Trump changing GOP convention speech to stress importance of unity after rally shooting
Former President Donald Trump revealed Sunday that he’s altering his upcoming speech at the Republican National Convention and his remarks will now focus on uniting the country after surviving an assassination attempt.
The 45th president told The Post Sunday he “threw away” an “extremely tough speech to make way for the new approach following Saturday’s shooting at his Pennsylvania rally. 5 Former President Trump waves as he arrives at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport a day after he survived an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 14, 2024. Dan Scavino Jr. via REUTERS
Trump, 78, will deliver the speech Thursday when he formally accepts the Republican Party’s nomination for president at the convention.
I want to try to unite our country, he said aboard his private jet en route to Milwaukee. But I dont know if thats possible. People are very divided.
I had all prepared an extremely tough speech, really good, all about the corrupt, horrible administration, he told The Post in reference to the Biden White House. But I threw it away. 5 Law Enforcement Officers from Palm Beach hang out in the Fiserv Forum Plaza ahead of the 2024 Republican National Convention (RNC) on July 14, 2024, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Getty Images 5 Empty podium prior to the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Sunday, July 14, 2024. Ron Sachs – CNP for NY Post
Trump was nearly killed at the rally when a gunman shot him in the ear.
One rallygoer was killed and two others were wounded in the gunfire.
Trump said policy positions that focus on immigration and transgender Americans might make mending the country’s divide a difficult feat. 5 Trump was nearly killed at the rally Saturday when a gunman shot him in the ear. REUTERS 5 The 45th president told The Post Sunday he “threw away” an “extremely tough speech to make way for the new approach following Saturday’s shooting at his Pennsylvania rally. Ron Sachs – CNP for NY Post
Some people want open borders, some dont, he said.
Some want men to be able to play on womens sports teams, and others dont, he said, stressing success will be the ultimate unifier.
Biden, 81, has pushed a similar message of unity, including from the Oval Office Sunday night where he stated, We are not enemies. Follow The Post’s latest stories on the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump: Trump says he felt the bullet ripping through my skin in first statement since assassination attempt Donald Trump urges the nation to not let ‘evil win’ and ‘fear not’ after shooting Gunman behind attempted assassination on Trump had head blown off by Secret Service, sources say; rally-goer killed Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks was loner relentlessly bullied in high school: classmate How Trumps split-second head turn may have saved his life from assassins bullet Ex-volunteer fire chief Corey Comperatore IDd as Trump sniper victim, shielded his daughter from assassins bullets Search for Trump shooter’s motive delayed by explosives found in home and car: sources
Keep up to date on updates with the Post’s live blog on the assassination attempt on Trump
We are neighbors, we are friends, coworkers, citizens, and most importantly we are fellow Americans. We must stand together, the president said.
Additional reporting by David Propper
