After Donald Trump narrowly escaped an assassination attempt on Saturday, Republicans tried for unity on the opening night of the Republican National Convention. It went awry in the first prime-time speech.
Sen. Ron Johnson began the night — which was supposed to be focused on the economy — by delivering a screed on the Biden-Harris “radical far-left agenda,” calling Democratic policies “a clear and present danger to America” and invoking the conservative culture-war specters of trans athletes and “the sexualization and indoctrination of our children.”
Soon after he left the stage, he revealed some of that had been a hiccup: Johnson said he updated his speech after the shooting to cut some of the language about Democrats and add more about unity, but a previous draft made it on the teleprompter.
“I added a section about [how] we’re meeting here at a somber moment in history. I hope we all heed President Trump’s call for unity and strength and determination. We need to unify and heal this nation,” he told NOTUS. “That’s what I would have said. Unfortunately, wasn’t added.”
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As the night went on, talk of inflation and gas prices continued to be muddled by fiery anti-immigrant and anti-trans language. Many speakers made jabs about Biden’s age and mental decline. And those who did stay on message ignored the increasing strength of today’s economy and the fact that the United States has managed high inflation more successfully than most developed countries.
Representative John James talked about high grocery prices and attacked open borders and trans rights in the same few sentences. “Our daughters were sold on hope, and now they’re being forced on the playing fields and changing rooms with biological males,” he said.
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene did nearly the same. “Let me state this clearly, there are only two genders. We are made in God’s image, amen, and we won’t shy away from speaking that simple truth ever,” she said during her remarks.
Both Greene and James used the pejorative term “illegals” in their speeches to refer to unauthorized immigrants.
Several speakers compared the state of the country to the state of President Joe Biden’s health.
“Each diminished or in decline, just like the man in the Oval Office,” said Senator Katie Britt.
David Sacks, a Silicon Valley billionaire and prominent Trump fundraiser, did not hesitate to call Biden “sleepy and senile” and Vice President Kamala Harris “clueless and embarrassing.”
Trump himself made an appearance near the end of the night, entering the convention floor with a wide, square white bandage covering his right ear following an extended introduction from country artist Lee Greenwood, who sang “God Bless the USA.” “You will not take this man down,” Greenwood said.
For the most part, speakers held back from blaming Biden or other Democrats for the assassination attempt, which Republicans have been doing since shortly after it happened.
But South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem came closest, tying the shooting to criticism and prosecutions of Trump.
“They’ve attacked his reputation,” she said. “They impeached him, they tried to bankrupt him, and they unjustly prosecuted him, but even in the most perilous moment this week, his instinct was to stand and to fight.”
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Anna Kramer is a reporter at NOTUS. NOTUS reporter Reese Gorman contributed reporting from Milwaukee. NOTUS’ Nuha Dolby, Ryan Hernández and Katherine Swartz also contributed reporting.
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