Donald Trump was greeted with chants of “fight, fight, fight” as he walked into the Republican National Convention on Saturday, less than three days after surviving an assassination attempt.
The former president wore a bandage over his right ear, where Thomas Matthew Crooks’ bullet hit his skin.
It could have been his wake, but after officially securing his nomination and naming Senator JD Vance as his running mate, Trump stopped by for a party.
His supporters echoed the combative words he used on Saturday as he rose from the ground with a bloodied face.
This time, he walked into the “family suite” with its oversized armchairs, surrounded by the MAGA royal family: Vance, his sons Eric and Don Jr. (who had tears in his eyes), daughter Tiffany, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and other prominent Republicans.
Donald Trump has arrived at the Republican National Convention, just two days after surviving an assassination attempt
The former president wore a bandage on his right ear, where the bullet fired by Thomas Matthew Crooks had torn through his skin
“They wanted tonight to be his funeral,” said Florida Rep. Angie Wong as the strains of “God Bless the USA” faded away.
“Instead, they got the Super Bowl of politics: a nomination and a choice for a vice president.”
Trump had previously said he was committed to continuing with his planned schedule and did not want a deranged shooter to disrupt his schedule.
But he appeared overwhelmed as he raised his fist in the air to greet the crowd.
Their reaction was a reminder of how Trump has upended the norms of American politics. This was not a reception for a politician, but one reserved for a rock star or a fundamentalist preacher or someone who had rolled the stone aside.
As Senator Tim Scott said earlier in the day, “If you didn’t believe in miracles before Saturday, you better do now… Because on Saturday the devil came to Pennsylvania with a gun in his hand, but an AMERICAN LION rose and ROARED…”
By the time Trump unexpectedly showed up, the crowd was all ready.
“Have you ever been to a town with electricity? That man could light up a town,” said Debbie Epling, chair of the Aiken County Republican Party in South Carolina.
And that was before Saturday. That the leader of the MAGA movement had turned his head at the moment a would-be assassin’s bullet went off at his head has not gone unnoticed by his followers.
The Trumps made it a family affair with daughter (from left) daughter Tiffany, son Eric and his wife Lara, and Don Jr. all in the family suite with Trump
Republicans gathered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for their four-day convention and the official nomination of Trump as their candidate for the November presidential election
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks during the first day of the convention. The list included Republicans who came of age under Trump and became known for MAGA messaging
“Divine intervention,” said Epling, who was decked out in a sparkly red, white and blue hat. “People need to take notes, because it matters.”
Others went further and even saw religious significance in the date of Saturday and the attempted assassination of a pope.
“July 13 was the same day that the Blessed Virgin Mary revealed the third secret of Fatima,” said a Catholic visitor who was queuing for a hamburger at the sports stadium stalls.
That was the date in 1917 when the Virgin Mary appeared to three Portuguese children and entrusted them with her prophecies.
The vision foretold an attack on a “bishop dressed in white” and was not revealed until 2000, 19 years after an assassin tried to kill Pope John Paul II.
“You can’t make this up,” the Republican in a suit said as the line slowly approached.
The convention began with the striking of a gavel, followed by a prayer and then the national anthem, appropriated by Trump, “God Bless the USA.”
As the chant faded, the delegates on the floor took up Trump’s words of defiance. “Fight, fight, fight,” they chanted, echoing the words he shouted as he stood up on Saturday, blood streaming from their faces.
It was just one of the ways the shock, relief and ultimately joy of Saturday carried over into events at the Fiserv Forum, home of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Trump’s fingerprints were everywhere, from the vendor to the speakers who largely grew up under Trump and gained fame as America First Republicans.
Even calling on states to express their support for the nominee became a family affair.
Senator JD Vance arrived on the convention floor in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, two hours after being named by Donald Trump as his running mate choice
It was Eric Trump, along with his brother Don Jr., who convinced his father to officially secure the nomination of Florida’s delegates.
“On behalf of our entire family and on behalf of the 125 Representatives in the incredible state of Florida, we hereby nominate each and every one of them for the greatest president who ever lived, and that is Donald J. Trump, and declare him the Republican nominee for President of the United States of America.”
It was a procedural thing. A bit of bookkeeping. Still, the crowd went wild and started chanting again, “Fight, fight, fight.”
Bill Kolo, 56, a Connecticut Rep., said no “mere mortal” could recover as strongly as Trump did Saturday.
“He has been, in my opinion, more persecuted than anyone since Jesus Christ,” he said.
‘And somehow, he gets up every day, despite the great trials that come his way from all sides. Yet he stays, he talks, he fights for us.’