Former President Donald Trump accepts his party’s nomination on the last day of the 2024 Republican National Convention, in Milwaukee, July 18, 2024. — Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
(MILWAUKEE) — After formally accepting the Republican nomination, former President Donald Trump recounted surviving Saturday’s assassination attempt.
With a bandage covering his right ear, Trump addressed the crowd at the Republican National Convention on Thursday, saying it would be the only time he would share what happened at the rally.
“You’ll never hear it from me a second time because it’s too painful to tell.”
During the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, a gunman opened fire from a nearby roof, striking Trump in the ear, killing a rallygoer, Corey Comperatore, and wounding two others. Before Trump was hit, he had turned his head to the right to look at a screen and hit with a glancing blow.
“The amazing thing is that prior to the shot, if I had not moved my head at that very last instant, the assassin’s bullet would have perfectly hit its mark, and I would not be here tonight. We would not be together,” Trump said.
“Behind me and to the right was a large screen that was displaying a chart of border crossings under my leadership,” he recounted. “In order to see the chart, I started to turn to my right, and was ready to begin a further turn, which I’m lucky I didn’t, when I heard a loud whizzing sound and felt something hit me, really hard, on my right ear.”
“I said to myself, ‘Wow, what was that? It can only be a bullet,'” the former president said.
Secret Service agents swarmed Trump as he ducked behind the podium, with blood dripping down the side of his face, “Bullets were continuing to fly.”
“I’m not supposed to be here tonight,” Trump repeatedly told the crowd, to which they responded, “Yes you are!”
“Thank you. But I’m not. And I’ll tell you, I stand before you in this arena only by the grace of almighty God.”
Police are investigating the incident as an assassination attempt and potential act of domestic terrorism. The motive is unknown, but officials said that the shooter searched for images of both President Trump and President Biden as well as dates for the Butler rally and the Democratic National Convention.
The shooter was killed by a Secret Service sniper.
Trump held a moment of silence for Comperatore, a former fire chief who died when he “dove on his family” to protect them during the rally, his wife said.
Making his first public remarks since the shooting, Trump expressed his “gratitude to the American people for your outpouring of love and support following the assassination attempt.”
(WASHINGTON) — Two people were killed and two others — including a toddler — were injured in a mass shooting in broad daylight in Washington, D.C., authorities said.
At about 11:22 a.m. Thursday, three people got out of a car with what authorities believe were rifles and “shot up the block,” Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith said at a news conference.
Three men who were in the intersection at the time were shot, Smith said. Two of the men were killed and the third was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, she said.
A 2-year-old girl was also shot and hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, Smith said.
When the gunfire broke out, the 2-year-old was exiting a day care with a group for their morning walk, Smith said. No other children were hurt, she said.
“This is another example of gun violence that we cannot have in our communities,” Smith said, appearing exasperated. “We’re sick and tired of this.”
The suspects are at large, Smith said.
Police are searching for a blue Dodge Charger with heavy tinted windows, Smith said. It appears the suspects ditched one car and then jumped into the blue Charger after the shooting, Smith said.
“We urge anyone, anyone with information that can help our detectives, to call us right away at 202-727-9099,” Smith said.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden is still experiencing mild upper respiratory symptoms and continues to take Paxlovid, after testing positive for COVID-19 this week, according to the president’s physician.
Biden doesn’t have a fever and his symptoms remain mild, Dr. Kevin O’Connor said in a statement Thursday.
Biden, 81, tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, following his first event in Las Vegas, the White House said.
UnidosUS CEO Janet Murguía had also announced the diagnosis from the podium where the president was set to speak at the organization’s conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
“He is vaccinated and boosted and he is experiencing mild symptoms,” the White House said in a statement Wednesday night. “He will be returning to Delaware where he will self-isolate and will continue to carry out all of his duties fully during that time.”
First lady Jill Biden is in Rehoboth, Delaware, as well, as the president self-isolates following his COVID diagnosis. Jill Biden was already in Rehoboth prior to the president’s diagnosis, her office said on Thursday. No additional family is in Rehoboth, according to her office.
When asked if she has been tested for COVID or was showing any symptoms, her office said, “She is tested as determined appropriate by her doctor — she is not symptomatic and up to date with her vaccines.”
President Biden is being “kept up to speed” on national security matters while he isolates, national security communications adviser John Kirby told reporters Thursday afternoon.
“I think we can all understand that while he’s certainly focused on getting better, as anybody who’s had COVID would want to do, he is — he’s being kept up to speed as appropriate, by his leadership team, and certainly that includes on the national security front,” Kirby said in an audio-only gaggle.
Kirby didn’t have any specific briefings to speak to, but said that the president is being “kept updated and up to speed as he normally would.”
The White House said it will provide regular updates on the president’s status “as he continues to carry out the full duties of the office while in isolation.”
The White House had shared a note Wednesday from Biden’s doctor, who said the president had upper respiratory symptoms — including a running nose and cough — and “general malaise” Wednesday afternoon.
“He felt OK for his first event of the day, but given that he was not feeling better, point of care testing for COVID-19 was conducted, and the results were positive for the COVID-19 virus,” his doctor said, according to the White House.
The president gave a thumbs-up to reporters as he prepared to depart Las Vegas on Wednesday when asked how he was feeling and responded, “Good. I feel good,” according to the pool.
He was seen maskless boarding Air Force One in Las Vegas on Wednesday afternoon to head to Rehoboth.
Biden also shared his COVID-19 diagnosis on X later Wednesday night, writing, “I am feeling good and thank everyone for the well wishes.”
“I will be isolating as I recover, and during this time I will continue to work to get the job done for the American people,” he said.
Biden previously tested positive for COVID-19 in 2022 and took Paxlovid then, the White House said at the time.
The president was slated to deliver remarks Wednesday afternoon at the annual conference for UnidosUS, the nation’s largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization, when Murguía announced from the stage that he would no longer be able to appear.
“Regrettably, I was just on the phone with President Biden and he shared his deep disappointment at not being able to join us this afternoon,” Murguía told the crowd. “The president has been at many events as we all know, and he just tested positive for COVID. So, of course, we understand that he needs to take the precautions that have been recommended, and he did not obviously want to put anybody at risk.”
“He said to tell my folks that you’re not going to get rid of him that quickly,” Murguía continued. “We’re going to have a chance to hear from him in the future directly. He’s just really sorry he couldn’t be with us.”
ABC News’ Mary K. Bruce, Molly Nagle and Justin Ryan Gomez contributed to this report.
(MILWAUKEE, W.I.) — Virginia Breedlove, a guest at the Republican National Convention, teared up recounting the moment she witnessed Donald Trump enter the Fiserv Forum just 48 hours after being shot.
“I was holding it together,” she said, her voice breaking with emotion. “But when he turned his head and I saw the bandage on his ear, I just — I lost it, because that’s a physical scar that he has.”
“But he has many years of other scars of attack from Americans that don’t want him in office,” she continued. “But he’s done everything he said he would do. He’s done everything and he’s helped keep our country safe.”
This week, thousands of Trump’s biggest supporters are gathered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to see him accept the party’s nomination for president.
In their eyes, Trump hasn’t done — and likely can’t do — any wrong.
Heading into the convention, an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll found 59% of Americans said he was rightfully convicted of 34 felonies in his New York hush money trial and many fewer, 38%, accepted Trump’s claim that the convictions were unjust.
But two dozen RNC attendees who spoke with ABC News Digital, including delegates and guests, said Trump being found guilty of 34 felony counts gave them no reservations about backing him this election cycle. Many said their support has only grown, waving off entirely the criminal cases (totaling 88 counts) against the former president.
“Do the two words ‘weaponized DOJ’ ring a bell?” said one Illinois delegate.
“We have 54 in our delegation, and we have T-shirts that we’re all going to be wearing that’s like, ‘The year of the felon.’ We’re good. We’re voting for the felon,” said Barbara Jernigan, an alternate delegate from Missouri.
“No pause about him at all,” said Francine Gargano, a delegate from New Jersey. “Not at all. Not even a little bit. I mean, I wish I could say even a tiny bit, but no. Every day, I think we love him more and more and more.”
Others blamed a “kangaroo court” or said that the guilty verdict by a jury of Trump’s peers was “engineered.”
Just one person said Trump being a convicted felon concerned him “a little bit.”
“Everyone makes mistakes,” said Jim Walsh, an alternate delegate from Connecticut. “I personally feel some of it is a little bit trumped up. I think he’ll be okay. You prefer that none of that did happen, but it did. So, you just got to hopefully go with it.”
If this week here has shown one thing, it’s that Trump’s grip on the party is more ironclad than ever before.
His bitter rivals in the Republican primary all spoke on stage and offered their support. Even Nikki Haley, who once said there was “no way” the American people would vote for a convicted felon, gave her “strong endorsement.” JD Vance — previously a so-called “Never Trumper” — is now his running mate.
(NEW YORK) — Hyundai is recalling up to 54,647 vehicles due to loss of drive power from fuel pump failure, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The recall impacts certain 2019-2023 models of Genesis G70, Veloster N, Elantra N, and Kona N, the federal agency said.
According to NHTSA, premature wearing of the fuel control valve in the high-pressure fuel pump “could allow excess fuel to enter the fuel pump and the air and fuel mixture can result in a reduction or loss of motive power at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.”
Indications that there might be an issue include, “MIL illumination, lack of power, rough idle or misfire,” according to NHTSA recall documents.
Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed out by Sept. 9, 2024. To remedy the issue, Hyundai dealers will install an updated fuel control valve (FCV) plunger design and revised engine ECM software logic, the agency’s recall notice states.
“To ensure the safety of its customers, Hyundai Motor North America and Genesis Motor North America has filed recall campaign 262/023G to address a condition involving the high-pressure fuel pump assemblies in certain Hyundai and Genesis vehicles produced for sale in the U.S. and Canada,” Hyundai said in a statement to ABC News on Thursday.
The company added: “There are no confirmed crashes or injuries related to this condition in the U.S. or Canada.”
In an undated photo, Cullen Tiernan, left, poses for a photo with J.D. Vance in Washington. Courtesy of Cullen Tiernan
(MILWAUKEE, W.I.) — Freshman Sen. JD Vance stepped onto the national stage at the Republican National Convention Wednesday night to deliver the evening’s closing address, letting America get to know the man former President Donald Trump has selected as his vice presidential running mate.
It’s a sight that makes his longtime friend Cullen Tiernan proud.
“I always knew that he was smart enough to do whatever he wanted. We’ve always been attracted to public service, so I really wasn’t surprised,” Tiernan, a friend of Vance’s for more than two decades, told ABC News of his bid to join forces with Trump.
Over the years, Tiernan has had a front-row seat to many of Vance’s biggest personal and career milestones, from his wedding to his wife Usha, to his swearing-in as a freshman senator. He says he isn’t surprised that his friend is making history as the first post-9/11 veteran on a major party’s presidential ticket — something Tiernan believes will serve Vance well as VP if the Trump/Vance ticket is elected.
“Having a veteran voice like that, somebody who understands what it’s like to be an enlisted Marine kind of goes back to his whole ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ in his story,” Tiernan said, referring to Vance’s best-selling memoir, which was turned into a film by director Ron Howard. “I think that’s going to be really powerful.”
Tiernan and Vance’s bond began in 2004 when both men were in Defense Information School at Fort Meade, Maryland, both training to become public affairs correspondents in the Marines. The day after they finished training, they were sent to the Marine Corps Air Station in Cherry Point, North Carolina. The two wandered the base together, getting lost but building a budding friendship.
Tiernan remembers watching Vance taking classes for Ohio State while in the barracks, juggling life as a college student and as a Marine. The pair would work together over three years, and their friendship would later be cemented on the battlefields of Iraq.
Tiernan would keep Vance’s family updated while Vance went outside the wire in Iraq. When the pair returned to America, Tiernan spent the Fourth of July weekend with Vance’s family in Ohio and attended an Ohio State football game.
Vance, if elected in November, would also make history by becoming the first Marine as vice president. Tiernan believes that his friend could convince other left-leaning voters like himself to consider the joint ticket of Trump-Vance in November, especially among military families and working-class voters.
Tiernan, a labor leader in New Hampshire, noted the keynote speech by Teamster’s President Sean O’Brien on the first night of the GOP was a good-faith effort to include labor in political discussions. The speech was the first time a Teamsters leader had spoken at the Republican National Convention. Although the union announced it would not be endorsing a presidential candidate in 2024, he believes Vance will continue the outreach to working-class voters in this election.
“In the world of labor politics, I kind of recognize that if you want to accomplish things for working people, it has to be a bipartisan solution for most of the problems and things that we want to improve in people’s lives,” the New Hampshire labor leader said.
“The good faith effort of including the Teamsters and labor more and more in the conversation and trying to really have a majority of people in Congress who are going to work for working people is my hope, that that’s the direction that they’re headed in, and then they can bring a lot of people with them.”
Tiernan describes his friend as quick-witted, funny, and personable. They would watch “Anchorman” together and the TV series “Arrested Development.”
Tiernan says Vance would remain personable despite the difficult challenges of serving in a war zone. The Ohio Senator is the first veteran on a presidential ticket since the late Senator John McCain’s White House bid in 2008. He believes the experiences in Iraq “will serve him well, as he is on the campaign trail and whatever else happens next to him.”
After Vance’s swearing-in ceremony for the Senate, Tiernan, who had spent the day with his friend in Washington, noticed that Vance surrounded himself with old friends from Ohio. Vance told his closest allies that they “were going to help him remember who he is and not to let it get to his head and to stay grounded,” Tiernan told ABC News.
“To be a beat away from the White House is another thing, and it’s not going to be easy to stay grounded, but I think he’s capable of doing it,” Tiernan added.
(CHICAGO) — An Illinois Sheriff’s deputy has been charged in the shooting death of Sonya Massey, a Springfield woman who called authorities to report a possible intruder.
The deputy, Sean Grayson, is facing three counts of first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct, according to a statement from Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Milhiser, who filed the charges.
Grayson has also been fired from the Sangamon County Sheriff’s department, according to a statement from Sheriff Jack Campbell, posted to the department’s Facebook page.
“It is clear that the deputy did not act as trained or in accordance with our standards,” Campbell’s statement says. “The actions taken by Deputy Grayson do not reflect the values and training of the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office or law enforcement as a whole.”
Two sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a Springfield, Illinois, residence at about 12:50 a.m. on July 6 to investigate a possible prowler, according to a statement from the sheriff’s office obtained by ABC News.
“At approximately 1:21 a.m., the Deputies reported that shots had been fired, resulting in a female being struck by gunfire,” according to the sheriff’s statement. “Deputies immediately administered first aid until EMS arrived. The woman was transported to St. John’s Hospital, where she was later pronounced deceased. No deputies were injured during the incident.”
The shooting was investigated for use of deadly force by the Illinois State Police (ISP) at the request of the Sangamon County Sheriff’s office. According to Milhiser, a review of the investigation and the body-worn camera footage found that Grayson was not justified in his use of deadly force.
Investigators have not said if the other deputy will face charges in connection with the shooting.
The Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s Office has not yet released the body camera footage of the incident.
Jim Allmon, Sangamon County Coroner, told ABC News that an autopsy found that Massey died from a gunshot wound.
Massey’s family’s attorney, Ben Crump, called the news of Grayson’s indictment a step forward in gaining justice for Sonya’s loved ones.
“While nothing can undo the heinous actions of this officer, we hope the scales of justice will continue to hold him accountable and we will demand transparency at every step,” Crump said in a statement.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker released a statement saying that Massey deserved the protection that she called law enforcement to provide.
“My heart breaks for Sonya’s children, for her family and friends and for all who knew and loved her, and I am enraged that another innocent black woman had her life taken from her at the hands of a police officer,” Pritzker’s statement says.
Grayson is currently in custody. He is expected to make his first court appearance Thursday afternoon when he will be arraigned on the charges.
An attorney for Grayson did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
ABC News’ Emily Chang and Tesfaye Negussie contributed to this report.
(BUTLER, P.A.) — In the days since the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, the pieces have begun to come together about what the suspected shooter was doing in the lead-up to the attack.
The day before the shooting, Thomas Matthew Crooks went to a local shooting club and practiced on the rifle range, counsel for the Clairton Sportsmen’s Club confirmed to ABC News.
The 20-year-old purchased ammunition shortly before the incident, both online and in-person, according to law enforcement sources.
He asked his employer — a nursing home where he worked as a dietary aide — to take the day off on the day of the shooting, but said he would be back as soon as the next day, sources said.
Sometime before the shooting, Crooks searched the internet for both Trump and President Joe Biden, as well as the dates of Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and for those of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Sources said he also left a message on the gaming platform Steam, in which he said that “July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds.”
On the day of the assassination attempt, he asked if he could borrow his father’s AR-15-style rifle, saying he planned to go to a shooting range, sources said. Because Crooks’ father had previously let him use the gun for target shooting, he was not suspicious that his son was planning anything of concern.
Crooks went to a local gun shop that day, where he bought 50 rounds of 5.56 mm ammo. He also stopped at a Home Depot to buy a 5-foot ladder, though it was not found at the scene and is not believed to have been used to access the roof.
He then drove to the Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, parking about a third of a mile away at a gas station.
For at least an hour before the shooting, Crooks was seen walking around near the rally area. Crooks was seen in video obtained by Pittsburgh ABC affiliate WTAE pacing just beyond the boundaries of the Trump rally at 5:06 p.m., around one hour and five minutes before shots were first fired.
He was also seen walking around near the magnetometers minutes before the shooting, according to law enforcement sources. Some witnesses reported him as a suspicious person, law enforcement sources said.
He then made his way to a nearby building, climbing up air conditioner units until he was able to get on the roof of an adjacent building, according to sources. From there, he moved onto a taller building next to it.
Just before Crooks opened fire, rallygoers spotted him on the roof and tried to alert the Secret Service.
In an unclassified briefing Wednesday, law enforcement officials said 20 minutes passed between when Secret Service snipers first spotted Crooks on the roof and when he opened fire on Trump. He was identified as a person of interest 62 minutes before the shooting, they said.
A Butler Township police officer attempted to stop the shooter, climbing up the roof to approach him, but Crooks pointed his gun at the officer, prompting the officer to retreat, according to Butler County Sheriff Michael T. Slupe.
It was at this point that Crooks began firing his weapon toward Trump, who at that moment turned to look at a Jumbotron, possibly saving his life.
A Secret Service sniper shot back at Crooks, fatally shooting him in the head 26 seconds later, according to law enforcement officials.
Editors Note: This story has been updated to correct the suspected shooter’s name to Thomas Matthew Crooks.
(MILWAUKEE, W.I.) — The fourth and final day of the Republican National Convention is a buildup to tonight’s highly anticipated prime-time address from Donald Trump.
It will be the former president’s first public speech since he narrowly escaped an attempt on his life Saturday at his rally in Pennsylvania.
He has said the attack changed his thinking about what he would say and now plans to stress “unity” in his speech.
Vance shares faith journey at Faith and Freedom breakfast
Speaking at the Faith and Freedom breakfast Thursday morning, vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance shared his faith journey with the attendees, saying his faith was “shallow” when he was a child and evolved into more over time.
“I was raised, as I mentioned last night, by my mamaw who, despite the fact that she loved the F word, was a woman a very deep Christian faith. And you know, she was in some ways what you might call ‘unchurched,'” Vance said.
“We went to church maybe once or twice a month, sometimes less, sometimes more. But she read the Bible every single day. She prayed every single day. She loved to watch Billy Graham whenever he was on the TV and that was really my introduction to the Christian faith,” Vance continued.
When Vance went on to higher education, he began calling himself an atheist. However, Vance said he decided to learn more about his Christian faith when he met his wife at Yale Law School, who does not share his faith.
“But to me, what really brought me back to Christ was finding a wife and falling in love and thinking about my thinking about what was required of me as a husband and as a father,” Vance said.
“And the more that I thought about those deeper questions, the more that I thought that there was wisdom in the Christian faith that I had completely discarded and completely ignored but was most relevant to the questions that were presented in my life as a husband and father.”
-ABC News’ Hannah Demissie
‘Hillbilly Elegy’ continues to climb Netflix’s charts
Netflix’s movie “Hillbilly Elegy,” based on Sen. JD Vance’s memoir, continues to climb the charts following Vance being named Donald Trump’s running mate.
It’s now ranked No. 2 on Netflix. On Wednesday, it was ranked No. 4; on Tuesday, it was ranked No. 6.
-ABC News’ Hannah Demissie
In RNC keynote, Trump says he’ll stress ‘unity’ after assassination attempt
Trump will formally accept the GOP presidential nomination Thursday night and deliver his first speech since Saturday’s assassination attempt, capping off an ebullient Republican convention at a time of heightened political uncertainty — and now he says he will push for a more unifying message.
Such a tone would mark a departure both for Trump individually and for American politics writ large, though operatives and conventiongoers alike predicted a more subdued speech focused on uniting the country, with the nation captivated by news of the attempt on the former president’s life in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“I think he’s a changed man. Anytime you come within millimeters of your life, that has an effect,” said Bryan Lanza, a former Trump campaign official who remains in touch with his current team. “I think, from his standpoint, he doesn’t want to be a divisive figure. He wants to be a unifying figure at a time that the country is desperately seeking unity and needs unity.”
-ABC News’ Alexandra Hutzler and Tal Axelrod
Trump, joined by family at RNC, to deliver speech tonight
On Day 4 of the Republican National Convention, former first lady Melania Trump is scheduled to arrive at the arena around the 8 p.m. CT/9 p.m. ET hour, publicly joining Trump on a major campaign event for the first time this election cycle. Other members of the Trump family are also expected to attend RNC events this evening.
Trump is scheduled to take the stage at 9:02 p.m. CT/10:02 p.m. ET, the first time we’ll be seeing him speak publicly after his assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.
Thursday’s theme is “Make America Great Once Again” and will feature speakers including Trump’s son, Eric Trump; Montana Sen. Steve Daines; former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and UFC President Dana White.
-ABC News’ Soorin Kim, Lalee Ibssa and Kelsey Walsh.
(MILWAUKEE, W.I.) — Former President Donald Trump will formally accept the GOP presidential nomination Thursday night and deliver his first speech since Saturday’s assassination attempt, capping off an ebullient Republican convention at a time of heightened political uncertainty.
Trump will give the keynote remarks at a time when he is pushing for a more unifying message after last weekend’s shooting and as he rides political tailwinds into the summer and fall, fueled in part by President Joe Biden’s calamitous June debate and subsequent Democratic angst.
Such a tone would mark a departure both for Trump individually and for American politics writ large, though operatives and conventiongoers alike predicted a more subdued speech focused on uniting the country, with the nation captivated by news of the attempt on the former president’s life in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“I think he’s a changed man. Anytime you come within millimeters of your life, that has an effect. I think, from his standpoint, he doesn’t want to be a divisive figure. He wants to be a unifying figure at a time that the country is desperately seeking unity and needs unity,” said Bryan Lanza, a former Trump campaign official who remains in touch with his current team.
“It’s just not a moment for him, and it’s just not a moment for the Republican Party. It’s a moment for the country,” he added. “We experienced a shock. We could literally be at a funeral today.”
Trump said he revised his remarks after Saturday’s shooting, saying it initially was set to be a “humdinger” but that now it will be “more of a unity speech.”
In an era when few thinks punch through the political noise, particularly in a race between a current and former president with virtually universal name recognition, the speech marks a rare moment where Trump can hold the stage at a pivot point in the race, even as it’s unclear precisely how much the election’s dynamics have changed.
“When you’re at this level, there’s just certain speeches that the world stops and listens to, and your nominating speech is one,” said veteran GOP strategist Chip Saltsman.
“Unity” has been the buzz word since Saturday, with leaders of both parties lamenting the violence and urging renewed civility in the country’s politics.
However, such a tone could also help Trump politically, operatives predicted.
While in office, Trump bled support from centrist, suburban voters — enough to cost him reelection in 2020. Their defection was widely attributed more to tone than to policy disagreements, and now, with polls showing Biden with hefty disapproval ratings, a more leveled approach from Trump could help win some voters back to his side, including by detailing the immediate aftermath of the shooting, strategists said.
“How do you get the Republicans that don’t particularly like you? How do you get the true undecideds and independents? And how do you get the Democrats that aren’t happy with Joe Biden? Obviously, those are typically issue-type conversations, but I think in this case he can do it with his emotion,” Saltsman said.
To be certain, Trump is still widely anticipated to go after Biden’s record, prosecuting the kind of contrast on policies that he’s been putting forth since the election began.
“I expect to hear about Afghanistan withdrawal and the economy and the border and these big picture issues that have formed around this campaign,” said one former senior Trump administration official. “A lot of the things that I think he covers on a regular basis in his rallies, but it’ll be more surgical, if Trump’s capable of surgical.”
“I do think you’ll see him add Kamala in a good amount to the Biden criticisms. I think that news today makes it clear that they’re still pushing on that, and President Trump’s pretty keen to this as an option for them,” the person added, referencing growing chatter around Democrats’ calls for Biden to drop out of the race.
And it’s still unclear precisely how long the veneer of unity can last. Politics has morphed into a blood sport in the U.S., and those working for both candidates may be more willing to push the envelope when going after their opponents.
“I’ll be honest, it’s not gonna be the tone you hear from the rest of us, we’re seasoned operatives. We fight, and that’s how you gain position is by fighting,” Lanza said.
Interviews with conventiongoers showed an appetite for both unity and Trump’s typical punchiness.
“Peace and unity because it’s a very divided country right now,” Awet Gebremariam, a delegate from California, said when asked what she wants to hear from Trump. “He almost lost his life. And I think he’s very subdued and he’s very reserved and he’s very grounded now. And I think he’s going to give a great, great speech, maybe very different from the speeches before he used to give before.”
Others, like Daniel Bobay, an alternate delegate from Texas, wanted more of a mix, arguing that “you can fight nicely.”
“I’m hoping,” Elizabeth Hines-Ferrick, a delegate from Massachusetts said, when asked if she wanted the rhetoric toned down. “But at least I still expect him to be a fighter, because he speaks straight from the heart.”
Politically, Democrats concede a more unifying tone from Trump could make it harder to knock him as a threat to democracy, especially after the shooting, even if they’re skeptical he can keep it up long after the GOP convention.
“I think there’s an initial concern that if Trump can play this the right way that he can look like a unifier and get outside of his brand,” one battleground Democratic strategist said. “But then also at the same time, I would tell you that no one has any confidence that he can continue to play the straight man.”
As far as Thursday goes, however, Trump is virtually guaranteed a hero’s welcome, no matter what he says.
“I think it’s gonna be pretty epic,” the former senior administration official said. “Everyone in that hall loves the man, and him speaking to them for the first time since Saturday is going to have a pretty raucous atmosphere. I imagine it’s gonna be emotional. You’re gonna see delegates teary-eyed and hooting and hollering.”
ABC News’ Jonathan Karl contributed to this report.
