- Author, Gareth Evans and Madeline Halpert
- Role, BBC News at the conference held in Milwaukee and New York
Donald Trump will address a celebratory Republican convention in Milwaukee on Thursday, where he is expected to formally accept the presidential nomination and conclude a four-day event that has underscored his absolute dominance of the party.
The former president, 78, will deliver his primetime speech riding a wave of momentum built up following Joe Biden’s disappointing debate performance last month and some recent court rulings in his favor.
This is also his first speech after surviving an assassination attempt at a rally on Saturday when a gunman opened fire on him while he was delivering a speech on an open stage, leaving him bleeding.
Lara Trump told the BBC’s US news partner CBS that her father-in-law was affected by his “near-death experience” and that this would be reflected in his speech. She said Americans could see a “different side” of him on Thursday.
The convention in Wisconsin has been a family affair for Trump, with Lara Trump among the relatives who gave speeches or appeared in the arena’s VIP box. The messages have been consistent, clearly mirroring an effort to present Trump as a softer figure during the campaign, with repeated anecdotes portraying him as a family man and a unifier.
Critics have not taken that into account, with some senior Democrats opposing that message. “In recent days, they’ve been trying to present themselves as the party of unity,” Vice President Kamala Harris said of the convention on Thursday.
“You can’t claim you’re standing for unity if you’re pushing an agenda that denies an entire group of Americans basic freedoms, opportunities and dignity,” he said.
According to the party, when he takes the stage on Thursday night, the former president will share his vision of “ushering in a new golden age for America.” This will culminate a week of speeches from Republican politicians, including Trump’s former primary rivals, delegates and governors.
Trump told the Washington Examiner newspaper on Sunday that he had decided to rewrite his speech after the assassination attempt, which would send a message of unity rather than attack President Joe Biden’s policies. “It will be a completely different speech now,” he said.
He said, “This is an opportunity to bring the whole country, even the whole world, together. This speech will be very different from the one I gave two days ago.”
One rally attendee was killed and two others were seriously injured in the shooting on Saturday. Trump was shot in his ear.
He has received repeated praise this week from Republican attendees, some of whom welcomed him into the convention center with tears in their eyes and others wearing fake earmuffs to express solidarity after the shooting.
A message of unity from Trump would be a departure from the strong language he often used during the campaign, where he railed against “communists, Marxists, fascists and radical left-wing thugs.”
Even with this changed message, it still remains likely that he, as his fellow Ohio Senator J.D. Vance did on Wednesday night, will criticize President Biden and his record.
In his speech, Mr Vance attacked “career politicians” like Mr Biden.
A number of other high-profile names are also expected to take the stage on Thursday, including the former president’s son Eric Trump, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and Trump’s former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Trump’s wife Melania and daughter Ivanka will also attend the conference for the first time.
The evening session of the conference is expected to begin at around 17:45 CST (23:45 BST), with Trump’s speech likely to last until 22:30 CST.
Meanwhile, President Biden was forced to pause campaigning in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Wednesday after testing positive for COVID-19. The White House said he is experiencing mild symptoms.
Pressure is mounting on Mr Biden to step down after reports emerged on Wednesday that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries had privately urged him to end his re-election campaign.
Surveys indicate that Mr Biden is trailing the former president in several key states.
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