A day after being struck by an assassin’s bullet, Donald Trump said he has decided to rewrite the speech he will deliver at his party convention this week and use it as an opportunity to unite the country.
On Sunday evening he flew to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to show that he is back at work.
On Sunday, he called world leaders, journalists and allies before announcing that the attack would not disrupt his busy schedule.
But at the same time, aides have quietly indicated that the convention — expected to be a raucous, Democratic-leaning coronation of the nominee — will be a more subdued affair.
Starting with the President’s own speech.
“Unite America!” Trump posted on Truth Social after revealing he would fly to Milwaukee as planned.
He is expected to make his first public appearance on Monday, when he may (or may not) announce his vice presidential pick ahead of his big speech on the final night of the convention.
“The speech I was supposed to give on Thursday was going to be a cracker,” he told the Washington Examiner.
“If this hadn’t happened, this would have been one of the most incredible speeches, especially focused on President Joe Biden’s policies.
“To be honest, it’s going to be a very different speech now,” he added.
People who spoke to him said he was cheerful all day long and eager to show that life goes on.
“Instead of going back to Florida, or staying in Bedminster, he’s coming to Milwaukee a little bit earlier, instead of late, which is what almost all the forecasters said he would do,” said Trump confidant and Maryland committeeman, said Trump confidant David Bossie, who serves on the congressional planning committee.
“That’s what leaders do. They want to remove the idea that something is wrong.”
A day earlier, a gunman had nearly ended his life.
The Fiserv Forum is decorated in red, white and blue (with a bouquet of gold balloons) in preparation for the start of the Republican National Convention on Monday.
Trump Force One arrives in Milwaukee from Newark Airport Sunday evening
Trump descends the stairs of his plane after landing in Milwaukee
Instead, Trump turned his head at the crucial moment and ended up with a bloody ear. He was dragged off the stage by his Secret Service team, but not before giving his supporters a clenched fist salute.
Since then, he has acquired the aura of a leader determined to get on with his business.
He spoke by phone with President Joe Biden, new British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and former Speaker of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy.
“You would think he would be ready,” said Fox News host Lawrence Jones, who spoke with the former president on Sunday.
“He’s in the saddle. He’s excited.”
Trump himself said he would not allow a shooter to disrupt his campaign or his life.
“Given the horrific events of yesterday, I was going to postpone my trip to Wisconsin and the Republican Party Convention by two days, but I have just decided that I cannot allow a ‘shooter’ or potential murderer to force changes in scheduling or anything else,” he wrote in a message on Truth Social.
Trump’s plane landed in Milwaukee around 6 p.m. local time. He raised a fist as he descended the steps.
Trump announced Sunday afternoon that he would move forward with his plan to travel to Milawukee, Wisconsin, for the Republican National Convention
Rapper and influencer Amber Rose is seen on stage at the Fiserv Forum during preparations for the Republican National Convention
People gather in Huntington Beach, California on Sunday to show their support for Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump.
Attendees will notice some changes to the quadrennial celebration.
Security was already tight: a three-meter-high barrier had been erected around the Fiserv Forum and helicopters sniffing out dirty bombs were flying overhead.
But a source told DailyMail.com that senior Trump advisers had asked for a more sober tone to the meeting than in previous years.
“It won’t be all kumbaya,” they said as they stood on the convention floor, beneath a ceiling already filled with red, white, blue and gold balloons, ready to be released.
“But it’s more about unity and there will be less attacks.”
Bossie said no one told the delegates to change their tone. Governors, senators or U.S. representatives knew what was expected of them.
“If you know how to read the country, you will make statements that reflect that,” he said.
“And I’m not saying … what they said or didn’t say was wrong. It’s just that they may say it in a different way. That’s really it.”