to be Trump’s heir apparent to the MAGA throne. “You’re going to be doing this for a long time, enjoy the ride,” Trump said, looking at the first-term Senator in the VIP box.
Read More: Why Trump Chose J.D. Vance
“He’s going to be a great Vice President… It was an honor to select him,” Trump continued. “A great, great student at Yale. His wife was a great student at Yale. They met at Yale. These are two smart people.”
