Former President Donald Trump made a triumphant return to the public eye on Monday night, following a near-fatal experience during a Pennsylvania rally where he narrowly escaped being shot by a 20-year-old would-be assassin. Trump’s first appearance since the incident took place at the Republican National Convention, where he received an enthusiastic hero’s welcome.
CNN’s Chris Wallace, who has been covering conventions since 1964, called the moment “extraordinary” and “electric.” The former president was visibly moved by the experience of entering Fiserv Forum to a standing ovation from thousands of delegates as Lee Greenwood performed “God Bless the USA.
The day began with Trump announcing Ohio Senator J.D. Vance as his running mate, and news breaking that a US district court judge had dismissed charges against him in a case related to his handling of classified documents. Upon taking his seat next to Vance, Trump waved to the crowd and repeatedly mouthed “thank you” as he settled in to listen to evening speeches from fellow Republicans, including Tucker Carlson, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and Florida Representative Byron Donalds.
Trump is set to address the convention on Thursday night, with a speech that will reportedly focus on national unification instead of attacking President Joe Biden or other Democrats, as was originally planned. Trump told the Washington Examiner, “The speech I was going to give on Thursday was going to be a humdinger. Honestly, it’s going to be a whole different speech now.” He also described his decision to raise his fist in response to the assassination attempt: “I was giving them the message that I’m okay and that America goes on, we go forward, that we are strong.
The incident has sparked widespread discussion about the Secret Service’s failure to prevent the attacker from firing at Trump and injuring others. Social media conversations have focused on the presence of what appear to be DEI (Diversity Equity Inclusion) hires in his protection detail, such as small-statured women agents. However, at the Republican convention, Trump’s security escort was markedly different – it was massive and entirely male, a possible indication of an effort to reform the Secret Service.
