Trump makes first appearance since attempt on his life at GOP convention

MILWAUKEE (TND) — Former President Donald Trump made his first public appearance since an attempt on his life at a rally over the weekend during the first night of the Republican convention in Milwaukee, entering the stadium it was being held in with a bandage over his right ear that was injured in the failed assassination. He did not speak to the crowd but his entrance was met with roaring applause from the crowd as he held his fist in the air.

Republicans spent the first day of the party's national convention assailing Democratic policies for causing inflation, wars breaking out overseas and causing chaos at the southern border after officially nominating Donald Trump and JD Vance as their official nominees in the Nov. 5 election.

Trump officially secured enough delegates to become the Republican Party's presidential nominee and named Vance as his vice presidential selection on the first day of the party's national convention, which comes on the heels on an attempt on his life during a rally over the weekend in Pennsylvania. The day was mostly upbeat, with music playing between speakers and cheers from the crowd at various points, though several speakers offered condolences to the families of the victims of Saturday's shooting.

Trump has been the presumptive nominee for months after cruising through the GOP primaries with little opposition but officially crossed the finish line on Monday as delegates cast their votes in Milwaukee. He hit the necessary threshold with votes from his home state of Florida. Vance was formally accepted as the party's vice presidential nominee shortly after.

Speakers at the convention spoke frequently about Trump's economic agenda, highlighting the economy's prominence as the No. 1 driver of voting choices for Americans every election. The theme for Monday's events was "Make America Wealthy Once Again." Trump's second-term agenda includes ramping up tariffs on foreign-made goods and extending his signature tax cuts that are set to expire next year.

Inflation was among the most common topics during speeches throughout the night as Republicans blamed Biden for causing inflation and said reelecting Trump would help restore the economy.

“We can fix this disaster when we reelect Donald John Trump as president,” said Rep. John James, R-Mich.

The economy has been a difficult issue for the Biden campaign as voters have revolted over rapid inflation during the economic resurgence following a pandemic-induced recession. Voters have consistently told pollsters they trust Trump and Republicans to handle the economy better, a frustrating point for Biden and his campaign as inflation has receded, job creation has broken records during his first term and unemployment hovers near 40-year lows.

The convention started as planned on Monday, though with enhanced security measures and a sense of uneasiness lingering over the country after Trump was injured in a shooting at his rally on Saturday. Authorities are still investigating the motive of the suspected gunman, 20-year-old Matthew Crooks, and what led up to him opening fire at Trump, killing one person in attendance and injuring two others.

Several speakers made references to the shooting, offering prayers for the victims and others in attendance and praising Trump for his response. He emerged from a pile of Secret Service agents surrounding him with his fist raised and blood dripping down his face in what may be a defining moment in the campaign.

“On Saturday, the devil came to Pennsylvania holding a rifle,” said Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C. and someone who was frequently floated for VP. “But an American lion got back up on his feet and he roared! Oh yeah! He roared!”

Trump has said he doesn't want the gunman and harrowing shooting to impact the party's plans for the convention, typically a celebratory affair to move the party and country forward and kick off its policy platform ahead of Election Day.

The four-day event is filled with speeches from Republican lawmakers, candidates and other high-profile figures as the party unites around Trump and his newly-announced vice presidential choice in Vance.

“After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others, I have decided that the person best suited to assume the position of Vice President of the United States is Senator J.D. Vance of the Great State of Ohio," Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. Vance will give a speech to attendees on Wednesday night, continuing a party tradition.

There were questions entering the day about what the tone of speeches will be in the aftermath of the attempt on Trump's life. But Republicans spent the evening criticizing Biden and Democrats for the nation's woes.

“Their policies are a clear and present danger to America, to our institutions, our values and our people,” said Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson to open the evening.

Most leaders on both sides of the aisle have called for unity in the wake of the attack and for a "cooling of temperatures" in an environment of bitter political rhetoric in a tensely divided election between Trump and Biden. But some Republicans have cast blame for the shooting on Biden and other Democrats that paint Trump as a threat to democracy.

Among the voices that have cast blame at the president is Vance, who is now the party's No. 2 leader with his vice presidential nomination.

“The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs,” Vance wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.”

While Trump is fresh off an attempt at his life, Monday also came with several political and judicial victories for the former president — he officially became the Republican nominee, named Vance as his running mate and had the federal classified documents case against him dismissed.

The dismissal of the documents case, which is certain to be appealed by special counsel Jack Smith, helped further galvanize GOP support for Trump. He has framed the several prosecutions against him that are still ongoing as politically motivated "witch hunts" meant to harm his standing in the polls.

Biden and his campaign had paused its counterprogramming coming into Monday with the president and Vice President Kamala Harris postponing campaign events and pausing advertisements from airing as they tried to project unity in wake of the shooting. That will change Monday night as Biden will have an interview with NBC's Lester Holt will air during primetime. After the interview, Biden is heading to the swing state of Nevada to address the NAACP convention in Las Vegas and do an interview with BET.

Asked about Vance as Trump's choice upon landing in Nevada, Biden said that he was a "clone of Trump."

“A clone of Trump on the issues,” Biden said. “I don’t see any difference."

In response to Vance's selection as Trump's VP pick, Biden's campaign pointed to a comment Vance made earlier this year saying he would have allowed "multiple states of electors" to challenge Biden's 2020 election victory.

“Donald Trump picked J.D. Vance as his running mate because Vance will do what Mike Pence wouldn’t on January 6: bend over backwards to enable Trump and his extreme MAGA agenda, even if it means breaking the law and no matter the harm to the American people," campaign chair Jen O'Malley Dillon said in a statement.

Biden's campaign came into the weekend sputtering amid calls for him to step down after a disastrous debate performance put his ability to beat Trump in doubt and made many congressional Democrats wonder if Biden's place at the top of the ticket would drag them down with him.

The president left Washington after the NBC interview to travel to Nevada, where he will address the NAACP convention in Las Vegas on Tuesday and do an interview with the BET network.