Five big takeaways from Trump’s convention speech

After a tumultuous few weeks that have upended American politics, Donald Trump attempted to lay out a message of unity and strength as he accepted the Republican presidential nomination for the third time on Thursday night.

Trump appeared after Kid Rock delivered a version of his song American Bad Ass, an introduction from Ultimate Fighting Championship chief Dana White, a shirt-ripping endorsement from wrestling legend Hulk Hogan and a singalong version of his rally anthem God Bless the USA.

His name was written in giant lights behind him as he walked on stage.

But after that bombastic introduction, the former president seemed relatively subdued as he spoke – often veering off-script – to the Republican faithful for more than 90 minutes.

He told the hushed crowd in detail about the recent attempt on his life, suggesting he had been saved by divine intervention.

But despite stressing a message of national unity he could not resist sharp jibes at Democratic party leaders.

Here are five takeaways:

Trump began his speech by recounting his experience of last Saturday’s attack.

“As you already know, the assassin’s bullet came within a quarter of an inch of taking my life,” he told the assembled Republican delegates.

He said he turned his head slightly to view a chart about immigration projected on a teleprompter screen.

“In order to see the chart, I started to – like this – turn to my right, and was ready to begin a little bit further turn, which I’m very lucky I didn’t do, when I heard a loud whizzing sound and felt something hit me, really, really hard, on my right ear.

“I said to myself, ‘Wow, what was that – it can only be a bullet.'”

Trump called the Secret Service agents who rushed the stage “very brave” and credited divine intervention for saving his life.

“I stand before you in this arena only by the grace of almighty God,” he said. “Many people say it was a providential moment. It probably was.”

He credited the crowd at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, for not panicking and causing a stampede.

“They just didn’t want to leave me, and you can see that love written all over their faces,” he said.

Although his speech contained sharp criticism of Joe Biden’s policies on several fronts, Trump made just one direct mention of his rival’s name, calling him one of the worst presidents in history, as he frequently does at rallies.

“The damage he has done to this country is unthinkable,” he said, “just unthinkable.”

Uncertainty continues to swirl around the future of Mr Biden’s candidacy. On Wednesday, he was diagnosed with Covid-19 and is recuperating at his home in Delaware.

Mr Biden has vowed to stay in the race, despite reports that leading Democrats, including Barack Obama, are now questioning his position, and a number of members of Congress have urged him to cede way for a new candidate.

Trump pledged to build the rest of the southern border wall, “most of which I have already built”. That claim isn’t accurate, with fewer than 500 miles built during his first term.

He also painted a picture of massive inflation, saying “groceries are up 50%, gasoline is up 60 to 70%, mortgage rates have quadrupled”.

Inflation is major issue to American voters, and since Biden took office in January 2021 prices have risen by a total of about 20%.

Trump also mentioned at several points his baseless assertion that fraud in the 2020 election cost him the presidency.

The convention ended with the usual family gathering on stage. But Trump’s clan is more than just a show – they are now truly Republican power brokers with the potential makings of a dynasty.

Trump’s sons, Eric and Don Jr, were given high-profile speaking slots, and Don Jr was reportedly a key influence over his father’s vice-presidential pick.

Earlier in the week Eric’s wife, Lara Trump, took to the stage. As co-chair of the Republican National Committee, she will play a key role in the election campaign.

The convention also heard from little-known members of the clan, such as his eldest granddaughter, Kai Trump, a keen golfer. Aged 17, she will not be eligible to vote in November.

Other Trumps had much lower profiles. Melania Trump turned up on the final night in a rare public appearance, but she did not take to the podium as US candidates’ wives usually do on such occasions.

Neither did Trump’s daughter Ivanka. Once a close adviser to her father, she left politics after her father departed the White House.

Trump generally attempted to continue the overall theme of national unity that has been present throughout this week at the party convention – but at several points he digressed into sharp attacks on Democrats and their policies.

Early on in the speech he told the crowd: “Together, we will launch a new era of safety, prosperity and freedom for citizens of every race, religion, colour, and creed.”

“I am running to be president for all of America, not half of America, because there is no victory in winning for half of America.”

Still, he could not resist ad libs criticising top Democrats and the leadership of the United Auto Workers, one of the country’s largest unions. In addition to his criticism of President Biden, he called Nancy Pelosi – the former House speaker – “crazy”.

Referring to the legal cases against him, he said: “They’ve got to stop that because they’re destroying our country.”

Trump also demanded that “the Democrat Party should immediately stop weaponizing the justice system”.

Much as it has been throughout his political career, immigration was at the top of the agenda.

He called illegal immigration an “invasion that is killing hundreds of thousands of people a year” and promised the “largest deportation operation in the history of our country – even larger than that of President Dwight D Eisenhower many years ago”.

More than one million Mexican immigrants were deported from the US in 1954.

In a lengthy section of one of the longest convention speeches in memory – ending after midnight on the US east coast – he blamed immigrants for crime, and said: “We have become a dumping ground for the world, which is laughing at us, they think we’re stupid.”

With reporting by Rachel Looker