Donald Trump returns to the campaign trail as the star of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee – a gathering meant to fire up the grassroots that has instead been overshadowed by the weekend attempt on his life.
The 78-year-old former president is carrying Republican hopes into November’s election and, days after an assassin’s bullets flew by him, is set to be anointed as the party’s champion to face his Democratic successor, Joe Biden.
Some 50,000 Republicans are descending on the shores of Lake Michigan for the four-day celebration of all things Trump, culminating in his acceptance speech on Thursday.
Before that, Trump will unveil his vice-presidential pick, a high-stakes moment that could set the tone for the final stretch of his campaign.
Yet the Trump shooting is really the only story in town.
Much of the buzz around the made-for-TV convention moments has been eclipsed by the fallout from Saturday’s assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania, in which Trump was wounded and one attendee was killed.
There was talk of a postponement of the convention, but Trump has insisted that the show must go on, vowing to be “defiant in the face of wickedness.”
“I’m not supposed to be here, I’m supposed to be dead,” Trump told the New York Post in an interview aboard his plane en route to Milwaukee.
“By luck or by God… I’m still here,” he added.
Riding high in the polls despite a cascade of indictments, and his first conviction, the tycoon appears on course for victory as Biden, 81, faces calls from his own side to quit the race over concerns around his mental capabilities.
With the shock of Saturday’s violence fresh in delegates’ minds, all eyes will be on Trump’s acceptance speech, with some US media outlets reporting that his brush with death had persuaded him to soften the edges.
Trump told the NYP that he had “prepared an extremely tough speech” about Biden’s “horrible administration. But I threw it away” for one he hopes will “unite our country.”
But having survived a horrific attack that many Republicans have sought to blame on “over-the-top” anti-Trump rhetoric, the ex-president will have to rein in the instinct to settle scores.
The attempt on his life has revived fears over political violence, but most of the important party business at conventions takes place behind a security ring of steel anyway, and Milwaukee is no different.
“We’re fully prepared and have a comprehensive security plan in place, and we’re ready to go,” said Audrey Gibson-Cicchino, the Secret Service’s RNC coordinator.
Much of the convention is designed in Trump’s image, with themes riffing on his “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan.
His iron grip reflects a broader takeover – often hostile – of the party itself.
A diminished figure after his 2020 election loss which saw his supporters storm the Capitol, the former real estate mogul has spent much of the last four years clambering back to the apex of Republican politics, cajoling critics into line or hounding them out.
Installing handpicked loyalists including his daughter-in-law Lara Trump atop the Republican National Committee, the billionaire has worked to crush dissent.
The Milwaukee convention is very much a family affair, with Lara and the former president’s two eldest sons, Don Jr and Eric, due to take the podium.
Former first lady Melania Trump is also set to make a rare appearance, but is not scheduled to speak.
Many other high-profile Republicans are slated to address the delegates, including several of the frontrunners in the contest to be Trump’s running mate.
The ex-president appears to have zeroed in on two US senators – J.D. Vance of Ohio and Marco Rubio of Florida – as well as North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, who initially ran against Trump for the nomination before falling in line.
All have speaking roles, although Vance seems to have the momentum, and is a marginal favorite among Washington watchers.
If Trump’s 2016 campaign was greeted with suspicion among establishment Republicans, the 2024 iteration looks more like a ticker tape parade for a battle-scarred gladiator returning one last time to the arena.
“Donald Trump is on track, I think, to win this election,” Democratic Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado acknowledged on CNN on Wednesday.
“And maybe win it by a landslide and take with him the Senate and the House.”
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