Five things to remember from Donald Trump’s speech at the Republican convention

The Republican billionaire, who was the victim of an assassination attempt on July 13, said he wanted to become “the president of all of America, not half of America.”

Welcomed to the song God Bless America Performed live by country singer Lee Greenwood, Donald Trump returned to the stage on Thursday, July 18, for the first time since a man attempted to assassinate him at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. Closing the Republican convention in Milwaukee, the former business magnate officially accepted the nomination of the Republican Party for the presidential election scheduled for November 5.

In a 92-minute speech marked by remarks that sometimes had a unifying tone, the former president criticized his Democratic rival, Joe Biden. He also outlined his platform for a possible second term and recounted how he experienced the recent assassination attempt of which he was the victim. A little earlier, wrestler Hulk Hogan took to the stage to deliver an ode to the glory of Donald Trump. He concluded his speech by tearing off a jersey to reveal a T-shirt with the words “Trump-Vance 2024”. Franceinfo looks back at five key takeaways from the evening.

1 He officially agreed to be the Republican Party’s candidate

Two minutes into his speech to a crowd of supporters, Donald Trump formally accepted his party’s nomination for the third time in his career (after 2016 and 2020) for the presidential election.

In a speech far removed from his usual diatribes, the billionaire declared that he wanted to become “the president of all of America, not half of America.” “In four months, we will have won an incredible victory and we will begin the four greatest years in the history of our countryhe promised. Together, we will usher in a new era of security, prosperity and freedom for people of all races, religions and cultures.”

2 He recounted his assassination attempt

For the first time since interrupting his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, Donald Trump has spoken out about the assassination attempt he was the victim of. “As you already know, the assassin’s bullet nearly took my life. Many people have asked me what happened, and that’s why I’m going to tell you.”he said as a preamble to a long tirade on the sequence of events.

After about ten minutes on stage, he said he heard a buzzing sound near his ear. “I felt something hit me really, really hard in my right ear. I thought, ‘Wow, what was that? It can only be a bullet.'”Crouching behind the lectern, the former president is evacuated by the men and women of the Secret Service.

“When I got up (…), the spectators were disoriented because they thought I was dead,” he says. He explains that he wanted to reassure the audience. “I raised my right arm (…) and started shouting ‘fight, fight, fight!’ [“battez-vous !”]“The striking scene, captured by Associated Press photographer Evan Vucci, became the iconic photo of the event. It was quickly transformed into a political asset for Donald Trump, who broadcast the image on giant screens during his speech.

3 He denounced the “damage” done under Joe Biden’s mandate

After avoiding mentioning Joe Biden’s name for much of his speech, Donald Trump finally accused the Democratic president of being responsible for a disastrous record. “Take the cumulative record of the ten worst presidents in the history of the United States, they will not have done as much damage as Joe Biden!”launched Donald Trump.

“Under the current government, we are a nation in decline”hammered the former Republican president, denouncing in particular the immigration policy of the Democratic president. “The greatest invasion in history is happening right here in our country. They’re coming from all over the world, not just South America, but Africa, Asia, the Middle East. They’re coming from everywhere.”.

4 He promised to “drill like crazy” and revive growth

If he returns to power, the man who, according to the website FivyThirtyEight, is the favourite in the polls, wants to take radical measures to put an end to “to the illegal immigration crisis by closing our border and completing the wall” which borders Mexico. Author of climate skepticism during his mandate, Donald Trump affirmed that he wanted to redirect funds allocated to the ambitious environmental measures decided by Joe Biden, whom he described as“green scam”.

He also plans to “drilling everything” in search of hydrocarbons on the first day of his mandate and promises economic growth: “With my plan, the middle class will prosper like never before and we will get there very quickly.”.

5 He assured that he could end the war in Gaza with a “phone call”

He also portrayed himself as a political leader of international stature, capable of resolving the ongoing wars in the world. “Under our leadership, the United States will be respected again”the Republican tycoon said. Once in Washington, Donald Trump promises to end the war in Ukraine and the one between Hamas and Israel with a simple “phone call”. “Our adversaries inherited a world at peace and transformed it into a planet at war,” did he declare.