When former President Trump took the stage at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, few could believe the spectacle.
No person in American history has ever accepted their party's nomination - Democratic or Republican - thrice, but here was Trump doing precisely that.
No person who had ever assumed the presidency in at least 43 years had been shot at by an assassin, and here was the 45th President, bravely describing what happened at the Butler Township rally in Pennsylvania last Saturday. He started his speech off with this remarkable moment in presidential history and brought tears to many in the audience, especially when he walked over to a corner of the stage to pay homage to the uniform and hat of Corey Comperatore, the firefighter who died at the rally.
But the biggest sensation of all was that Trump was even on the stage. If one of the numerous ambitious plans of the Liberals and Never Trumpers had succeeded, Trump should have been forever disqualified from running again or even be in prison.
It was a stunningly surreal moment in time - President Biden, who orchestrated the Left's lawfare with this public statement at the White House in November 2022 - "We just have to demonstrate that he (Trump) will not take power if he does run, making sure he — under legitimate efforts of our Constitution — does not become the next president again" - was being pushed to step down from the Democratic ticket, according to media reports.
That Trump stood there epitomized his cries to "fight, fight, fight" after he rose following the bullet grazing his ear. It was a caricature of the ultimate fighter who fears nothing, not even an assassin's bullet. This metaphor was on show even before Trump spoke as Dana White, the CEO and president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), introduced Trump to the audience.
Trump's message was simple. He is a fighter, and he would fight for Americans to return America to greatness. Recalling the contributions of the numerous heroes that built the country, Trump promised: "I will never let you down. We will press forward, and together, we will win, and no one will ever stop us. We will keep our glorious destiny, and we will not fail. We will not fail; we will restore the Republic, and we will use the rich and wonderful tomorrows that our people so truly deserve. America's future will be bigger, better, bolder, brighter, happier, and stronger than ever before. We will quickly make America great again."
Trump also deviated from his usual blustery stump speeches, which are known to dwell on his grievances. Perhaps as someone who has been living a second life after being an inch away from certain death - or because he listened anew to the pleas of Franklin Graham not to use foul language - Trump tried to convey a sense of unity repeatedly. [Graham's father, Billy, was a renowned pastor and Trump Sr.'s favorite man of faith.]
Here, he applauded a unity letter that his wife, Melania, wrote after the assassination attempt: "We are all humans, and fundamentally, instinctively, we want to help one another. American politics is only one vehicle that can uplift our communities. Love, compassion, kindness, and empathy are necessities. Dawn is here again. Let us reunite. Now." Trump asked the RNC to make Melania's ideas integral to the party's platform.
Trump mentioned Biden's name only once but did not allude to the infighting in the Democratic Party. He never mentioned Harris. He mentioned Pelosi only once and immediately invited boos. One of his best lines was when he said how administrations of both parties had failed to contain Russia, but he had. Trump talked about how Russia annexed Georgia under Bush 43, took Crimea under Obama, and Ukraine under Biden. It was only during his administration that Russia stayed quiet. It was a compelling statement, 100% true.
Trump also promised to "Drill, baby drill" from Day 1 of his administration. He recalled how America was energy independent in 2019 when he was president. Trump said he would unleash America's energy wealth to export to other countries and bring down the national debt. He said he would stop EV mandates and bring back gasoline car production to America, in an obvious nod to Midwestern states.
Trump focused a significant portion of his speech on the explosion of nearly 18 million illegal immigrants since his term. He rightly said that immigration levels were down to historic lows during his administration because of his strict policies such as the border wall, Remain in Mexico, and ending Catch and Release. He blamed the White House directly for ending Trump-era rules and opening the floodgates, which caused the deaths of multiple people, including Laken Riley, on the campus of the University of Georgia.
It seemed he had been studying our monthly TIPP Bidenflation reports on inflation.
They're not putting away anything. They are barely living. They are going into savings accounts and taking out their money to live because of inflation. Remember, it's called a country buster - you can go back to Germany from 100 years ago ...groceries are up 57%, gasoline is up 60 and 70%, and mortgage rates have quadrupled. The fact is it doesn't matter what they are because ... young people can't get any financing to buy a house. The total household costs have increased an average of $28,000 per family under this administration.
He also repeated his populist, well-poll-tested proposal of abolishing income taxes on tip income.
To the audience, Trump was a stunning contrast not only to his earlier avatar as the 45th President - he appeared more mellow and less vengeful - but was a night-and-day contrast to President Biden, whose meandering, whispering, and drug-infused dramatic moments in front of the microphone have become a national disgrace.
Trump delivered his speech fluently, with conviction, humor, and confidence. When he said he could stop wars with just a phone call, the audience erupted in glee, grateful at the chance of a person who would use the vast powers of the White House to make America great again. The best part was that they didn't have to trust the soothing words of a politician. They had lived those Trump years for a full presidential term and wanted him back.
It's now on to the Democrats. The last thing they will be thinking about is their nominee's acceptance speech at their convention in Chicago. They have to decide their nominee first.
