Trump embraces unity after his attack

Like the Democratic Party convention in Chicago in mid-August, the Republican conclave aims to unite, generate excitement, attract attention and, above all, re-elect its candidates for next November’s election. Specifically, its presidential candidates.

The attack on the former US president – ​​a historic moment that included the iconic image of Trump with his face bloodied by a bullet and his fist in the air – occurred just 48 hours after the convention began and, inevitably, it would impact everything that happened in Milwaukee.

It also indicates that Trump himself has changed the way he views the event. Before the assassination attempt, Trump tried to take advantage of it Your opponent’s obvious weakness in the battle for the presidency, Joe BidenThe incumbent president gave a disappointing performance in a debate among candidates late last month, fueling doubts about his age and cognitive ability that have plagued him since he entered the White House in early 2021.

Now, the image of the attack is all over American screens, Trump wants to change the script. It remains to be seen which tone dominates the convention, but the Republican candidate assured on the eve of its start that he has torn apart the speech he had prepared for the big day of the event on Thursday, in which the party officially appoints him a presidential candidate.

In an interview with ‘The Washington Examiner’, he assured that the planned version of his speech was going to be dedicated to attacking Biden’s policies, but “now it’s going to be a completely different speech.”

“This speech is going to be very different from the one I gave two days ago,” he stressed. “This is an opportunity to unite the whole country, even the whole world.”

The middle sector needs to be organised

Trump, a businessman with a sharp political nose, knows he can’t miss that opportunity. His loyal base of followers is abundant enough to win a primary, but insufficient to win an election. The liberal sector of the party needs to be organised and persuade important sections of independents.

The Republican candidate has already shown signs of toning down his more aggressive profile in recent weeks. His tone has softened with regard to the primaries, he has shown distance from the so-called Project 2025 – a plan drawn up by a conservative think tank with tough proposals on issues such as restrictions on presidential powers or abortion – and he has invited his great rival in the primaries, Nikki Haley, to the convention.

The invitation to Haley, who became the voice of a minority but decisive moderate voter among Republicans in November, came just days before the attack and reflected an effort to close any divisions in the party to boost Trump. The horrific circumstance of the attack allows the former president to get closer to that voter and reach out even further.

“I hope all of this brings us closer together with independent voters and others who are skeptical about Trump,” Representative Sharon Regan, a Republican from Florida, told the newspaper. “Right now I don’t see any divisions, all wounds are healed», he insisted from the lobby of the Hyatt Regency, a hotel that is part of the Republican organization in downtown Milwaukee.

Trump himself arrived there on Sunday afternoon, before a stormy night that was the exact opposite of what was expected these four days of the convention, with the party more united than ever and its leader transformed into a hero after surviving the attack.

The former president felt like downtown, the heart of Milwaukee Ghost statethe streets were occupied by police officers and barricades were set up, the sidewalks were fenced. However, the security measures for the convention have not changed due to the assassination attempt on Trump, assured officials, who say there is no “clearly expressed threat” in connection with the Republican event. As soon as it became known that the former president was safe after the shooting, his campaign made it clear that the convention plans would go ahead.

From Monday afternoon, all political attention in the United States will be focused on Milwaukee, which Republicans have chosen because it is the main city of one state, Wisconsin. Fundamental to winning the presidential election

. Biden has sought to counter-set the start of the convention with an interview with NBC’s star anchor Lester Holt. But it will be tough for the US president to face one of the big revelations expected on the first day: knowing the identity of Trump’s chosen vice presidential candidate. The four favorites in the pool are Ohio Senator JD Vance; Marco Rubio, Senator from Florida; Doug Burgum, Governor of North Dakota, and Tim Scott, Senator from South Carolina.

Over the next four days, the Republican Party will execute an ascending choreography of speeches by politicians, personalities and celebrities that will celebrate the figure of Trump. On Wednesday it will be the turn of the vice presidential candidate and on Thursday there will be the final fireworks with Trump. By then it will be possible to judge whether the Republican leader’s intention of unity has been realized or not.