Former President Donald Trump made his first public appearance since the assassination attempt at the Republican National Convention on Monday. He slowly walked through the crowd and into a box at the venue in Milwaukee, his ear covered by a neatly folded white bandage.
Kabul 24: Trump energetically raised his fist and greeted the audience as the band played “God Bless the USA.” Chants of “we love Trump” and “fight, fight, fight” erupted from the crowd. He was accompanied by his newly announced running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, and the two sat side by side as multiple speakers shared their challenges in the current economic climate and expressed their support for Trump’s presidency.
The powerful image of Trump standing and defiantly raising his fist moments after the shooting has revitalized the GOP convention and injected his campaign with renewed energy as the November elections approach. Trump’s presence followed the GOP convention delegates formally ratifying him as the party’s presidential nominee and a significant legal victory when a federal judge dismissed the classified documents case against him.
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem remarked to the convention attendees, “Even in the most precarious situation, his gut reaction was to take a stand and confront. Donald J. Trump is our champion in the arena.”
The assassination attempt on Trump has stirred a nation already deeply divided by political strife, leading to appeals from President Biden and others for a reduction in the inflammatory political discourse, a plea that has largely been disregarded by speakers on the convention’s opening day.
