Trump accepts presidential nod on RNC’s final night: Recap

Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) said it was “incredible” that Trump delivered his speech so soon after Saturday’s shooting.

“I thought it was a good speech. I think it was an optimistic speech. And it was incredible he gave this speech less than a week after almost being assassinated,” Grothman said.

“I thought it was a very good speech all the way around. I think very even-keeled, and I think he’s probably a little bit humbled or become, I think going through that maybe improved him a little bit,” he added.

— Mychael Schnell

Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) said Trump’s speech showed that he is trying to build a “broad coalition” as the calendar inches closer to November.

“Any time you go through that type of experience, it’s hard not to have a greater perspective,” Lawler said of Saturday’s assassination attempt on Trump. “And I think you saw that. I think you also saw, you know, yes, he continued to present in a way that he does at these rallies.”

“But I think you also saw somebody who obviously wants to build a broad coalition, and asked voters who may not have supported him in the past to vote for him this time because of the challenges,” he added.

Lawler called the discussion about Saturday’s rally “really powerful.”

“I think he had some really powerful moments especially, obviously, talking about the assassination attempt on his life and talking about the country and reaching out to those who may lot have voted for him in the past but asking for their support now on the issues that matter to the country,” he said.

Asked about the moments when Trump went off script, Lawler said, “he’s always gonna go a little off script.”

“That’s him, and you’re never gonna change that,” he added. “But I think the overall message was clear: these are the challenges and here’s what he’s gonna do to address it.”

— Mychael Schnell

In a statement sent after Trump’s acceptance speech, Biden-Harris campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said: “Tonight, Donald Trump rambled on for well over an hour and failed to mention Project 2025 even once. He failed to mention how he had inflicted pain and cruelty on the women of America by overturning Roe v Wade. He failed to mention his plan to take over the civil service and to pardon the January 6th insurrectionists. He sought to find problems with America, not to provide solutions. But after all, it was Donald Trump who destroyed our economy, ripped away rights, and failed middle class families. Now he pursues the presidency with an even more extreme vision for where he wants to take this country. Trump’s Project 2025 agenda is the single biggest attack on our personal freedoms and way of life ever proposed in modern American history.”

“He was [more subdued],” said Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.). “He had a near-death experience. That changes everybody. That would change anybody. I thought it was great. He was still himself. He’s got his great sense of humor and I think he hit it out of the park.”

— Al Weaver

“I thought it was very effective. It showed the human side, showed his strength and showed humility. All good,” Rep. Jeff Van Drew (D-N.J.) said about Trump’s opening 20 minutes.

— Al Weaver

Barron Trump was not in attendance. Melania Trump’s office had previously said he had a prior commitment that would prevent him from acting as a delegate for Florida.

— Brett Samuels

“All of America tuned in … hoping to hear about what exactly happened and what went through his mind. I thought that was really powerful. It’s real,” said former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R), likening what happened to former President Reagan when he was shot in 1981 and his first appearance afterwards.

“No doubt about it,” Walker added on whether he viewed the address as two separate speeches — the opening part about the assassination and everything else. “I know enough to not look at the prompter in the back,” he quipped.

— Al Weaver

Delegates across the room appear thrilled and celebratory after Trump’s speech ended.

Many are playing with the balloons that fell and some are dancing as the band continues to play. Some have begun to flow out of the room.

— Jared Gans

Some delegates are removing states’ signs marking their delegations, presumably as souvenirs.

So far the New Jersey, Puerto Rico, Oregon and Indiana signs have been taken off.

— Jared Gans

A blizzard of balloons — reportedly more than 100,000 red, white, blue and gold ones in total — dropped from the ceiling at the Fiserv Forum to mark the closing of the Republican National Convention.

President Trump’s family joined him onstage as the balloons fell, while attendees on the convention floor were seen enthusiastically dancing and cheering as “Hold On, I’m Comin’”was played.

— Judy Kurtz

Trump’s speech has concluded, clocking in at just over an hour-and-a-half.

Balloons are spread all along the roof to drop, presumably following Trump’s speech.

The former president is coming toward an end of his address.

— Jared Gans

While most attendees are still fully focused on Trump, some may be getting restless.

Reporters are starting to notice people on their phones, some standing and some sitting.

Former President Trump said he was concerned about Russian warships and nuclear submarines visiting Cuba last month.

“If that were me running this country and we had nuclear submarines in Cuba, I will tell you headlines everyday would be what’s wrong with our president,” he said. “Russia has nuclear submarines and warships 60 miles away from Miami.”

Russian warships and submarines visited Cuba last month but have since departed Havana.

— Brad Dress

Trump’s address is now the longest acceptance speech by a major party candidate in recorded history.

It has stretched past midnight and into Friday on the east coast. It started at 10:32 pm EST.

— Al Weaver

Trump repeated his promise to build an iron dome for America — which experts say would be enormously expensive.

“And this great Iron Dome will be built entirely in the USA,” he said.
“We have unbelievable technology. And why should other countries have this?” he added, noting how effective Israel’s Iron Dome has been.

“We’re going to ensure that nothing can come and harm our people.”

— Colin Meyn

In a post on social media platform X, United Auto Workers (UAW) responded to Trump’s pointed criticism of its leader.

“@realDonaldTrump is a scab and a billionaire and that’s who he represents. We know which side we’re on. Not his,” UAW posted.

Trump earlier said UAW leader Shawn Fain should be fired.

UAW has endorsed Biden.

— Lauren Irwin

Trump called Washington, DC, a “horrible killing field” as he decried the state of safety in US cities.

“We will restore and renovate our nation’s once-great cities, making them safe, clean and beautiful again. And that includes our nation’s capitol, which is a horrible killing field,” Trump said.

“They leave from Wisconsin, they go to look at the Washington Monument, they end up getting stabbed, killed or shot,” Trump claimed. “We will be very soon very proud of our capital once again.”

— Julia Mueller

While speaking about immigration, Trump went on a riff about the chart he says saved his life at his rally in Pennsylvania.

“And by the way, and I think everybody, as a Republican, as a patriot in this room and most Democrats – we want people to come into our country, but they have to come into our country legally. Legally. Less than four years ago – I handed this administration the strongest border in American history, but you can see on the chart that saved my life,” Trump remarked.

During Trump’s speech, the RNC projected the immigration chart that was also put up during Trump’s campaign rally in Butler, Pa.

Trump was drawing attention to the chart when he was hit in the ear during an attempted assassination.

Trump said that the chart saved his life because, had he not moved his head, he could have died when he was shot.

“That was the chart that saved my life. I said, look it up. So proud of it,” the former president said at the convention, joking at one point, “last time I put up that chart I never really got to look at it.”

– Caroline Vakil

Attendees at the speech seem totally focused on Trump.

They are paying close attention to his speech and there are few, if any, side conversations.

Hardly anyone is moving around, and a large number of people have been standing on the floor through the entire speech, which has been going on for more than an hour.

Trump gave a shoutout to Nevada Senate candidate Sam Brown in his speech.

“Thank you, Sam,” Trump said, referencing Brown’s military background.

“He was a real hero, a really great person and he’s running and I hope that everybody gets out and votes for Sam Brown,” Trump said. Brown served in the Army during the war in Afghanistan. He was severely injured by an improvised explosive and sustained burns across his body.

— Lauren Irwin

Former President Trump praised Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán as a “tough guy.”

“Press doesn’t like him because he’s tough,” Trump said.

Orbán is close with Trump and visited the former president at Mar-a-Lago earlier this month. Both Orbán and Trump have expressed a desire to end the war in Ukraine.

Trump also claimed Russia was afraid of the U.S. under his presidency.

“Under President Trump, Russia took nothing,” Trump said.

— Brad Dress

Trump emphasized that he got along with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un despite criticisms of his policy on the country.

“It’s nice to get along with somebody who has a lot of nuclear weapons,” Trump said.

He said critics would ask how he could get along with North Korea.

He responded that it’s “nice to get along” with a county that has a lot of nuclear weapons.

He said, possibly half-jokingly, that he thinks Kim may miss him and want him back.

“North Korea’s acting up again, but when we get back, I get along with him. He’d like to see me back, too. I think he misses me, if you wanna know the truth.”

— Jared Gans

Trump suggested next cycle’s GOP convention would need to be held in Venezuela if Democrats win the US election in November.

“In Venezuela, Caracas, high crime, high crime … Really a dangerous place. But not anymore. Because in Venezuela crime is down 72 percent,” Trump said.

“In fact, if they would ever win this election — I hate to even say that — we will have our next Republican convention in Venezuela because it will be safe,” Trump said, seemingly in reference to Democrats.

— Julia Mueller

Trump made reference, as he often has, to the “late great Hannibal Lecter,” a villain from the movie “Silence of the Lambs.”

He said the “media” jumps on him when he makes this reference. The reference came when Trump was discussing illegal immigration and securing the border, but it’s not clear what he was trying to say.

Lecter is a serial killer in the movie, and his character does not die in it. The actor who played him, Anthony Hopkins, is also alive.

— Jared Gans

Trump’s speech had passed the one-hour mark.

It is likely to run longer since the former president has gone off script a number of times.

— Mychael Schnell

The Biden-Harris campaign’s rapid response team trolled Trump during his RNC speech, calling out his convicted felon status.

“Silence, Americans[.] A convicted felon is talking,” reads an edited meme of the former president shared on the Biden team’s X page.

Trump was found guilty in May of 34 counts of falsifying business records, becoming the first former president convicted of felony crimes.

— Julia Mueller

Trump received loud applause when he mentioned cutting taxes for tipped workers.

“At the center of our plan for economic relief are massive tax cuts for workers that include something else that’s turned out to be very popular, actually,” Trump said.

“It’s called ‘no tax on tips,’” he said, followed by cheers.

Trump said on the campaign trail in Las Vegas earlier this year that he would make tips exempt from taxes.

— Lauren Irwin

The Trump family and JD Vance and his wife Usha have just walked out off their box at the convention. They will join the former president on stage at the end of the speech.

— Sarakshi Rai