Welcome to the a special edition From the Politics Desk, bringing you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
Tonight, senior national politics reporter Matt Dixon wraps up former President Donald Trump’s lengthy GOP convention speech, his first since the shooting at his Pennsylvania campaign rally. Plus, we fact-check Trump’s claims on taxes, crime and foreign policy.
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Trump savors convention crowd in lengthy acceptance speech
By Matt Dixon
MILWAUKEE — Donald Trump on Thursday night formally accepted the Republican Party’s presidential nomination in a speech heavy with references to the shooting he survived last week and elongated by ad-libbed applause lines and riffs — capping a long-anticipated moment that came only after a winding and dramatic campaign.
Trump, now the first major-party presidential nominee who has been convicted of felonies, took the stage days after a 20-year-old gunman nearly assassinated him during a rally in Pennsylvania, firing a bullet that clipped his right ear and left it bloodied. He wore a white square bandage over his wounded ear throughout the convention, with some attendees wearing their own in solidarity during the weeklong event.
While Trump is known for his off-the-cuff public remarks and social media posts, he has given highly planned convention speeches in the past. Thursday’s speech started that way, but he soon detoured to give lengthy thanks to the speakers and attendees and then to engage the crowd with asides, impressions and sometimes hard-to-follow deviations.
His speech as written could have come from any number of Republicans, but the way Trump delivered it was similar to his usual pattern at his rallies — an unchanged style after he and allies spoke all week about how the shooting had changed him.
The assassination attempt just days ahead of the convention left organizers and Trump aides figuring out how to host a long-planned party in the wake of near-tragedy. In the hurried 48 hours before the convention began, Trump aides not only rewrote his speech but also sent a message to other convention speakers to soften some of their remarks.
Trump mentioned President Joe Biden only once, something he did more than 40 times during his 2020 speech accepting the Republican nomination.
Trump spoke for 93 minutes, exceeding the record he set in 2016 for the longest nomination acceptance speech at a convention.
☑️ Fact check: NBC News’ Jane C. Timm and Ben Kamisar looked into a series of claims Trump made during his speech on topics ranging from taxes to crime to foreign policy. Read more →
Catch up on all the night’s action on our live blog →
🗞️ Tonight’s other top stories
- 🫏 Pressure mounts: Biden is feeling angry and betrayed by top Democratic leaders who are wavering on his campaign. Meanwhile, Sen. Jon Tester, who faces a tough re-election battle in Montana this year, became the second Senate Democrat to publicly call on Biden to exit the presidential race. Read more →
- 💰 Show me the money: Fundraising events that feature Vice President Kamala Harris are starting to sell out as Democratic megadonors push Biden to exit the race. Read more →
- ⚖️ Legal theory: Hunter Biden is using a pair of judicial opinions that were favorable to Trump to argue his conviction on gun charges should be tossed out. Read more →
- 👕 WWE-style: Retired wrestler Hulk Hogan ripped his shirt off during his convention speech to reveal a Trump-Vance tank top, calling Trump an “American hero.” Read more →
- 📸 In photos: Check out our photo gallery from the GOP convention , capturing all of the delegates’ looks, from Trump sneakers to MAGA dresses to ear bandages.
That’s all from the Politics Desk for now. If you have feedback — likes or dislikes — email us at politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com
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