With
a
bandage
strapped
over
one
ear,
Donald
Trump
made
a
triumphant
return
to
the
public
eye
on
Monday
evening
at
the
Republican
National
Convention,
receiving
a
rapturous
welcome
from
thousands
of
supporters
two
days
after
an
attempt
on
his
life.
The
former
president
entered
the
convention
arena
in
Milwaukee
with
a
fist
raised
and
to
the
strains
of
a
live
performance
of
“God
Bless
the
USA”.
He
then
slowly
walked
through
cheering
crowds
of
delegates
–
some
with
tears
in
their
eyes
–
before
greeting
key
political
allies
and
members
of
his
family,
including
three
of
his
children,
but
not
his
wife
Melania.
At
moments,
the
audience
pumped
their
fists
and
called
out
“Fight!
Fight!
Fight!”
–
echoing
Trump’s
cry
after
a
bullet
grazed
his
ear
at
a
rally
in
Pennsylvania
on
Saturday.
The
Republican
nominee
for
November’s
presidential
contest
is
riding
a
wave
of
political
momentum.
The
Democratic
Party
has
been
questioning
81-year-old
Joe
Biden’s
candidacy
following
a
poor
debate
performance
last
month,
while
Trump’s
team
has
celebrated
recent
legal
victories.
At
the
Fiserv
Forum
in
Milwaukee,
the
former
president
listened
to
about
an
hour
of
speeches
while
sitting
next
to
his
running
mate
and
vice-presidential
candidate
Ohio
Senator
JD
Vance,
whose
place
on
the
ticket
for
November’s
election
was
announced
only
hours
before.
Trump
did
not
make
a
speech
but
at
times
appeared
moved
by
the
crowd
of
thousands.
He
bowed
his
head
in
prayer,
and
mouthed
several
times:
“Thank
you,
everybody”.
Supporters
and
Republican
delegates,
some
with
tears
in
their
eyes,
had
been
waiting
for
hours
for
the
former
president’s
appearance,
which
was
not
officially
listed
on
the
schedule
for
the
opening
day
of
the
convention,
but
was
widely
expected.
Eventful
first
day
Donald
Trump’s
appearance
was
the
highlight
of
an
eventful
first
day
of
the
Republican
gathering
in
Wisconsin,
one
of
six
battleground
states
that
will
decide
the
election.
Before
the
convention
officially
opened,
news
broke
that
a
federal
judge
had
dismissed
criminal
charges
against
Trump
for
stashing
more
than
300
classified
documents
at
his
Florida
resort
after
his
first
term
in
office.
Aileen
Cannon,
a
Trump
appointee,
ruled
that
special
prosecutor
Jack
Smith
was
unlawfully
appointed
to
his
role
and
did
not
have
the
authority
to
bring
a
37-count
indictment
against
the
former
president.
It
was
another
victory
for
the
Republican
candidate,
who
now
faces
no
prospect
of
another
criminal
trial
before
Americans
go
to
the
polls
on
5
November.
Soon
after
the
convention
opened,
nearly
2,500
Republican
delegates
formally
nominated
Trump
as
their
presidential
candidate
during
a
roll
call
vote.
Vance
picked
as
running
mate
In
a
break
with
recent
tradition,
Trump
waited
until
the
convention
to
announce
Mr
Vance
as
his
vice-presidential
pick,
and
revealed
his
choice
on
his
Truth
Social
network
on
Monday
afternoon.
The
Ohio
senator
and
author
of
best-selling
memoir
Hillbilly
Elegy
reportedly
heard
he
was
selected
just
minutes
before
the
announcement.
He
smiled
and
looked
slightly
in
awe
as
he
walked
into
the
crowd
along
with
his
wife
Usha,
and
chatted
with
the
throngs
of
delegates
who
surrounded
him.
“Of
the
three
[contenders]
on
the
shortlist,
I
don’t
think
you
could
have
done
better,”
said
Greg
Simpson,
a
Republican
delegate
who
lives
not
far
from
Vance’s
childhood
home
in
Middletown,
Ohio.
But
Democrats
indicated
they
would
make
an
issue
of
Mr
Vance’s
anti-abortion
views
and
connections
to
big
tech
during
his
career
as
a
venture
capitalist.
Democratic
President
Joe
Biden
said
in
a
message
posted
on
X
that
Mr
Vance
“talks
a
big
game
about
working
people”
but
would
raise
taxes
on
ordinary
Americans
while
cutting
taxes
on
the
rich.
Speaking
to
reporters
he
called
Mr
Vance
“a
clone
of
Trump”.
The
president
also
sat
for
an
interview
with
NBC
News,
saying
it
was
a
mistake
to
have
said
it’s
“time
to
put
Trump
in
the
bullseye”
during
a
call
with
donors
days
before
his
political
rival
was
nearly
killed.
But
he
blamed
his
opponent
for
ratcheting
up
political
rhetoric
for
his
denials
of
the
2020
election
result,
promises
to
pardon
the
rioters
who
attacked
the
Capitol
on
6
January
2021
and
for
joking
about
a
serious
assault
on
the
husband
of
Democratic
leader
Nancy
Pelosi.
As
Trump
remains
in
Milwaukee
and
prepares
to
deliver
his
closing
night
convention
speech
on
Thursday
night,
Mr
Biden
has
resumed
his
election
campaign,
flying
to
Las
Vegas
for
events
after
a
brief
pause
in
rallies
following
the
attack.
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