Trump makes first appearance at Republican convention after assassination attempt

MILWAUKEE — Donald Trump made his first public appearance since an attempted assassination with a white bandage covering his ear and roaring cheers of “We love Trump” from the crowd at the Republican National Convention Monday night.

The former president arrived in the last hour of speeches from party faithful on the first day of the convention in Milwaukee. He raised his fist to the air as a live rendition of “God Bless the USA” played and resounding applause filled the room.

Thousands of supporters arrived for a four-day event that was intended to invigorate Republicans, who formally elected Trump as their 2024 presidential nominee Monday. Trump sat beside his newly announced running mate, Ohio Sen J.D. Vance.

The 39-year-old Vance rose to fame with the 2016 publication of his memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy.” Formerly a Trump critic, Vance was elected to the Senate in 2022 after becoming one of the former president’s loudest supporters.

Matthew Lebo, a specialist in U.S. politics and chair of the political science department at Western University in London, Ont., said Vance will connect to white working-class voters who are important for Trump’s chances in the “blue wall” states of Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan.

In 2016, they swung Republican when Trump went on to win, and in 2020 they went Democrat and helped put Biden in the White House.

“Vance is a very good choice to try to win them back,” Lebo said.

The vice-presidential pick also has a Canadian connection: Jamil Jivani, the recently elected Conservative MP for Durham, has called Vance his best friend from Yale.

“We became such good friends that I eventually performed the Bible reading at his wedding,” Jivani said in a 2020 column.

As Republicans attempted to move on with the convention as planned, many were watching to see how the violence on the weekend affected the former president and his approach to the campaign.

The Washington Examiner reported Sunday that Trump had completely rewritten his convention speech to focus on national unity. In an interview with the newspaper, the former president reflected on just how close he may have come to death, saying: “That reality is just setting in.”

A gunman opened fire from a rooftop near the Trump rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, striking the former president’s ear, killing a bystander and wounding two others. The shooter was killed.

Photographs of Trump with blood trickling down his face and his fist in the air have already imprinted on the American consciousness.

The images are likely to become the backdrop of the campaign season, said Ivan Ivanov, an assistant professor at the University of Ottawa. The expert in public relations and crisis management said it shows Trump “still willing to battle, willing to fight.”

The image will be contrasted to recent performances by President Joe Biden, as questions over his age and mental competency swirl following flubs at the recent NATO summit and a disastrous showing at a debate against Trump last month.

“This will be very good for Trump,” Ivanov predicted, adding it will certainly sway undecided voters.

While a resilient Trump emerged from the shooting, it has cast a shadow over the Republican party’s convention.

The U.S. Secret Service has said it is confident with current safety plans for the convention, with about 30,000 people expected to attend.

“I feel pretty confident in what we’ve worked to establish in terms of public safety,” Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said Monday morning.

There was a visible police presence everywhere around the convention centre on Day 1, with police cruisers stationed on nearly every corner, helicopters circling overhead and officers patrolling the surrounding streets on foot, horseback and bicycles.

Police were keeping a keen eye on nearby rooftops. At one point during the day, several officers seemed to spot something atop a building, pointing towards it and taking photos. A helicopter that was flying overhead could be seen approaching the roof to take a closer look.

As a divisive campaign season gets underway in earnest, some people near the convention site described feeling anxious — not just about safety, but about how to manage their feelings around the violence targeted at the Republican leader.

John Miller, wearing a bright orange prison jumpsuit, handcuffs and a giant Trump mask with its eyes poked out, was among anti-Republican demonstrators marching outside the convention on Monday. Organizers estimated nearly 2,000 took part.

“President Trump did not deserve to be in an assassination attempt, but at the same time, I don’t believe he’s competent to become president,” Miller said.

Speakers at the rally delivered charged remarks directed at Republicans and Trump to cheers from the crowd.

A handful of Republican supporters stood nearby, screaming back insults about 81-year-old Biden’s age.

One speaker condemned both the Republicans and Democrats, calling for a revolution. The speaker said that fight is going to get bigger, stronger and “more militant.”

Miller said he was concerned about how violence was invading politics.

“Politics is something we should be able to discuss between ourselves and not get angry.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 15, 2024.

— With files from The Associated Press.

Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press