Donald Trump has accepted his party’s nomination at the Republican National Convention in a highly personal speech, his first since he was cut off mid-sentence by a flurry of gunfire in an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania.
Meanwhile, top Democrats are making a critical push for President Joe Biden to reevaluate his election bid. Among them are Montana’s Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, former President Barack Obama and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi.
In his speech, Trump told Republican delegates and supporters that he plans to fight to “deliver a government that serves the American People.”
“Nothing will stop me in this mission because our mission is righteous and forces are pure,” Trump said. “No matter what obstacles come our way, we will not break. We will not bend and I will not back down.”
As he opened his speech, Trump pledged to be “a president for all of America.”
It’s a line that Biden has often used against Trump, who’s been long criticized for trying to divide the country into his supporters and their enemies. Now, Trump said, “As Americans, we are bound together by a single fate. We rise together or we fall apart.”
Trump touted the ruling by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon that threw out his classified documents case.
He praised Cannon, whom he appointed, as highly regarded even though many legal experts have faulted her handling of the case and criticized her stunning ruling finding that special counsel Jack Smith’s appointment was unconstitutional. The decision had nothing to do with the merits of the case.
It took Trump 45 minutes of his nomination acceptance speech to mention his opponent by name, twice noting “the previous administration,” but not using his well-worn nickname “Crooked Joe.” It’s a sign of what is a more subdued speech, the tone of which was set by a somber telling of the assassination attempt Saturday.
When he finally mentioned Biden’s name, he did so only twice — and pledged to keep it that way.
Trump made a brief mention of the hostages held in the Gaza Strip by Hamas and hinted that he would take an aggressive stance on the Israel-Hamas war, if he were elected president.
“We want our hostages back, and they better be back before I assume office or you will be paying a very big price,” he said.
U.S. officials have been working since October to try to arrange a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas that would see the release of hostages.
Trump concluded his speech after more than an hour and a half, leading the crowd in a change to “Make America Great Again” as he closed it out.
Melania Trump joined him on stage after he finished, and the band struck up, “Hold On, I’m Coming,” a song Trump frequently plays at the end of his campaign rallies.
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