Trump touts unity but lashes out at foes as he accepts Republican presidential nomination

Donald Trump, still bandaged after his recent brush with death, accepted the Republican presidential nomination on Thursday with a lengthy speech that opened on a sombre note with talk of "unity" before veering into his more usual and brash style as he lashed out against his foes and their policies.

"I'm not supposed to be here tonight," Trump told the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, recounting the attempted assassination as thousands of attendees listened in silence. "There was blood pouring everywhere, yet, in a certain way I felt very safe because I had God on my side."

The former president, known best for hisbombastic and aggressive rhetoric, started with adeeply personal message that drew directly from last weekend's shooting at a Pennsylvania rally. But he later returned to a tone closer to his typical campaign message, outlining his priorities on immigration and the economy andalso referencing false theories of election fraud and the indictments against him.

"The discord and division in our society must be healed. We just heal it quickly. As Americans, we are bound together by a single fate and a shared destiny. We rise together. Or we fall apart," Trump said, wearing a large white bandage on his right ear, as he has all week, to cover the wound he sustained.

"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."

WATCH | 'I had God on my side,' says Trump of shooting:

Trump recounts assassination attempt: 'I had God on my side'

2 months ago

Duration 3:43

Saying he would only tell the story once because it was too painful for him to recount, former U.S. President Donald Trump shared what he experienced during the shooting that took place during his July 13 campaign rally in Butler, Pa. 'There was blood pouring everywhere, and yet in a certain way I felt very safe because I had God on my side. I felt that," he said.

A return to falsehoods

Trump went on to falsely suggestDemocrats had cheated during the 2020 election he lost despite a raft of federal and state investigations proving there was no systemic fraud and told the crowd "we must not criminalize dissent or demonize political disagreement," even though he has long called for prosecutions of his opponents.

He also returned to other subjects that have long been central to his speeches railing against crime while linking it to immigration, renewing his vow to build a wall along the border with Mexico, and suggesting that his first term was all but solely responsible for holding aggressive rival nations in check.

WATCH | A resolve to fight for America:

Trump, unfazed by attempt on his life, vows to continue to fight for America

2 months ago

Duration 1:13

Not dissuaded by an assassination attempt on his life, former U.S. president Donald Trump promised he would continue to fight for America. 'Our resolve is unbroken, and our purpose is unchanged,' he said. 'Nothing will stop me in this mission.'

Trump promisedhe would enact the largest deportation operation in U.S. history, repeatedly accusingpeople crossing the southern border illegally of staging an "invasion."

"Our opponents inherited a world at peace and turned it into a planet of war," he said.

A second Trump administration, he said, will end those wars and replenishthe U.S. military, including the construction of an "Iron Dome" missile defence system, similar to that of Israel.

The speech stretched out to some 90 minutes as Trump diverted, with increasing frequency, from his prepared remarks. And while there weren't many specifics on policy,he did promise toroll back the current administration's efforts to combat climate change, and to direct all infrastructure spending to "roads and bridges."

He said he'd "drill, baby, drill" and cut taxes, falsely suggesting that Democrats want to raise taxes "by four times" what they are now.

Vows to end roll back green initiatives

He also said he would to roll back current electric car and other green initiatives vowing to end "meaningless green new scam ideas" while returning jobs and economic prosperity to the U.S. by "the proper use of taxes and tariffs."

He also made sweeping promises to end inflation and said "Republicans have a plan" to bring down energy prices "very, very rapidly," though he did not offer specifics.

Other, more typical talking points that came up included references to the "China virus" his term for COVID-19 and the criminal gang MS-13.

Trump did not mention abortion rights, an issue that has bedevilled Republicans ever since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federally guaranteed right to abortion two years ago. Trump nominated three of the six justices who overturned Roe v. Wade and, at his rallies, often takes credit for Roe being overturned.

Nor did he mention the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in which Trump supporters tried to stop the certification of his loss to Joe Biden. Trump has long referred to the people jailed in the riot as "hostages."

WATCH | Railingagainst electric cars:

Trump says he will 'end the electric vehicle mandate on day one'

2 months ago

Duration 1:52

Referring to eco-friendly initiatives as 'green new scam ideas,' former U.S. president Donald Trump said if he wins the presidential election in November, he would put an end to the electric vehicle mandate, which requires two-thirds of all new cars and trucks sold in the U.S. to be electric-powered within eight years.

Trump's address markedthe conclusion of a massive four-day Republican pep rally that drew thousands of conservative activists and elected officials to swing-state Wisconsin as voters weigh an election that currently features two deeply unpopular candidates.

Sensing political opportunity in the wake of his near-death experience, the Republican leader embraced a new tone he hopes will help generate even more momentum in an election that appears to be shifting in his favour.

At 78, Trump is one of the oldest presidential candidates in U.S. history.His Democratic rival,Biden, is 81 himself the country's oldest-ever sitting president.

WATCH | 'Nothing will stop us':

Trump tells supporters, 'Nothing will sway us, nothing will stop us'

2 months ago

Duration 3:34

In the closing remarks of his speech at the Republican National Convention late Thursday night, former U.S. president Donald Trump said their political movement had never been about him, but was about the people of America. He painted a picture of a future where America will be 'bigger, better, bolder, brighter, happier, stronger, freer, greater and more united than ever before.'

On the offensive against Biden

At one point during his speech, Trump slammed Biden in what appeared to be a diversion from his prepared remarks, which did not mention his Democrat rival by name.

Trump claimed that to date, Biden's single term in office has been more damaging than the combined actions of the top 10 worst presidents in U.S. history, whom he did not name.

"The damage that he has done to this country is unthinkable," Trump saidof Biden.

Building to his conclusion, he told the crowd it "is time to start expecting and demanding the best leadership in the world, leadership that is bold, dynamic, relentless, and fearless."

"We are Americans. Ambition is our heritage. Greatness is our birthright."

Biden, meanwhile, faces campaign problems separate from Trump's attacks on his record.

A growing number of Democratic lawmakers and donors have called for Biden to drop from the presidential ballot in the wake of a poor debate performance against Trump last month.

To date, some 20 congressional Democrats have called on Biden to stand down as their candidate with Montana Sen. Jon Tester on Thursday joining the list and saying while he appreciated Biden's commitment to public service and the country "I believe President Biden should not seek re-election to another term."