Donald Trump received a fresh round of cheers as he arrived Thursday at the Republican convention in Milwaukee, where he is scheduled to deliver a key speech that is expected to put him on a direct path to retaking the White House.
The fourth and final day of the Republican high mass in this Wisconsin city once again offered an illustration of a Republican Party aligned, in perfect marching order behind the billionaire.
Featured Bandage
Just five days after nearly losing his life at a campaign rally, the septuagenarian will return to the stage, not only as a miraculous survivor of the bullets that grazed him, but above all as the undisputed big boss of the American right.
Sporting his iconic red tie, the Republican entered the huge sports complex with his fist raised.
He will deliver at 9 p.m. local time “a very personal reflection on the events of Saturday,” Jason Miller, one of the Republican candidate’s closest advisers, told AFP.
Whatever Donald Trump says, his supporters’ eyes will be fixed on the clearly visible bandage on his right ear, illustrating, according to them, the courage of a man who is being sought to be brought down and who never gives up.
A high-impact image that will be remembered, just like the one on Saturday of Donald Trump with a bloodied cheek and a raised fist, calling on his supporters to fight while his bodyguards hastily evacuate him from his campaign platform in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Since that shocking moment, the former business tycoon and reality TV host has carefully measured his media presence, contenting himself with appearing as a silent hero in Milwaukee, the largest city in the state of Wisconsin, overlooking Lake Michigan.
Strengthened by a united party
Donald Trump has, for three nights in a row, triggered thunderous applause and long cheers from his standing supporters, many of whom believe that he escaped the gunfire aimed at him thanks to divine intervention.
Among other prominent speakers on Thursday, ultra-conservative journalist Tucker Carlson said the attempted assassination of Donald Trump had made the United States and the world “different.”
As for Donald Trump, he said, “he was no longer just the candidate of a political party, a former president or a future president. He was the leader of a nation.”
On Tuesday evening, the septuagenarian watched with delight a carefully ordered ballet alternating between the figures of the party he defeated in the primaries.
What a contrast to the 2016 convention, during which divisions among Republicans were exposed, with some rejecting the outrages of the tribune that have since become his trademark.
The 2024 edition, some 110 days before the election, also took place at a time when the current American president, Joe Biden, appears particularly weakened by nagging questions about his mental acuity and calls from Democratic elected officials for him to withdraw from the presidential race.
If such a hypothesis is confirmed, Donald Trump’s campaign will not “fundamentally change,” Jason Miller assured AFP.
The four days of the convention saw a succession of anonymous Americans at the podium, selected because they had lost a loved one killed by an illegal migrant or by a fentanyl overdose.
“Leader of the nation”
Another highlight of the grand mass: the first major oral presentation by JD Vance, an atypical senator chosen by the candidate to assist him in the campaign.
The 39-year-old, who opposes aid to Ukraine and practices populist anti-immigration rhetoric, will become vice president of the United States if Donald Trump wins in November.
Mississippi delegate Clifton Carroll is convinced that “the whole country” is now united around the Republican’s candidacy.
“We see people who never supported Donald Trump rallying behind him because they see someone they can trust,” he told AFP.
The convention will end with a grand celebration and a gigantic release of balloons in the colors of the American flag.
Donald Trump plans to resume his campaign on Saturday with a rally in the state of Michigan, exactly one week after the shootings that targeted him.
The tens of thousands of visitors will leave with their luggage filled with “Trump” merchandise – caps, T-shirts, posters, sneakers – ready to preach the word of their miraculous champion across the country.