Six Takeaways From Donald Trump’s Convention Speech

Just five days after surviving an assassination attempt, former President Donald Trump took to the stage at the Republican National Convention Thursday night to accept his party’s nomination for a third consecutive presidential bid.

Making his first public remarks since the shooting, Trump called for unity in his speech, a theme that has emerged throughout the convention after the violence at his rally, which took the life of one attendee. In the second half of his speech he invoked familiar themes of political persecution, illegal immigration, and taxes, returning to more typical tone and content for his political speeches while largely avoiding mentioning President Joe Biden by name. 

Trump’s remarks marked the end of a strategically orchestrated four-day event that has seen the Republican Party coalesce around his leadership once more, underscoring his enduring influence despite his ongoing legal battles and controversies. As he took the stage, a sea of delegates and supporters greeted Trump with thunderous applause, many sporting bandages on their ears in solidarity with his injury sustained in the recent shooting incident.

Here are the key moments from Trump’s speech.

First comments on assassination attempt

Trump began his remarks by addressing the assassination attempt on his life at a rally in Butler, Penn. last weekend, describing for the first time in cinematic detail the scene of how he was shot. “You'll never hear it from me a second time because it's actually too painful to tell,” Trump said, saying the bullet came within a quarter of an inch of taking his life.

“Prior to the shot, if I had not moved my head at that very last instant, the assassin's bullet would have perfectly hit its mark and I would not be here tonight,” he said.

Describing the moment he was shot, Trump said: “I heard a loud whizzing sound and felt something hit me really, really hard on my right ear.” The crowd fell silent. “There was blood pouring everywhere and yet in a certain way I felt very safe because I had God on my side,” Trump said. 

Trump was rushed to a local hospital for treatment but few details have been released about his condition or care. He has worn a bandage on his right ear throughout the convention. “I’m not supposed to be here tonight,” Trump remarked. The crowd responded: “Yes you are! Yes you are!”

Referring to the shooting, which still lacks a definitive motive according to investigators, Trump remarked, “Once my clenched fist went up, and it was high into the air… the crowd realized I was OK and roared with pride for our country like no crowd I have ever heard before… For the rest of my life, I will be grateful for the love shown by that giant audience of patriots.”

Trump said he spoke to the families of the two people who were wounded and one killed in the shooting, calling them “real Trumpsters.” More than 6 million dollars has been raised for the families, Trump said. He then kissed the helmet of Corey Comperatore, a volunteer firefighter who was killed at the rally, and held a moment of silence for him.

A unity pitch

Trump, whose rhetoric has often been associated with sowing division, used his speech to call for the “discord and division in our society” to be healed in the wake of the shooting.

"The discord and division in our society must be healed, and we must heal it quickly,” he said. "We rise together or we fall apart. I am running to be President for all of America, not half of America. Because there is no victory in winning for half of America."

Read More: How America Can Still Come Together

“This election should be about the issues facing our country and how to make America successful, safe, free, and great again,” Trump continued. “Our politics too often divide us.”

Calls on Democrats to drop his criminal cases

After a federal judge dismissed the criminal case against Trump over his alleged mishandling of classified documents, the former President called on Democrats to drop the other cases against him. He’s facing criminal cases in Washington, D.C. and Georgia over his alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, and was convicted of falsifying business records to cover up hush-money payments in a New York trial in the spring.

“We must not criminalize dissent to demonize political disagreement, which is what’s been happening in our country, likely at a level that nobody has ever seen before,” he said. “In that spirit, the Democrat Party should immediately stop weaponizing the justice system and labeling their political opponent as an enemy of democracy.”

He continued: “If Democrats want to unify our country they should stop these partisan witch hunts… and they should do that without delay and allow an election to proceed that is worthy of our people. We’re going to win it anyway.”

Policy positions

Trump outlined a few policy proposals during his speech, drawing a contrast with the Biden Administration over the economy, immigration, and foreign policy. He offered few new details, but vowed to increase oil drilling, finish building the U.S.-Mexico border wall, and said he would end the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. He did not mention abortion, a potentially troublesome topic for Republicans that Democrats have made a focal point of their campaign against him. 

On the topic of inflation—one of the top election issues for voters, though data shows it’s cooling—Trump said he would “end the inflation crisis” by drilling for oil to lower energy costs. Doing so, he said, will bring down prices for transportation, manufacturing, and household goods. “So much starts with energy,” Trump said. “We are a nation that has the opportunity to make an absolute fortune with its energy.”

He promised that under his Administration, the U.S. would become “energy dominant” and “supply the rest of the world” with energy. Trump called the Democrats’ climate-change policies a “green new scam” that has “caused tremendous inflationary pressures,” and vowed to redirect money set aside for those initiatives to “important projects like roads, bridges, dams.” Last year was the hottest year on record and scientists say the world is on track to heat up even more, such that some parts of the planet will become uninhabitable.

Read More: The Biden Dilemma

Trump also said he would reverse Biden’s electric vehicle policies designed to encourage E.V. manufacturing and sales on his first day in office. 

While discussing the economy, Trump promised “massive tax cuts for workers” and falsely claimed that the Biden Administration is planning to raise taxes “by four times.” Biden has pledged not to raise taxes on anyone making less than $400,000, and nothing in his budget suggests that taxes would be raised by a factor of four. Trump also mentioned his support for removing taxes on tips, a populist plan that he’s talked about at rallies in recent months. Some Republicans worry the plan would add to the national debt.

He returned to comfortable territory pledging to curb illegal immigration and shut down the U.S.-Mexico border, while claiming that undocumented immigrants contribute to violent crime and take jobs from Americans. He showed a favorite chart about illegal immigration trends in the country—the same one he was showing at his rally in Pennsylvania at the moment he was shot. “Under the Trump Administration, if you came in illegally, you were apprehended immediately and you were deported,” he said. “You went right back. The current Administration terminated every single one of those great Trump policies that I put in place to seal the border.”

Trump ran through a few foreign policy positions during his speech. He vowed to bring home American hostages held by Hamas, he said his leadership dissuades Russian aggression, and of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, Trump said, “I think he misses me.”

Trump only mentioned Biden by name once during his speech—which he said was intentional—though he did devote a portion of his speech to blaming his “opponents” for their policies. “We have totally incompetent leadership,” Trump said. “This will be the most important election in the history of our country. Under the current Administration, we are indeed a nation in decline.”

Melania Trump makes first appearance at RNC

Trump acknowledged his wife Melania, in her first public appearance at the convention. “On this journey, I am deeply honored to be joined by my amazing wife, Melania,” he said. “You also did something really beautiful, a letter to America, calling for national unity,” he continued, referencing a statement she put out after the shooting at his rally. “And it really took the Republican Party by surprise. I will tell you it was beautiful.”

Trump predicts a long career for J.D. Vance

Trump also took a moment to introduce his newly-appointed running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, who many consider to be Trump’s heir apparent to the MAGA throne. “You’re going to be doing this for a long time, enjoy the ride,” Trump said, looking at the first-term Senator in the VIP box.

Read More: Why Trump Chose J.D. Vance

“He’s going to be a great Vice President… It was an honor to select him,” Trump continued. “A great, great student at Yale. His wife was a great student at Yale. They met at Yale. These are two smart people.”

Vance, who is currently 39, would be the third-youngest Vice President in history if elected.