Donald Trump appeared at the Republican convention on Monday night, alongside his new running mate with his bandaged ear on display.
Tuesday, 16 July 2024 04:36, UK
Donald Trump appeared to great applause at the Republican National Convention on Monday night with a white bandage covering his right ear.
It is the first time the former president has appeared in public since he was shot by 20-year-old Thomas Crooks on Saturday night.
Entering the packed room, Trump saluted and raised his fist as the crowd chanted, “fight, fight, fight.”
He remained among his supporters for about an hour.
Read more: Trump shooting: How the security operation unfolded
Earlier in the evening, it was announced that his running mate would be JD Vance, a former critic who once compared Trump to Hitler and described him as a “cultural heroine.”
Senator Vance is now a devoted follower of Trump’s politics and regularly repeats his theory that Democrats “stole” the 2020 election.
“I said some bad things about Trump ten years ago, but I think it’s important to be able to admit when you’re wrong again,” he told Fox News on Monday night.
Read more: Who is JD Vance?
Trump and Biden’s phone call
President Biden said he and Trump had a “very cordial” phone conversation after the attempted assassination of Trump on Saturday.
“It sounded good,” President Biden said in an interview with NBC’s Lester Holt on Monday night.
“He said he was fine and thanked me for calling him. I told him that Jill and I were literally praying for him and that I hope his entire family is getting through this.”
Donald Trump said Biden “couldn’t have been nicer” on the call, in an interview with ABC.
‘Bullseye’s’ comment was a ‘mistake’
During his interview with NBC, President Biden said it was a mistake to tell his supporters “it’s time to put Trump on the spot” ahead of the attempted assassination of the former president on Saturday.
“I meant to say that we should focus on him, that we should focus on what he is doing, that we should focus on his policies, that we should focus on the amount of lies that he told in the debate,” he said.
The US president called for a “cooling down” of political rhetoric following the attempted assassination at a Republican campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
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“It matters whether you accept the election result or not,” he said.
“It’s important whether or not you talk about how you’re going to deal with the border instead of talking about people as vermin. Those things matter. That’s the kind of language that’s provocative.”
Asked if he was considering withdrawing from the presidential election, Biden replied: “No.”
He said he had been “demonstrating to the American people that I am in control of all my faculties” since his debate with Trump, where he stumbled over words, slurred his words and paused for long, frequent moments.
“I don’t need notes, I don’t need (teleprompters). I can go out and answer any question. When NATO was in town, I was there for an hour and answered questions,” the president said.
