Trump unleashes attacks in RNC speech after promises of new tone
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Former President Trump took the stage with a bandaged ear only days after surviving an attempted assassination in Pennsylvania to accept the GOP presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention Thursday night. He left it after roughly 90 minutes of a mostly familiar stump speech.
Why it matters: While his speech — widely viewed as a test of his plea for unity — began on a personal tone, it soon returned to Trumpian talking points, misleading statements and lies.
- Trump has received a week of relatively positive press while his Democratic opponent President Biden faces mounting calls from his party to exit the race.
- The former president described the assassination attempt at the top of his speech, saying that it's the only time he'll talk about it, "because it's too painful to tell."
State of play: He focused primarily on foreign policy, the economy and immigration.
- At on point, he described a "massive invasion at our southern border" and a planet "teetering on edge of World War III," a likely reference to the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza that have begun since his successor took office.
- He pledged on Day One to "drill baby drill" and "close those borders."
The big picture: The GOP tried to appear as a unified front this week, with many of Trump's onetime presidential rivals appearing as campaign surrogates. Democrats have been in disarray over the top of their ticket.
- Trump's running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), spoke Wednesday night, leaning into his personal story as a Rust Belt native — a signal of the campaign's strategy ahead to win vital swing voters in key states.
- Trump this year has been convicted of a felony, juggled multiple court cases with the campaign trail, and this week saw one of the federal cases against him dismissed.
Go deeper: Behind the Curtain: "Getting shot in the face changes a man"
Editor's note: This story was previously a live blog and has been updated with additional developments.
Trump spent the majority of his convention speech railing about usual targets: illegal immigration, electric vehicles and election integrity— and zeroed in on China, Axios' Erin Doherty writes.
Why it matters: He primarily echoed many of the grievances that have defined his political career across three consecutive presidential runs.
- He baselessly accused Democrats of "cheating" in elections and criticized former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
What they're saying: "Donald Trump is just the greatest hits from 2016," Biden campaign director of rapid response Ammar Moussa wrote on X.
- "He has not changed. He has not moderated. He has gotten worse - except now he talks about the "late, great, Hannibal Lecter."
While he wasn't expected to mention Biden's name, Trump criticized the president by name about 40 minutes into his remarks.
- The former president appeared to go off script when criticizing Biden's foreign policy.
"I'm only going to say his name once," Trump said.
- "I'm not going to use the name anymore — just one time. The damage that he's done to this country is unthinkable. It's unthinkable," he said of Biden.
