WATCH: Donald Trump enters Republican convention hall with a bandaged ear and gets a hero’s welcome

Bill Barrow, Steve Peoples and Jill Colvin, Associated Press

AP Photo | Charles Rex Arbogast

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Two days aft surviving an attempted assassination, erstwhile President Donald Trump appeared triumphantly astatine nan Republican National Convention’s opening nighttime pinch a bandage complete his correct ear, nan latest compelling segment successful a statesmanlike run already defined by melodramatic turns.

GOP delegates shouted wildly erstwhile Trump appeared onscreen backstage and past emerged successful nan arena, visibly emotional, arsenic musician Lee Greenwood sang “God Bless nan USA.” That was hours aft nan normal had formally nominated nan erstwhile president to caput nan Republican summons successful November against President Joe Biden.

Trump, accompanied by a wall of Secret Service agents, did not reside nan hallway — pinch his acceptance reside scheduled for Thursday — but smiled silently and occasionally waved arsenic Greenwood sang. He yet joined his recently announced moving mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, to perceive to nan night’s remaining speeches, often pinch a subdued look and muted reactions uncharacteristic for nan unabashed showman.

AP Photo | Evan Vucci

The raucous invited underscored nan extent of nan crowd’s affection for nan man who won nan 2016 information arsenic an outsider, astatine likelihood pinch nan statement establishment, but has vanquished each Republican rivals, silenced astir blimpish critics and now commands loyalty up and down nan statement ranks.

“We must merge arsenic a party, and we must merge arsenic a nation,” said Republican Party Chairman Michael Whatley, Trump’s handpicked statement leader, arsenic he opened Monday’s prime-time nationalist normal session. “We must show nan aforesaid spot and resilience arsenic President Trump and lead this federation to a greater future.”

But Whatley and different Republican leaders made clear that their calls for harmony did not widen to Biden and Democrats, who find themselves still riven by worries that nan 81-year-old mobility is not up to nan occupation of defeating Trump.

“Their policies are a clear and coming threat to America, to our institutions, our values and our people,” said Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, welcoming nan statement to his battleground state, which Trump won successful 2016 but mislaid to Biden 4 years ago.

Saturday’s shooting astatine a Pennsylvania rally, wherever Trump was injured and 1 man died, were intelligibly successful mind, but nan proceedings were celebratory — a stark opposition to nan anger and worry that had marked nan erstwhile fewer days. Some delegates chanted “fight, fight, fight” — nan aforesaid words that Trump was seen shouting to nan crowd Saturday arsenic nan Secret Service ushered him disconnected nan stage, his fist raised and look bloodied.

“We should each beryllium thankful correct now that we are capable to formed our votes for President Donald J. Trump aft what took spot connected Saturday,” said New Jersey authorities Sen. Michael Testa arsenic he announced each of his state’s 12 delegates for Trump.

When Trump cleared nan basal number of delegates, video screens successful nan arena publication “OVER THE TOP” while nan opus “Celebration” played and delegates danced and waved Trump signs. Throughout nan voting, delegates flanked by “Make America Great Again” signs applauded arsenic authorities aft authorities voted their support for a 2nd Trump term.

Multiple speakers invoked belief imagery to talk Trump and nan assassination attempt.

“The devil came to Pennsylvania holding a rifle,” said Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina. “But an American lion sewage backmost up connected his feet!”
Wyoming delegate Sheryl Foland was among those who adopted nan “fight” chant aft seeing Trump past Saturday successful what she called “monumental photos and video.”

“We knew past we were going to adopt that arsenic our chant,” added Foland, a kid trauma intelligence wellness counselor. “Not conscionable because we wanted him to fight, and that God was fighting for him. We thought, isn’t it our occupation to judge that situation and conflict for our country?”
“It’s bigger than Trump,” Foland said. “It’s a mantra for our country.”

Another well-timed improvement boosted nan temper connected nan normal level Monday: The national judge presiding complete Trump’s classified documents lawsuit dismissed nan prosecution because of concerns complete nan assignment of nan charismatic who brought nan case, handing nan erstwhile president a awesome tribunal victory.

The normal is designed to scope group extracurricular nan GOP base

Trump’s run chiefs designed nan normal to characteristic a softer and much optimistic message, focusing connected themes that would thief a divisive leader grow his entreaty among mean voters and group of color.

On a nighttime devoted to nan economy, delegates and a nationalist TV assemblage heard from speakers nan Trump run sounded arsenic “everyday Americans” — a azygous mother talking astir inflation, a national personnel who identified himself arsenic a lifelong Democrat now backing Trump, a mini business owner, among others.

Featured speakers besides included Black Republicans who person been astatine nan forefront of nan Trump campaign’s effort to triumph much votes from a halfway Democratic constituency.

U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt of Texas said rising market and power prices were hurting Americans’ wallets and quoted Ronald Reagan successful calling ostentation “the cruelest taxation connected nan poor.” Hunt based on Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris didn’t look to understand nan problem.
“We tin hole this disaster,” Hunt said, by electing Trump and sending “him correct backmost to wherever he belongs, nan White House.”

Scott, possibly nan party’s astir well-known Black lawmaker, declared, “America is not a racist country.”

Republicans hailed Vance’s action arsenic a cardinal measurement toward a winning conjugation successful November.

Trump announced his prime of his moving mate arsenic delegates were voting connected nan erstwhile president’s information Monday. The young Ohio legislator first roseate to nationalist attraction pinch his bestselling memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” which told of his Appalachian upbringing and was hailed arsenic a model into nan parts of working-class America that helped propel Trump.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who had been considered a imaginable vice statesmanlike pick, said successful a station connected X that Vance’s “small municipality roots and work to state make him a powerful sound for nan America First Agenda.”

Yet contempt calls for harmony, 2 of nan opening speakers astatine Monday’s evening convention — Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and North Carolina gubernatorial nominee Mark Robinson — are known arsenic immoderate of nan party’s astir incendiary figures.

Robinson, speaking precocious during a religion work successful North Carolina, discussed “evil” group who he said threatened American Christianity. “Some folks request killing,” he said then, though he steered clear of specified rhetoric connected nan normal stage.

Opening nighttime besides did not walk without references to nan 2020 predetermination and Trump’s repeated lies that it was stolen from him.
The run continues

Trump’s information came connected nan aforesaid time that Biden sat for different nationalist TV question and reply arsenic nan president sought to show his capacity to service different 4 years contempt continued worries wrong his ain party.

Biden told ABC News that he made a correction precocious erstwhile he told Democratic donors nan statement must extremity questioning his fittingness for agency and alternatively put Trump successful a “bull’s-eye.” Republicans person circulated nan remark aggressively since Saturday’s assassination attempt, pinch immoderate openly blaming Biden for inciting nan onslaught connected Trump’s life.

The president’s admittance was successful statement pinch his telephone Sunday from nan Oval Office for each Americans to ratchet down governmental rhetoric. But Biden maintained Monday that drafting contrasts pinch Trump, who employs harsh and accusatory language, is simply a morganatic portion of a statesmanlike contest.

Inside nan arena successful Milwaukee, Republicans did not dial backmost their attacks connected Biden, astatine 1 constituent playing a video that mocked nan president’s beingness stamina and intelligence acuity.

They alluded often to nan “Biden-Harris administration” and took regular digs astatine Vice President Kamala Harris — a not-so-subtle allusion to nan conception that Biden could measurement speech successful favour of his second-in-command.

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Associated Press writers Christine Fernando successful Chicago, Ali Swenson successful Minneapolis, Jonathan J. Cooper successful Phoenix, and Farnoush Amiri, Thomas Beaumont, Michelle L. Price and Sophia Tareen successful Milwaukee contributed.