Trump set to unveil V-P pick, days after shooting
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Secret service agents escorting Donald Trump offstage after he was shot at a rally in Pennsylvania.
PHOTO: AFP
MILWAUKEE – Donald Trump was set to unveil his running mate on July 15 as supporters gathered in Milwaukee for the Republican Party convention, an extravaganza turbocharged by the attempted assassination of the former president.
With the country still reeling from images of a bloodied Trump being escorted off a rally stage
Trump will announce his vice-presidential candidate
Convention organisers insisted the show would go on despite the attempt on Trump’s life
“We’re not going to change anything because of a tragic event in Pennsylvania,” Mr David Bossie, a co-chair of the convention, told AFP.
Nevertheless, the attempted assassination – in which one bystander was killed, and two more wounded – is the only story in town, four months before the election against Democrat President Joe Biden.
Trump himself dismissed any calls to postpone the convention in the hours after the shooting, vowing to be “defiant in the face of wickedness”.
“I’m not supposed to be here, I’m supposed to be dead,” he told the New York Post, in an interview aboard his plane en route to Milwaukee, during which he reportedly sported a white bandage on his ear and a large bruise on his forearm from where the Secret Service agents gripped him.
“By luck or by God, many people are saying it’s by God I’m still here,” he said.
Riding high in the polls despite being convicted in his hush-money case concerns around his age.
Legal victory
Trump scored another victory on July 15 as a judge dismissed the criminal case against him
He immediately took to the Truth Social platform to call for the dismissal of all legal cases against him, insisting again that he was being targeted for political reasons.
Trump told the Post he had “prepared an extremely tough speech” about Mr Biden’s “horrible administration” to deliver when he becomes the official Republican nominee on July 18.
Preparations being made for the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 15.
PHOTO: AFP
As some Republicans sought to blame Democrats’ anti-Trump rhetoric
Still, that would see him have to rein in the instinct to settle scores – demonstrated by his cry for supporters to “fight” in the seconds after the July 13 attack.
The attempt on his life has revived fears of political violence in a country already polarised and on edge.
Most of the important party business at conventions takes place behind a protective ring of steel, and the Secret Service – battling criticism it failed to protect Trump from the shooter – said it was “fully prepared” to ensure security.
The convention is designed in Trump’s image, with large digital banners beaming out a message in the cavernous convention arena: “Make America Great Once Again.”
The branding reflects his takeover of the party itself.
A diminished figure after his 2020 election loss, which saw his supporters storm the US Capitol,
Installing loyalists, including his daughter-in-law Lara Trump,
The Milwaukee convention is a family affair, with his daughter-in-law and the former president’s two eldest sons, Don Jr and Eric, all due to address delegates. AFP
