In a four-day speech at the Republican National Convention, Donald Trump emphasized the need to heal the divisions and discord within society, stressing the urgency of this healing process. He expressed, “As Americans, we are connected by a common destiny and a shared future, we rise and fall together.”
Reflecting on the moment when he narrowly escaped a bullet, Trump shared at the convention that if he hadn’t turned his head at the last moment, he would have been hit precisely. He mentioned, “I nearly didn’t make it here tonight.” He attributed his ability to stand there to the grace of God.
Trump highlighted multiple times during his speech at the convention that his miraculous survival from the recent assassination attempt was a result of divine protection. Following the attack, Republican figures swiftly stated that Trump’s miraculous survival was due to “divine providence.” Florida state representative and former US Marine sniper Cory Mills stated that the shooting, with a hit rate of 10 out of 9 shots fired, was a result of “God’s intervention” thwarting the assassination attempt.
After facing life and death, Trump seemed to have a new perspective on his mission. He told the Washington Observer that he scrapped his originally fiery speech and was preparing a new one, stating, “To be honest, the new speech content will be completely different.”
The speech that Trump prepared afresh became the highlight of the Republican National Convention that evening, marked by cheers and applause from the audience.
Trump reiterated the need to heal the divisions and discord in society, emphasizing the importance of unity amongst Americans. He underscored that running for president was for “all American people, not half of them, because winning for half of America is not a victory.”
Trump also pointed out that the US is facing confrontation and division, stressing that in this politically divisive era, it is essential to remember: “We are compatriots! We are one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
Amid the chaos in the world today, Trump stated that there is a rare global crisis where Europe and the Middle East are suffering from war, and countries like Taiwan, South Korea, the Philippines, and all of Asia are shrouded in escalating conflict.
While Trump briefly mentioned the various crises facing the world during his speech, his Vice Presidential nominee Pence explicitly stated that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is the US’s “greatest threat.” Pence emphasized that if elected, the Trump administration would take a tough stance against Beijing.
Subsequent to the shooting incident, President Biden and Trump spoke, with Biden delivering a statement at the Oval Office addressing the event. This marked the third time since taking office in 2021 that Biden addressed a major event from the Oval Office.
Biden expressed gratitude that former President Trump was not seriously injured, stating, “Jill and I will continue to pray for him and his family.” He called for all to take a step back following the Trump shooting incident and urged Americans to stand united.
Following the news of Trump being shot, US tech leaders including Tesla CEO Musk, Amazon founder Bezos, Meta CEO Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Cook, and Google CEO Pichai offered condolences and support.
Tesla CEO Musk promptly took to social media platform X to voice his support for President Trump, wishing him a speedy recovery. Amazon founder Bezos, who had clashed with Trump in the past, praised Trump for showing tremendous grace and courage in the face of real danger.
Meta CEO Zuckerberg expressed that it was a sad day for the country and prayed for Trump’s swift recovery, directly denouncing political violence that undermines democracy. Interestingly, just the day before, Meta had lifted restrictions on Trump’s accounts on Facebook and Instagram.
In the wake of surviving a life-threatening situation, Trump posted a message the next day (14th) with just four words: “United States of America.”
On July 15th, former Fox News host Carlson, at a conservative “Turning Point Action” event in Palm Beach, Florida, stated, “Donald Trump has changed, and so has the nation.” He described the attempted assassination as a turning point in the US presidential election, signifying a significant shift in everything.