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Six days after surviving an assassination attempt, former US President Donald Trump accepted the Republican National Convention’s presidential candidacy.
He then delivered the longest acceptance speech in recent history, almost 90 minutes.
What was supposed to be a unifying speech devolved into familiar grievances, with Trump denouncing unauthorized immigration, political “witch-hunts,” and electoral fraud.
Still, it was a triumphant moment for Trump, complete with much fanfare. The address was the concluding event of the party convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Republicans gathered around him, congratulating him both on and off stage.
That outpouring of support for Trump contrasted sharply with President Joe Biden’s political woes, who is facing rising pressure from his fellow Democrats to withdraw from the race following a catastrophic debate performance last month.
However, in Milwaukee, the night was all about Trump. Biden was rarely referenced by name.
Here are five significant takeaways from the Fourth and Final Night of the Republican National Convention.
Trump appeals for togetherness.
The former president has been polarizing in American politics since he announced his presidential campaign in 2015 by descending the escalator at Trump Tower in New York.
During his address, he referred to undocumented Mexican immigrants as criminals and “rapists .”Soon after, he announced a ban on tourists from six Muslim-majority nations. As president, he carried out that strategy by issuing a series of executive orders known as the “Muslim ban .”The Supreme Court maintained the restriction in 2018, but Biden repealed it when he took office in 2021.
However, on Thursday, Trump, typically aggressive on stage, attempted to cast himself as a unifying figure. He eschewed demonizing political opponents and pledged to be a president for all Americans.
Together, he stated that we will usher in a new era of safety, prosperity, and freedom for people of all races, religions, colors, and creeds.
“We must mend our society’s strife and division. We need to heal it quickly. As Americans, we are bonded by a common fate and destiny. “We rise together or fall apart.”
Trump previously nodded in approval at rallies where his followers advocated for the imprisonment of his 2016 Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, and the deportation of Muslim American Congresswoman Ilhan Omar.
In contrast, at the beginning of Thursday’s speech, Trump’s tone was grave and peaceful. At times, his voice was almost whisper-like.
Following the assassination attempt, there have been appeals to reduce the intense political language surrounding this year’s presidential election.
At least for the first half of his speech, Trump appeared to heed such calls.
Anti-immigrant discourse.
The plea to peace and cooperation that began Trump’s speech was short-lived. As his speech progressed, the former president resumed his customary anti-immigrant vitriol.
He described the influx of undocumented immigrants as an “invasion” and accused other countries of using America as a “dumping ground” for criminals and “insane asylum” patients.
The largest invasion in history is happening right now in our land. They are streaming in from all over the world, not just South America but also Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. They’re pouring from everywhere, Trump claimed.
They are approaching at previously unheard-of speeds. Yes, it is an invasion.
However, research has shown that such assertions are deceptive, if not untrue. According to a 2020 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), “undocumented immigrants had substantially lower crime rates than native-born citizens and legal immigrants across a range of felony offenses.”
Despite his appeal for cross-party unity, Trump also referred to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as “crazy” and made unsubstantiated assertions that Democrats committed election fraud in 2020.
Leaning on international crises
The Russian invasion of Ukraine, Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza, and the botched US pullout from Afghanistan were prominent themes in Trump’s address.
The former president presented a picture of global anarchy and blamed Biden, claiming that the Democrat had undermined the United States’ international status.
While Trump did not specify how he would address these issues, he stated that they would not have occurred if he were in government.
In one case, Trump tied Hamas‘ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, to Biden’s Iran policy.
However, US intelligence sources claim that Tehran had no previous knowledge of the Palestinian group’s plans to strike Israel.
Furthermore, Biden has maintained Trump-era Iran restrictions and imposed dozens of new penalties on Iranian leaders and businesses.
Notably, throughout tonight’s speech, Trump did not offer additional support for Israel or criticize Biden for not being sufficiently supportive of the country, as other Republicans have.
For months, Biden refused calls for a ceasefire, and the US has maintained its “unwavering” backing for Israel, whose military operation in Gaza has killed over 38,000 Palestinians.
He additionally stated that he would “end every single international crisis that the current administration has created, including the horrible war with Russia and Ukraine.
The majority of the international community believes that Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 is illegitimate. The government, however, had previously annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in 2014, long before Biden or Trump became president.
In his speech, Trump also attempted to use the chaotic US pullout from Afghanistan as evidence of Biden’s mishandling of global affairs.
Trump indicated that the world’s anarchy began at that time, transforming the globe into a “planet of war.”
It started to unravel with the disastrous departure from Afghanistan, which he described as the worst humiliation in our country’s history.
However, the agreement with the Taliban to withdraw US forces from Afghanistan was concluded under Trump’s presidency.
Republicans allege supernatural intervention.
One of the most anticipated portions of Thursday’s speech was Trump’s recollection of his assassination attempt, and he began his remarks by detailing his experience and vowing never to repeat it.
Trump’s brush with mortality was a common theme throughout the four-day conference.
Several Republican speakers on Thursday said that Trump escaped last week’s assassination attempt thanks to divine intervention, casting the former president as a messianic figure.
When we prayed for President Trump, only God knew that 30 days later, there would be a miracle by a millimeter, according to Reverend Lorenzo Sewell. If President Trump had shifted one centimeter, he would not have been here on Monday to tell us how America would become prosperous again.
Tucker Carlson, a conservative media figure, stated that Trump emerged from the episode as a “leader” rather than just a politician.
Being a leader is quite different. It is not a title. It is organic. You cannot call someone a leader. A leader is the most courageous man. That is what a leader is, Carlson stated.
“This is true in all human organisations. This is a natural law. And in that moment, months before the presidential election, Donald Trump became the nation’s leader.”
Trump accepted that reasoning.
“I’m not supposed to be here tonight – not supposed to be here,” he told me. The audience said, “Yes, you are.”
Trump responded, “Thank you, but I’m not. And I will tell you that I am only here before you in this arena because of the favor of Almighty God.”
Republicans defend Trump’s character
Following the murder attempt last weekend, Trump received outpourings of concern, and Republican officials at the convention attempted to capitalize on that goodwill by portraying their nominee as a family guy and concerned citizen.
Trump is renowned for discussing his accomplishments, fortune, and characteristics. He claims to be one of the best presidents of all time. He defined himself as “really smart” when serving as president in 2018.
However, several convention speakers on Thursday suggested that Trump also had a kind and generous side.
According to his son, Eric Trump, he opted to leave behind the luxuries of an extraordinary economic empire—everything he had ever created—to accept the call to serve our country.
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Carlson, the conservative media figure, stated that when he contacted Trump following the assassination attempt, the former president did not speak a “single word about himself.”
Rather, Carlson stated that they discussed the crowd and how his followers did not flee during the incident.
There were also several references to Trump’s bond with his grandchildren, with Linda McMahon, a former administration official, noting one of them teasing his renowned hair.
“Donald Trump is not only a fighter, ladies and gentleman,” declared McMahon. “He is a good man.”