MILWAUKEE (CN) — With the Republican party solidly behind him, former President Donald Trump finalized his status as the GOP’s presidential nominee on the final night of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Thursday.
It began as a message of unity from the former president, who took to the stage almost a week after he narrowly survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally last weekend.
“We rise together or we fall apart,” Trump told the crowd gathered in Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum. “I will be president for all of America, not just half of America”
Turning to the attempt on his life, the former president, sporting a bandage on his ear from where he was grazed by a would-be assassin’s bullet, adopted a more somber tone. He thanked Americans for what he called an outpouring of support and added that the events of the incident were “too painful to tell.”
“I’m not supposed to be here tonight,” he said.
“Yes you are!” the crowd chanted. But Trump contended he only made it to the convention stage Thursday night by the “grace of God.”
On stage with the Republican nominee was a set of firefighter’s gear belonging to Cory Comperatore, who was killed in the crossfire Saturday at the Butler, Pennsylvania, rally.
“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for others,” Trump said after a moment of silence.
Notably, the former president mentioned his opponent, President Joe Biden, by name only once, instead saying that the election should focus on the issues.
“In an age where politics too often divide us, now is the time to remember that we are all fellow citizens,” said Trump.
But he used that call as a springboard to urge Democrats to drop what he called “weaponized” investigations into his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, among other things.
He celebrated U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon’s Monday decision to dismiss the Justice Department’s case accusing the former president of mishandling classified documents.
Trump saved some kind words for his running mate, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, who he appeared to position as heir apparent.
“J.D., you’re going to be doing this a long time,” he told Vance. “Enjoy the ride.”
Trump’s discussion of policy didn’t deviate much from the platform his campaign published this week. He vowed to take a tough stance on border security and to take action to prevent what he said would be “World War 3.”
The former president also promised to kickstart domestic energy production and to slash taxes, two more platform policies.
And he said he would finish building his long-promised wall on the country’s southwest border.
Trump, painting a dire picture of the country under Biden, positioned himself as the person to fix things.
“Less than four years ago, we were a great nation,” the former president said, “and we will soon be a great nation again.”
Last week’s assassination attempt against Trump was top of mind for the opening slate of speakers, some of whom also chalked up the former president’s survival to divine intervention.
“It’s a miracle that we are here tonight,” said Michael Whatley, chair of the Republican National Committee, adding that Trump walking away from the attempt on his life was proof that “we are all protected by the almighty hand of God.”
Montana Senator Steve Daines commented earlier in the night that the convention was “a quarter inch away” from being a memorial service rather than a nomination ceremony. Daines, setting the tone for the evening, ran the gamut of conservative political issues, bashing Biden on border security and taking a jab at the trans community.
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