Donald Trump received a hero’s welcome from loyalists who gathered to re-nominate him for president on Monday. Throughout the evening, speakers such as Marjorie Taylor Greene, Glenn Youngkin, Tim Scott, Katie Britt and Kristi Noemand other MAGA stars have heaped praise on him—and harshly criticized his opponent, President Trump. Joe BidenBut most Trump supporters at the Republican National Convention seemed to be waiting for one thing: the former president himself.
When the big screen finally turned to him, nearly four hours into the evening at the Fiserv Forum, the arena erupted. He wore a bandage over his ear, where he had been injured two days earlier in a shooting. He pumped his fist and waved to the screaming audience as he took the stage, while Lee Greenwood sang, “God Bless The USA.” He said “thank you” to the crowd and greeted his sons, Eric And Don son, and others in the VIP section, like right-wing media stars Tucker Carlson and Representative Byron Donalds. He then sat down and listened to the rest of the speakers, including the model and the rapper. Amber rose, expressed their support for him.
It was his first public appearance since Trump survived an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, and came as he appointed Ohio Sen. JD Vance—a critic turned staunch ally—his running mate against Biden and Kamala Harris. Vance took to the convention floor to Merle Haggard’s “America First,” which played twice as he hugged members of his state delegation. Ohio Lieutenant Governor Jon HustedWhen nominating Vance, he said Trump’s running mate must have “an America First attitude at heart”—something former Vice President Mike Pencewho certified the 2020 election against his boss’ orders three and a half years ago, apparently did not. “JD is that guy,” Husted said, as the crowd chanted Vance’s name.
The reception for Vance—who was scheduled to speak Wednesday—was enthusiastic, but still paled in comparison to the applause Trump received. The former president is scheduled to deliver a formal speech Thursday night, which he said was rewritten after the shooting. He vowed to appear on Monday as scheduled because he “can’t let a ‘shooter,’ or a potential assassin, force a change in schedule, or anything else.”
“He’s here to show his bravery,” Greenwood said between verses. “You won’t take him down!”
Of course, Trump always gets such a rapturous response. Outside the Fiserv Forum, sweating in a crowd watching protesters pass, I spoke with a member of the Iowa delegation who predicted that the crowd’s enthusiasm for Trump after the shooting would rival the “rah-rah” spirit he said he saw among American service members after 9/11. “I don’t think they can shut these people up for ten, fifteen minutes” when Trump took the stage, he said, as the crowd of about 1,000 marching protesters chanted, “Fuck Donald Trump! Fuck Donald Trump!”
The shooting at a Trump rally—which left one person dead and three others, including the former president, injured—had left the convention tense. But inside the Milwaukee Bucks arena, the unease gave way to a celebratory mood—a sense, among those gathered wearing Trump cowboy hats and sport coats emblazoned with the flag so tightly the stars seemed about to burst from their lapels, that their return to power was imminent. “Fight, fight, fight!” cheered the faithful as delegates formally expressed their support for Trump, a reference to his rallying cry as he left the stage in Pennsylvania in a bloody state on Saturday.
Congress, Chairman of the Republican National Committee Michael What is that told attendees it would be “the biggest and greatest convention in the history of the Republican Party.” The crowd went wild for a video montage of Trump dancing, set to YMCA music. “We’re here to party for America!” the country singer Chris Janson shouted as he said another number.
Not everyone was greeted warmly. When Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell—the architect of the right-wing Supreme Court—spoke as part of the Trump nomination roll call, drawing loud boos from the crowd. But by and large, the celebrants appeared ready to put aside the divisions that had roiled their party just months ago.
“Mr. President, Mr. President, can I take a picture?” a woman asked as a short, bespectacled man in a button-down shirt passed her in the lobby.
“I am not a speaker,” he said.
“Oh! You look just like him!” The man looked a little more like him. Mike Johnson. But the speaker was actually there at the convention, formally declaring Trump the GOP nominee—for the third straight cycle. Yes, it’s still the Trump party—and, here in Milwaukee, it’s raging.
