Trump feted by former rivals days after narrowly surviving an attempted assassination.
Donald Trump has received emphatic endorsements from former rivals at the Republican National Convention (RNC), a display of party unity days after he narrowly escaped being killed by a would-be assassinâs bullet.
On the second day of the convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Tuesday, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis feted their former rival as they urged Republicans to come together to defeat US President Joe Biden in November.
Haley, who previously called Trump unelectable, unqualified and âunhingedâ, said that Republicans should back Trump for the âsake of our nationâ, taking aim at Bidenâs handling of foreign policy and immigration, the key theme of the evening.
âYou donât have to agree with Trump 100 percent of the time to vote for him,â Haley told delegates on the second day of the convention.
âTake it from me. I havenât always agreed with President Trump. But we agree more often than we disagree.â
Stressing the need for Republicans and Americans alike to come together, Haley said the USâs enemies benefit when the country is divided.
âNo president can fix all of our problems alone. We have to do this together. America has an amazing ability to self-correct,â Haley said.
âIn this moment, we have a chance to put aside our differences and focus on what unites us and strengthens our country. Let us join together as a party, let us come together as a people, as one country strong and proud. Let us show our children and the world that even on our worst day, we are blessed to live in America.â
DeSantis, who finished a distant third to Trump in the primaries, struck a more combative tone, latching onto concerns about Bidenâs mental acuity and calling on Republicans to send him âback to the basementâ.
âAs a citizen, as a husband and as a father, I am alarmed that the current president of the United States lacks the capability to discharge the duties of his office. Our enemies do not confine their designs to between 10am and 4pm,â DeSantis said.
âWe need a commander in chief who can lead 24 hours a day and seven days a week. America cannot afford four more years of a âWeekend at Bernieâsâ presidency,â DeSantis added, referring to the 1989 comedy film about two employees who spend a weekend passing off their dead boss as alive.
DeSantis said Trump deserved Republicansâ support after being demonised, sued, prosecuted and nearly killed.
âWe cannot let him down. And we cannot let America down,â he said.
In keeping with his reputation as a cultural conservative warrior, DeSantis blasted the Democrats on hot-button issues ranging from undocumented migration across the southern border, to COVID-19 vaccine mandates and âgender ideologyâ.
âThey canât even define what a woman is. Now Donald Trump stands in their way, and he stands up for America,â he said.
US Senator Ted Cruz, who ran unsuccessfully against Trump in 2016, also hailed Trumpâs candidacy, telling the crowd: âGod bless Donald J Trump!â
As he did on the first day of the convention, Trump again received a heroâs welcome as he entered the Fiserv Forum, receiving a standing ovation from a jubilant party faithful.
Trump did not address the convention but is scheduled to deliver his keynote speech on Thursday.
Trump has indicated unity will be a key theme of his address, saying that the attempt on his life inspired him to rewrite the speech he had originally planned.
Donald Trump Jr, Donald Trumpâs eldest son, told Axios on Tuesday that his father intends to tone down his rhetoric, saying there are âevents that change you for a couple of minutes and there are events that change you permanentlyâ.
While it is not yet clear how Trumpâs close brush with death will affect the presidential race, some political analysts have suggested that it increases his chances of victory, especially as it happened in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state that is considered crucial to Bidenâs re-election chances.
Trump has for months been ahead of Biden in most opinion polls, both nationwide and in swing states such as Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan â all three of which flipped from Trump to Biden in 2020.
An average of polls on the FiveThirtyEight website on Tuesday showed Trump in the lead by 2 percentage points nationally.