Not since he descended the golden escalator at the start of his first presidential campaign has Donald Trump made an entrance as memorable as Monday night’s at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
It was the first time he appeared in public since being rushed off a stage in western Pennsylvania by Secret Service agents 48 hours earlier, bleeding from the ear after being shot at by a would-be assassin. A gauzy bandage covered his ear, and his slow and purposeful walk across the convention hall was filmed in the style of a boxer entering an arena.
Just as he had mouthed “fight” in the moment after the assassination attempt, the delegates on the floor chanted “fight! fight! fight!” But Trump did not look to be in a fighting mood. He appeared to choke up.
There was no mischievous smirk, practiced scowl, shimmying to the “Village People,” or any of the other hallmarks of a typical Trump performance. There was something subdued in the way he pumped his fist and flashed a thumbs-up. Lee Greenwood performed God Bless the U.S.A. and the eyes of Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., filled with tears. Donald Trump took his seat, surrounded by family and next to his newly-named running mate, Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio. Trump looked overwhelmed by the enormity of it all.
Was this just a deft bit of convention choreography from the consummate showman, or was everything sinking in? As he’d said in one of his first interviews after the shooting, “I’m not supposed to be here. I’m supposed to be dead.”
This is not a man known for open displays of vulnerability, or softness. He often mocks such signs of weakness in others. Trump’s public performances ordinarily range from wrathful to comedic. Those who know him well saw something in the moment.
“I saw a man who knows he got a second lease on life,” Kellyanne Conway said on Fox News after Trump’s walk-on had ended.
When the applause subsided, Trump settled in for more than hour. He listened as an entertainer and Internet personality, Amber Rose, spoke about how she found a home in the Republican Party. “These are my people. This is where I belong,” she said.
Trump beamed.
Multiple speakers invoked religious imagery to discuss Trump. “The devil came to Pennsylvania holding a rifle,” said Senator Tim Scott. “But an American lion got back up on his feet!”
Wyoming delegate Sheryl Foland was among those who adopted the “fight” chant after seeing Trump survive Saturday in what she called “monumental photos and video”. “We knew then we were going to adopt that as our chant,” added Foland, a child trauma mental health counsellor. “Not just because we wanted him to fight, and that God was fighting for him. We thought, isn’t it our job to accept that challenge?”
