‘I shouldn’t be here’: Trump accepts nomination, recounts his brush with death

MILWAUKEE — An energetic crowd chanted “yes you are” in Fiserv Forum when former President Donald Trump said he “wasn’t supposed to be here tonight,” speaking about the brush he had with death after an attempted assassination a few days before.

On the last night of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Trump recounted what happened in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, when a would-be assassin’s bullet struck his right ear. “I’ll tell you what happened, and you’ll never hear it from me a second time, because it’s actually too painful to tell,” he said, wearing a bandage on his right ear.

In Pennsylvania, he said he began speaking “very strongly and powerfully” about the southern border. In order to see a chart on a screen behind him, he started to turn to his right, he said. He heard a loud whizzing sound and felt something hit him “really hard” on his right ear.

“I said to myself, “Wow what was that? That could only be a bullet,” he told the crowd.

Trump called the Secret Service agents brave for rushing to the stage that day. He said that the crowd stood by and didn’t move an inch after he dropped to the ground. He could see concerned expressions on their faces, so he raised his fist in the air to let them know he was OK, Trump said.

“For the rest of my life I will be grateful for the love shown by that giant crowd of patriots,” he said.

The four-day event of speakers at the convention crescendoed to Trump’s 90-minute speech Thursday night. The lineup included Republican figureheads, politicians and candidates including Nevada’s Senate candidate Sam Brown, as well as from members of Trump’s family, who shared personal stories of Trump and spoke about the impact the shooting had on them. Trump appeared Monday night for the first time since the shooting, appearing emotional.

Trump said that “despite such a heinous attack, we unite this evening more determined than ever.”

He announced $6.3 million was raised for the shooting rally victims. He asked for a moment of silence for Corey Comperatore, a former firefighter who was killed by the shooter during the rally, and showed Comperatore’s firefighter gear on stage.

The former president continued his call for cross-party unity, a common thread spoken during the convention.

“To every citizen, whether you are young or old, man or woman, Democrat, Republican, or Independent, black or white, Asian or Hispanic, I extend to you a hand of loyalty and friendship,” he said. “Together, we will lead America to new heights of greatness like the world has never seen before.”

He used a teleprompter but often departed from the prepared text. He appeared to lose some of the audience’s enthusiasm about two-thirds of the way through the speech as the clock crept toward 11 p.m. local time.

He reiterated issues from the Republican Party platform it adopted during the convention, including bringing energy independence, bringing jobs back to the country and protecting Social Security and Medicare. He pledged to replenish the military and end the war in Russia and Ukraine, and said the U.S. wants its hostages back, receiving supportive cheers from the crowd.

Promising to build the wall and close the border, Trump continued his narrative about immigrants, calling them “killers and criminals.” He falsely claimed illegal aliens are taking “107 percent” of created jobs from “our Black population, our Hispanic population.”

“They are coming from prisons and jails, from mental institutions and insane asylums, and terrorists at levels never seen before,” he said.

Spotlighting Nevada, Trump highlighted his plan to end federal taxation on tips, which received chants from the crowd. He said he thought of the plan while eating at a restaurant in the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas.

Trump gave a shout-out to Brown, calling him a “real hero” and a “really great person.”

“He’s running, and I hope that everybody gets out and votes for Sam Brown,” Trump said.

Trump ended his speech asking for voters’ support.

“Every day, I will strive to honor the trust you have placed in me, and I will never let you down, I promise that, I will never let you down,” he said.

Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X.