Donald Trump accepted the Republican presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention on Thursday (July 19). In a lengthy speech lasting more than 90 minutes, Trump promised that if elected, he would end the escalating international crisis and restore America’s prestige on the world stage. He also said that he could “end the war with one phone call.”
“We are going to have an incredible victory and are going to begin the greatest four years in the history of our country,” Trump, 78, told the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Often known for his bombastic and aggressive rhetoric, the former president opened his acceptance speech Thursday night on a softer and deeply personal note, drawing directly from his own brush with death.
Trump described standing on stage in Butler, Pennsylvania, as he turned his head to look at a graph on display, he felt something hit his ear. He raised his hand to his head and immediately saw blood on it.
“If I had not moved my head at the last moment, the assassin’s bullet would have hit me perfectly,” Trump said. “I would not be here tonight. We would not be together.”
In his speech, Trump called for national unity to make the United States stronger and more prosperous. “The discord and division in our society must be healed,” he said. “As Americans, we are bound together by a common destiny and purpose. We rise together, or we fall apart.”
“I ran for president for all Americans, not half of Americans, because winning half of America is not a real victory,” said Trump, whose right ear was still wrapped in a white bandage.
Trump has pledged to immediately address the immigration crisis facing the southern border of the United States. He said that if elected, he would launch the largest deportation agenda in U.S. history. He has repeatedly accused people who illegally cross the U.S.-Mexico border of launching an “invasion.” In addition, he has hinted at new tariffs on trading partners and a “America First” foreign policy.
The former president criticized the dire situation facing the world under his successor, Democratic President Joe Biden, telling attendees that the planet is “on the brink of World War III.”
Former US President Trump officially accepted the Republican presidential nomination on July 18. Trump mentioned China several times in his acceptance speech and once again called the new coronavirus the “Chinese virus.” He also said that Hungarian Prime Minister Orban recently told the media that the solution to the current global war problem is to let Trump return to power because “Russia is afraid of him, China is afraid of him, and everyone is afraid of him.” … pic.twitter.com/QmNiVfh3qH— VOA Chinese (@VOAChinese)
“We will restore peace, stability, and harmony around the world,” Trump said. “Under our leadership, America will be respected again. No nation will question our strength, no enemy will doubt our might, and our borders will be completely secure.” Trump said he could end international crises, including the “horrible war in Russia and Ukraine.”
He placed the blame for conflicts around the world squarely on Biden — even if their roots date back long before Biden took office. “The world is experiencing an unprecedented international crisis… Europe and the Middle East are at war, and Taiwan, South Korea, the Philippines and all of Asia are shrouded in the shadow of a widening conflict,” he said.
He also slammed China for stealing American jobs through what he considered unfair trade practices, while casting himself as a defender of forgotten communities across the U.S. He blamed the sudden outbreak of the coronavirus for disrupting the implementation of his trade agreement with China, and again called the coronavirus the “Chinese virus.”
“In fact, the best trade deal was probably the one I made with China, where they bought $50 billion worth of our products. They weren’t buying anything, but they bought $50 billion worth of our products, and they had to do it, but because of COVID, I don’t even talk about it. Frankly, I don’t even mention it because of what happened with the China virus,” he said.
Trump also said that if he returns to the White House, he will be able to “get along very well” with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. “I get along very well with him, and we prevented North Korea from launching missiles. Now North Korea is starting to stir again. But after we came back, I got along very well with him. He also wanted to see me back, and I think he missed me very much,” he said.
“I get along very well with him, and he’d like to see me back in the White House. If you want to know, I think he misses me,” Trump said.
Former US President Donald Trump accepted the Republican presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention on the evening of the 18th. The 78-year-old former president has sometimes been criticized for being bombastic and aggressive, but some voters believe that Trump’s behavior has become more moderate than in the past. Trump’s speech lasted 93 minutes, making it the longest party convention speech in modern US history.