Donald Trump accepted the Republican presidential nomination for the third time Thursday night, less than a week after the attempt on his life.
“We rise together or we fall apart. I am running to be president for all America, not half of America, because there is no victory in winning for half of America,” Trump told the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
“So, tonight with faith and devotion, I proudly accept your nomination for president of the United States.”
Trump recalled the immediate aftermath of the shooting at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“When I rose surrounded by Secret Service, the crowd thought I was dead. And there was great, great sorrow, I could see that in their faces,” Trump said. “I wanted to do something to let them know I was OK. I raised my right arm, looked at the thousands and thousands of people, and started shouting, ‘Fight, fight, fight.’”
The crowd in the convention hall chanted, “Fight, fight, fight.”
“I’m not supposed to be here tonight,” Trump said after recalling the details of the attempted assassination from his perspective.
The crowd responded with chants of “Yes, you are!”
Trump, who was hit by a bullet that grazed his right ear, said: “I stand in this arena only by the grace of God.”
The former president praised the actions of the Secret Service agents around him, amid widespread criticism of the agency’s leadership for a cataclysmic security failure that allowed the 20-year-old sniper to fire at him from a nearby rooftop. His bullets killed one man and wounded two others in the crowd.
Trump paid tribute to Corey Comperatore, the former fire chief killed at the rally.
“Tragically, the shooter claimed the life of one of our fellow Americans, Corey Comperatore—an unbelievable person, everyone tells me—and seriously wounded two other great warriors,” he said.
The crowd chanted, “Corey, Corey, Corey.”
Trump said, “I ask that we observe a moment of silence in honor of our friend, Corey.”
Trump also noted that the U.S. government’s classified documents case against him was tossed Monday by a federal judge in Florida.
“We must not criminalize dissent or demonize political disagreement, which is what’s been happening in our country lately,” Trump said.
He added: “In that spirit, the Democrat Party should immediately stop weaponizing the justice system and labeling their political opponent as an enemy of democracy. I am the one saving democracy.”
Trump later referenced his two impeachments by the Democrat-run House and various other investigations by political opponents who sought to impede and derail his presidency.
“If Democrats want to unify our country, they should drop these partisan witch hunts and they should allow an election to proceed that is worthy of our people. We’re going to win it, anyway,” Trump said.
It was about 40 minutes into the speech that Trump mentioned President Joe Biden by saying “Biden” twice in a row.
“I’m only going to say it once, not going to say it again,” he said, repeating a frequent line that Biden has done more damage to the country than the worst 10 presidents combined.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Original source
#Trump #Accepts #GOP #Nomination #Speech #Focused #National #Unity
