Donald Trump came out on the stage to a roaring reception in Milwaukee on Thursday night. He brought a sense of calm and composure, and a message of national unity. More than an hour and a half later, he was still speaking, bandaged ear and all. He started with the teleprompter, but then ad-libbed the rest of his remarks. It was an emotion-filled night at the Republican National Convention, and it felt as though history was being made and America was being restored.
At the outset of his acceptance speech for the Republican nomination, he recounted moment by moment what had happened to him just five days earlier, when an assassin’s bullet grazed his ear while he was speaking to a rally in Butler, Penn.
He said he would recount the assassination attempt to the convention attendees on Thursday, but admitted he wasn’t eager to do so, because it was painful to tell. And he would not likely be willing to recount it again.
After giving his account of what it felt like to have his ear nicked by a whizzing bullet and come so close to death, he recognized the firefighter who had been hit and killed by a bullet during the attempt on Trump’s life, and during his entire speech, firefighter Corey Comperatore’s firefighter uniform was positioned on the stage as a silent sentry. Trump went over to the uniform and kissed the helmet that had once kept Comperatore safe. He called for a moment of silence in the stadium in honor of the man killed by the assassin’s bullet.
Trump later showed the chart that he said he had tilted his head to look at during the Pennsylvania rally, and recalled that the small movement of his head to look at the chart was what saved his life. He also said he felt there was providence at work, that God had a hand in it, and that he felt serene.
“I stand before you in this arena only by the Almighty Grace of God,” he said.
“Last time I put up that chart, I never really got to look at it. But without that chart, I would not be here today,” he said. Here’s the chart, shown at the rally on Saturday, and again on Thursday:
“I’m not supposed to be here.” Trump said. “I’m not supposed to be here.” The crowd shouted back, “Yes You Are!”
“We will not break. We will not bend. We will not back down. And I will never stop fighting for you, your family, and our magnificent country. Never,” Trump vowed. “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,” Trump said, in his unifying message.
The former president also spoke about returning America to energy dominance and said he will end the green energy “scam” that is being perpetuated by the Biden Administration. He will end the electric vehicle mandate on day one. That was a message welcomed by Rick Whitbeck, Alaska director of Power the Future.
“Tonight, Donald Trump showed why he is the clear choice to lead America for the next four years. His resolve, leadership and vision are in stark contrast to our current President. His focus on American energy, where he seeks to make us not just independent, but dominant again on the world stage, is exactly what Alaskans and Americans should be happy to hear. The first Trump administration brought Alaska opportunities in ANWR, the NPR-A and the Ambler Mining District. All were shut down by Joe Biden and his band of eco-radicals. A second Trump presidency will once again allow Alaska’s bright energy future to shine brightly. What a four years that will be for our great state,” Whitbeck said.
“At the heart of the Republican platform is our pledge to end this border nightmare, and fully restore the sacred and sovereign borders of the United States of America… We’re going to do that on day 1. Drill, baby, drill, and close our borders,” Trump said, before speaking at length about the invasion of illegal immigrants through the border with Mexico.
““They are sending their murderers to the United States of America … that’s why to keep our families safe, the Republican Party promises to launch the largest deportation operation in the history of our country,” he said.
Trump, who barely mentioned President Joe Biden in his speech, also brought up his idea of creating an “iron dome” for America, similar to one that Israel has, to guard against missile attacks. It is something that he had mentioned to Sen. Dan Sullivan earlier.
Congressional candidate Nick Begich, who is at the convention all week, sent Must Read Alaska his immediate reaction to the speech:
“Tonight President Trump reminded us that we can be strong again; reminded us that we can be prosperous again; reminded us that we can be safe again; reminded us that we can restore American greatness. We remember the America we had under President Trump and what we have lost under Joe Biden. To fix this disaster, we have to fight for our children, for our people, and for our future. This election truly is the most important of our lifetimes. It’s never been more important for us to show up in August and again in November – and when we do, we will make our State and our Nation better than it has ever been. Not just for this generation but for generations to come.”
Alaska’s Trump campaign Chair Kelly Tshibaka sent this reaction:
“Trump spoke to all Americans tonight with courage, compassion, and vision. As he stood at the podium this evening, he spoke not only as our future Commander-In-Chief, but as the nation’s Unifier-In-Chief. Trump established himself as the leader Americans need in this time to bring people together across political divides.”
Alaska delegate Earl Lackey, at 84 the oldest member of the Alaska delegation to Milwaukee, sent Must Read Alaska readers a video he took of the finale of the evening, with the red, white, and blue balloon top:
Over in the Democratic Party, Nancy Pelosi and former President Barack Obama are now on record trying to get President Joe Biden out of the race.
That news, relayed by The Washington Post and other major Democrat newspapers on Thursday, can only mean it’s all but certain that Biden will not run again. Many expect him to make some kind of statement this weekend, as the excitement from the Republican National Convention dissipates and the Democrat strategists look for a new way to battle the surge of enthusiasm across America that has been built for Trump this week.