Donald Trump arrived at the Republican convention in Milwaukee on Monday with a bandage on his ear, greeted by a frenzied crowd that gave him a long standing ovation.
Two days after surviving an assassination attempt, the former president raised his fist as he entered the vast hall decorated in blue and red, to cheers from delegates who earlier officially nominated him as their candidate for the Nov. 5 presidential election.
In the packed arena, the billionaire’s supporters chanted « USA! », « USA! », « USA! »or « Fight! », « Fight! », « Fight! » (“Fight!”) — the same words Donald Trump shouted with a raised fist and bloodied face as he stood up after being shot at on Saturday. An image that went around the world.
To support him in the race for the White House, Donald Trump chose a 39-year-old senator as his running mate, who was installed alongside him on Monday evening.
“I have determined that the person best qualified to serve as Vice President of the United States is Senator J.D. Vance of the great State of Ohio.”the Republican wrote on his network, Truth Social.
A former soldier and successful author, this young elected official with an atypical profile has constantly defended in Congress the causes dear to the Republican, such as the fight against immigration.
Donald Trump will accept the party’s formal nomination in a spectacular evening on Thursday, punctuated by the release of thousands of red, white and blue balloons, the culmination of an already historic week.
“Absolutely wonderful”
The emotion was palpable as early as Monday, as tens of thousands of Republicans gathered in Milwaukee nearly lost their hero at an outdoor campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 15, 2024 / KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / AFP
Delegate from Illinois Susan Sweeney was jubilant when she saw Donald Trump appear. “It was absolutely wonderful, when I think of what he’s been through, for him to come here, it shows how sensitive he is.”the woman wearing a hat displaying images of Trump and Abraham Lincoln, a true icon among Republicans, told AFP.
Americans were shocked by the image of Donald Trump with a bloody ear and a raised fist, being hastily evacuated by his bodyguards.
Former US President Donald Trump, injured in the ear, raises his fist after being shot in Butler, Pennsylvania, USA, on July 13, 2024 / Rebecca DROKE / AFP
The attack has tested an increasingly polarized American society and angered the most radical Trump activists, who openly accuse Democrats of being responsible.
With more than 50,000 participants, the Milwaukee convention nevertheless got off to a well-oiled start on Monday, in an ultra-secure environment.
Thousands of police officers are deployed on the streets of the former industrial city, which is under tension. “If they’re not anxious, then neither am I.”says Tim Hawkins, 57, who came from the other side of the country.
The chosen location is a huge sports complex, whose walls are covered with large photographs glorifying the 45th president of the United States, who also wants to be the 47th.
Entire areas of the city center are fenced off by large metal fences and patrolled by agents of the Secret Service, the elite police force that has come under heavy criticism for failing to adequately protect Donald Trump during his rally on Saturday.
Biden criticizes JD Vance
Participants at the Republican convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 15, 2024 / KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / AFP
But the dense program of the convention is maintained. “Apart from increased security measures outside the perimeter, there will not be a single change to the schedule.”David Bossie, a close friend of Donald Trump who is co-chairing the convention, told AFP.
Its major themes are purchasing power, immigration, crime and the security guaranteed by a strong America.
For his part, Joe Biden said he wanted to reduce the tension caused by the shootings targeting his rival, during several solemn speeches.
Ohio Senator JD Vance (c), Donald Trump’s running mate in the US presidential election, speaks at the Republican convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 15, 2024 / ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP
He was quick to criticize JD Vance, however, accusing him of being « a Trump clone ».
The attack on Donald Trump could be electorally beneficial for the Republican, experts say.
Especially since he received some good news on the legal front on Monday: the judge in charge of the case in which he is accused of withholding classified documents decided to cancel the procedure.
