MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – When Donald Trump took the stage for the RNC finale and told attendees he was going to address the assassination attempt he survived, the stadium of thousands fell completely silent.
“You will never hear it from me a second time, because it is actually too painful to tell,” Trump began.
Just under a week after a failed attempt on his life, Trump took the RNC stage for his much-anticipated nomination acceptance speech. After barely dodging death on Saturday, Trump scrapped his entire speech and instead rewrote it himself, a Trump official told reporters ahead of the speech. Rather than heavily attacking the Biden administration, Trump wanted to focus on unity and use his near-death experience to bring the country together, the Washington Examiner first reported. (RELATED: ‘I Think It’s Providence’: Insiders Describe Trump’s Renewed Determination, Strength In Face Of Assassination Attempt)
And so he did. A reflective and calm Trump closed out the RNC convention on Thursday, embracing unity and compassion during his emotional address.
All throughout the weekend, attendees, delegates and speakers remarked how Trump was alive and in attendance because of divine intervention. The president agreed.
“I stand before you in this arena only by the grace of Almighty God,” the president said, noticeably emotional like the delegates surrounding him on the convention floor. Trump told delegates that he shouldn’t be on the stage today, and they responded by drowning him out with chants of “yes you are.”
Trump told the story of that Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania, where he was “happily” giving a speech. Six minutes into that rally, gunshots came from beyond the crowd, leading Trump to grab his neck before ducking down behind the lectern. Secret Service agents rushed to cover Trump, but within moments he rose, face bloodied, and raised a fist in the air.
“Fight,” he told his fans.
While Trump recounted that story, the crowd broke out into “fight” chants as they had done throughout the week.
After paying tribute to the Lord for sparing his life, Trump led a moment of silence for former fire chief Corey Comperatore, who was fatally shot while attending the rally. Rolling out Comperatore’s firefighter jacket and helmet, Trump kissed the uniform and saluted the crowd.
Tragically, the shooter claimed the life of one of our fellow Americans, Corey Comperatore, and seriously wounded two other great warriors, David Dutch and James Copenhaver.
— President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/6W04vbXSKA
— Team Trump (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@TeamTrump) July 19, 2024
The former president explained that more than $6 million had been raised for Comperatore’s family in the wake of his death, and that he would be donating $1 million himself.
From there, Trump used the tragedy to emphasize the political moment and call for not just a unified party, but a unified country.
“Our resolve is undoubted and our purpose is unchanged to deliver a government that serves the American people better than ever before,” Trump proclaimed. “Nothing will stop being in this vision because our vision is righteous and our thoughts pure, no matter what obstacle comes our way. We will not fret, we will not bend, we will not back down and I will never stop fighting for you, your family and our magnificent country.”
The president made a point to keep President Joe Biden’s name out of his speech, only mentioning the 81-year-old once before pledging to not do so again.
“I’m not going to use that name again,” Trump said.
Instead, Trump compared his record to Biden’s without mentioning the administration by name, and stacking statistics against each other, touting his border policy initiatives, the economy and crime rates in a lengthy speech. Prior to the former president taking the stage, a video played of former President Ronald Reagan, reading his famous “are you better off today than you were four years ago” line, a theme that carried similarly throughout Trump’s speech.
The president also used moments in his speech to outline actions he plans to take in his administration, adding that he will conduct “the largest deportation” operation ever if elected again.
A firefighter jacket with the name Comperatore is displayed on the fourth day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 18, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Delegates, politicians, and the Republican faithful are in Milwaukee for the annual convention, concluding with former President Donald Trump accepting his party’s presidential nomination. The RNC takes place from July 15-18. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
While touting his record, Trump emphasized to his audience the importance of Americans staying together in order for the country to be made “great again.” In other instances, the former president broke from his policy talk and reflected again on his life being spared during his rally.
At one point, Trump credited a graph he was looking at on the stage on Saturday, which allowed him to turn his head just enough that the bullet hit his ear, rather than his skull. Images of the graph flashed around Trump as he again reflected on the blessing to be standing on the stage.
“The last time I put up that chart, I did not really get to look at it.”
-President Donald Trump referencing the attempted assassination on his life in Pennsylvania at the RNC Convention.
Straight Gangster. @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/C64wmffiYS
— Derrick Van Orden (@derrickvanorden) July 19, 2024
“Just a few short days ago, my journey with you nearly ended,” Trump reflected. “And yet here we are tonight, all gathered together, talking about the future, promise, and total renewal of a thing we love very much — America. We live in a world of miracles.”
