US Election - Trump at rally: 'Blood was flowing everywhere'
Donald Trump has accepted his nomination for the Presidency of the United States once again. He will strive to become the President of all America, not just half of it, he said in his speech at the conclusion of the Convention in Milwaukee on Thursday.
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The 78-year-old also reported on the moments of the assassination attempt against him. "My hand was smeared with blood everywhere. I knew right away that it was very serious," said the former President in his big speech at the finale of the Convention in Wisconsin. "Blood was flowing everywhere, and yet I felt somehow very safe, because I had God on my side." Had he not looked to the side at the moment of the shot, he would not be alive, he emphasized. "I stand before you here, in this arena, only by the grace of the Almighty God."
His supporters cheered him on frenetically. Trump's ear was still bandaged. While images of him covered in blood were shown in the background, he paid tribute to the volunteer firefighter who was killed in the incident.
Trump went on at length and said he would only tell the story of the attack on him in detail once. "You won't hear it from me again, because it's really painful to tell it."
It was Trump's first speech since the assassination attempt. At the beginning, he adopted an unusually conciliatory tone, but Trump quickly switched to his usual style and attacked the government of US President Joe Biden. He is destroying the country, he said. Only he can save the nation from certain doom. The ongoing criminal proceedings against him he described as part of a democratic conspiracy against him.
Trump indirectly calls migrants "garbage"
Trump used his acceptance speech to incite against migrants and used dehumanizing language in this context. "They come from all over," said the 78-year-old at the last evening of the Republican Convention in Milwaukee, and later: "We have become a dumping ground for the rest of the world – and they laugh at us. They think we're stupid."
Trump spoke for several minutes about the topic of immigration. In the process, he repeated the same statements he often makes during campaign appearances. He claimed, for example, that almost only criminals come across the southern border and people from "mental institutions".
Many people choose the way over Mexico to come to the USA, who flee from poverty, violence and political crises in their homeland and hope for a better life in the economically strongest country in the world. Hundreds die annually on the dangerous route to the north, for example from dehydration and heat stroke, many others become victims of criminal gangs and sexual violence.
Trump has always made migration a campaign issue, but his speeches have become increasingly radical in the past years. He frequently uses hate-filled and dehumanizing language, makes racist statements, and incites against minorities. For instance, he referred to political opponents as "vermin" and claimed that some immigrants are not "people" - or that they poison "the blood of our country."
Trump spoke only a few words about his Vice Presidential candidate J.D. Vance. "I'm very excited to have a new friend and partner by my side who will fight with me," Trump said. "He will be an excellent Vice President." The 39-year-old will accompany him for a long time, "and it was an honor to choose him," Trump added. Vance was an excellent student at the elite university Yale, as was his wife Usha. "They're both smart people," Trump remarked and then quickly moved on to the next topic.
Trump announced at the beginning of the convention that he had chosen Vance as his Vice Presidential candidate. The bestselling author and lawyer was officially nominated on Monday and gave his first speech in his new role on Wednesday evening (local time). Vance presented himself as a man coming from humble backgrounds and primarily addressed the working class in the so-called Swing States. These are the states that are particularly contested in elections.
In his closing speech at the Republican Convention in Milwaukee, Donald Trump expressed his ambition to become the President of all America, not just half of it. This speech followed an assassination attempt on Trump, which he discussed in detail, expressing his gratitude for surviving due to divine intervention. Despite the serious incident, Trump continued his disruptive rhetoric, indirectly referring to migrants as "garbage" and "a dumping ground for the rest of the world." His Vice Presidential candidate, J.D. Vance, was also officially nominated at the convention and delivered a speech, primarily focusing on the working class in crucial election states.
