Former President Donald Trump will formally accept the Republican Party’s presidential nomination Thursday night and deliver his first speech since Saturday’s assassination attempt, capping a frenzied Republican convention at a time of heightened political uncertainty.
Trump will deliver the speech at a time when he is struggling to adopt a more unifying message after last weekend’s shootings and as he rides a political tailwind for the summer and fall, fueled in part by President Joe Biden’s calamitous debate in June and the Democratic angst that followed.
Such a tone would mark a shift both for Trump individually and for American politics as a whole, though officials and congressmen have predicted a more moderate rhetoric focused on uniting the country as the nation reels from news of the attempted assassination of the former president in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“I think he’s changed. Any time you change your life, it has an effect. I think from his perspective, he doesn’t want to be a divisive figure. He wants to be a unifying figure at a time when the country is desperate for unity and needs it,” said Bryan Lanza, a former Trump campaign official who remains in touch with his current team.
“This is not a moment for him, and this is not a moment for the Republican Party. This is a moment for the country,” he added. “We have been through a shock. We could literally be at a funeral today.”
Trump said he revised his remarks after Saturday’s shooting, saying it was originally meant to be a “ringing speech” but would now be “more of a unity speech.”
At a time when few people are thinking through the political noise, especially in a race between a current president and a former president whose name is virtually universally recognized, the speech marks a rare moment when Trump can command the stage at a turning point in the race, even if it is unclear how much the dynamics of the election have changed.
“When you’re at this level, there are certain speeches that the world stops and listens to, and your nomination speech is one of them,” said veteran GOP strategist Chip Saltsman.
“Unity” has been the buzzword since Saturday, with leaders of both parties deploring the violence and calling for a return to civility in the country’s politics.
However, such a tone could also help Trump politically, operatives predict.
During his time in office, Trump lost support among centrist suburban voters, costing him reelection in 2020. Their defection was largely attributed more to tone than policy disagreements, and now, with polls showing Biden with strong disapproval ratings, a more balanced approach from Trump could help win some voters back to his side, including by detailing the immediate aftermath of the shooting, strategists said.
“How do you attract Republicans who don’t particularly like you? How do you attract true swingers and independents? And how do you attract Democrats who are not happy with Joe Biden? Obviously, these are usually conversations about specific issues, but I think in this case he can do it with his emotions,” Saltsman said.
To be sure, Trump is still expected to attack Biden’s record, continuing the kind of contrasting policies he has proposed since the start of the election.
“I expect to hear about the Afghanistan withdrawal, the economy, the border and these big issues that have formed around this campaign,” said a former senior Trump administration official. “I think he’s going to touch on a lot of the issues he regularly touches on at his rallies, but it’s going to be more surgical, if Trump can do it.”
“I think he’ll add Kamala into a lot of the criticism of Biden. I think the news today makes it clear that they’re continuing to push that, and President Trump is pretty supportive of that option for them,” the person added, referring to growing speculation around calls from Democrats for Biden to drop out of the race.
It’s unclear how long this semblance of unity can last. Politics has become a blood sport in the United States, and those working for both candidates may be more inclined to push the envelope when attacking their opponents.
“I’ll be honest, that’s not going to be the tone you hear from the rest of us, we’re seasoned agents. We fight, and that’s how you win a position, is by fighting,” Lanza said.
Interviews with convention attendees showed an appetite for unity and power typical of Trump.
“Peace and unity, because this is a very divided country right now,” said Awet Gebremariam, a delegate from California, when asked what she wanted to hear from Trump. “He almost lost his life. And I think he’s very reserved and very quiet now. And I think he’s going to give a very big speech, maybe very different than the ones he’s given before.”
Others, like Daniel Bobay, an alternate delegate from Texas, wanted more diversity, arguing that “you can fight nicely.”
“I hope so,” said Elizabeth Hines-Ferrick, a delegate from Massachusetts, when asked if she wished the tone were more moderate. “But at least I expect he’ll still be a fighter, because he speaks from the heart.”
Politically, Democrats acknowledge that a more unifying tone from Trump could make it harder to view him as a threat to democracy, especially after the shooting, though they are skeptical he can maintain that tone long after the GOP convention.
“I think there’s an initial concern that if Trump can play this right, he could come across as a unifier and go off-brand,” one Democratic strategist said. “But at the same time, I would tell you that no one has confidence in his ability to continue to play the role of the honest man.”
As for Thursday, however, Trump is all but assured of a hero’s welcome no matter what he says.
“I think it’s going to be a real epic,” the former senior administration official said. “Everybody in this room loves this man, and for him to speak to them for the first time since Saturday is going to create a pretty raucous atmosphere. I imagine it’s going to be very emotional. You’re going to see delegates with tears in their eyes, screaming and yelling.”
ABC News’ Jonathan Karl contributed to this report.
News Source : abcnews.go.com
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