MILWAUKEE — The scene on the convention floor, moments after former President Donald Trump concluded his remarks, was jubilant, even celebratory, as if the election were already over. Red, white and blue balloons floated down from the rafters. An opera singer belted “Nessun dorma.” Women in glittery cowboy boots hugged, wiped their eyes and said, “See you at the inauguration.”
Trump, for his part, only added to the spectacle. His 92-minute acceptance speech — believed to be the longest of any major party candidate ever — began as a call for unity and ended with a vigorous petition for votes in November. Sandwiched in between were 50 minutes of rambling — the teleprompter stalled — on immigration, the economy and foreign policy. Never mind that, his supporters said afterward. What mattered most was the feeling.
“This is a man who faced death five days ago,” said Rob Axson, chair of the Utah Republican Party. His feet were surrounded with balloons; in his hand, the three-foot-long UTAH placard that designated his delegates’ seats on the floor all week. “(Trump) was here to celebrate,” he said. “I think he was caught up in the moment of appreciation for a life spared.”
The thousands of supporters crammed into Fiserv Arena were caught up, too, in the first moments of Trump’s speech. Since Sunday, when Trump told a Washington Examiner reporter he’d rewritten his speech to focus on uniting the country instead of attacking his competitor, there were questions of what that would really look like.
“I’d be thrilled if that’s the direction he wanted to take,” said Rep. Blake Moore, vice-chair of the House GOP Conference, just hours before the speech. Moore, who represents Utah’s 1st District, had a cautious optimism in his voice. His colleague, Rep. Burgess Owens, of Utah’s 4th District, said he’d seen “something softer, more emotional, in (Trump’s) face.”
“I think after almost being assassinated,” Owens added, “we’d all have reflections about why we’re here and what we need to get done.”
Trump’s team made subtle nudges throughout the week to move the convention in that direction. They spaced campaign staff and volunteers throughout the floor, who received real-time information from higher-ups and dispatched it to nearby delegates: instead of chanting “fight,” they’d say, chant “we love Trump.” When former Trump critics — like Nikki Haley or Ron DeSantis — took the stage, delegates should offer respectful applause, not boos.
The direction worked, to a degree. Boos were kept to a minimum. Others bought in, too: Trump’s daughter-in-law, the vice chair of the Republican National Committee, announced she’d softened her Tuesday speech in light of Saturday’s events. She claimed several other speakers did, too. Trump Jr. surrendered part of his speaking time to his daughter, who painted a sympathetic portrait of her grandfather.
But the show could only stray so far from its roots. The convention was a reveal and celebration of a GOP platform pitched as a solution to the “Radical Left Democrats’ Weaponization of Government and its Assault on American Liberty.” Moments before Trump took the stage, Kid Rock gave a performance of “American Bad A--,” flames flickering on the screen behind him, with orchestrated chants of “fight! Fight!” Eric Trump, the president’s son, led attendees in the chant, too. The orange-hatted campaign dispatchers, taking signals on the ground, could do little to stop the crowd from joining in.
When Trump took the stage, he was met by the loudest applause of the night. His opening words were calm and faint. He spoke of healing and unity. He declared he was running “to be president for all of America, not half of America.”
In somber tones, he recounted last Saturday’s assassination attempt, saying he would tell it only once because of how painful it was. He recalled speaking at the podium, hearing the bang, feeling the blood on his face. “I’m not supposed to be here tonight,” he declared. “Yes, you are!” the crowd chanted in return. “Yes, you are!”
Trump smiled. “Thank you,” he said. “But I’m not.”
Then, he declared it God’s will that he was here. He wheeled out the firefighter’s jacket and helmet of Cory Comperatore, the man at Trump’s rally who died after being struck by a bullet on Saturday, and declared a moment of silence. Much of the arena rose to its feet.
“Despite this heinous act, we unite this evening more determined than ever,” he said. “I am more determined than ever, and so are you.”
But then, slowly, the speech started to unravel. As he continued, the teleprompter stalled, and he spent one minute, two minutes, five, 10, speaking extemporaneously. He critiqued the left for “weaponizing the Justice Department.” He called Nancy Pelosi “crazy.” He declared his own cause “righteous” and “pure”; and said Democrats are “destroying our country.”
“We’ve beat them on impeachments,” he said. “We’ve beat them on indictments. If they would devote their genius to our country, we would have a much stronger and better country.”
Much of the latter half of his speech was undistinguishable from the dozens of campaign speeches he has delivered in high school gyms or outdoor stadiums during his year-long presidential campaign. He declared the 2020 election “ridiculous” and blamed Democrats for “cheating.” He blasted President Joe Biden’s immigration policies, saying he would “stop the invasion into our country” that is “killing thousands of Americans.” He said Russia’s invasion into Ukraine and Hamas’ attack on Israel never would have happened under his watch. He blasted the media and declared CBS’ flagship show “Deface the Nation.”
Hours before, Fox News reported that Trump would not mention Biden by name in his speech; but midway through Trump couldn’t resist. “If you took the 10 worst presidents in American history and put them together and added them all up,” he said, “they wouldn’t have done nearly as much damage as Biden has done.” Trump caught himself. “I won’t say his name again.”
By the time Trump was an hour in, delegates were checking their phones and whispering. Some headed up the concourse, either for the exit or the bathroom. All the while, Trump continued speaking, about his relationship with Kim Jong Un and a Taliban leader, and promising “the largest deportation operation in the history of our country.”
When Trump finally began to wind down, saying “in conclusion,” the audience perked up. He spoke for another 10 minutes. When he finished, the crowd roared, balloons fell, some delegates cried. It was the third consecutive time they nominated Trump, but it felt different. “I think he struck a very different tone than he normally does,” said Derek Brown, the Republican nominee for Utah attorney general. “He said, “my goal is to be president of all of America, not half of America.’ ... I think that’s what he did tonight.”
