President Trump accepted the nomination of the Republican Party as its standard-bearer in the 2024 election last night. He accepted the party’s nomination in a 90-minute speech that ran over 12,000 words. The New York Times has posted the text of the speech here. I have posted video of the speech at the bottom.
Trump’s speech capped what must have been a successful jamboree by traditional standards. This is Donald Trump’s Republican Party and it is a united party. The convention was fashioned in Trump’s image and made a powerful case for restoration. It was joyous, exuberant, and confident if not overconfident. It certainly had many highlights. We will only know in retrospect if it served its intended purpose.
At the top of his speech Trump gave a compelling personal account of his attempted assassination this past Saturday. He paid moving tribute to those killed and injured:
I’m not supposed to be here tonight. Not supposed to be here.
[Crowd chants “Yes, you are.”]
Thank you. But I’m not. And I’ll tell you. I stand before you in this arena only by the grace of almighty God.
And watching the reports over the last few days, many people say it was a providential moment. Probably was. When I rose, surrounded by Secret Service, the crowd was confused because they thought I was dead. And there was great, great sorrow. I could see that on their faces as I looked out. They didn’t know I was looking out; they thought it was over.
But I could see it and I wanted to do something to let them know I was OK. I raised my right arm, looked at the thousands and thousands of people that were breathlessly waiting and started shouting, “Fight, fight, fight.”
Thank you.
Once my clenched fist went up, and it was high into the air, you’ve all seen that, the crowd realized I was OK and roared with pride for our country like no crowd I have ever heard before. Never heard anything like it.
For the rest of my life, I will be grateful for the love shown by that giant audience of patriots that stood bravely on that fateful evening in Pennsylvania. Tragically, the shooter claimed the life of one of our fellow Americans: Corey Comperatore. Unbelievable person, everybody tells me. Unbelievable.
And seriously wounded two other great warriors. Spoke to them today: David Dutch and James Copenhaver. Two great people. I also spoke to all three families of these tremendous people.
Our love and prayers are with them and always will be. We’re never going to forget them. They came for a great rally. They were serious Trumpsters, I want to tell you. They were serious Trumpsters and still are. But Corey, unfortunately, we have to use the past tense.
He was incredible. Yeah. He was a highly respected former fire chief. Respected by everybody. Was accompanied by his wife, Helen. Incredible woman. I spoke to her today. Devastated. And two precious daughters. He lost his life selflessly acting as a human shield to protect them from flying bullets. He went right over the top of them and was hit. What a fine man he was.
I want to thank the fire department and the family for sending his helmet, his outfit and it was just something, and they’re going to do something very special when they get it.
But we did something which cannot match what happened. Not even close. But I am very proud to say that over the past few days we’ve raised $6.3 million. For the families of David, James and Corey. Including from a friend of mine just — called up, he sent me a check, right here, just got it. One million dollars. From Dan Newlin, thank you, Dan.
And again, when speaking to the family, I told them, I said, “Well, I’m going to be sending a lot of money, but it can’t compensate.”
They all said the same thing: “You’re right, sir; we appreciate so much what you’re doing, but nothing can take the place, in the case of Corey.” And the other two. By the way, they were very, very seriously injured. But now they’re doing very well. They’re going to be OK. They’re going to be doing very well. They’re warriors.
So now, I ask that we observe a moment of silence in honor of our friend Corey. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for others. This is the spirit that forged America in her darkest hours. And this is the love that will lead America back to the summit of human achievement and greatness. This what we need.
Despite such a heinous attack, we unite this evening, more determined than ever. I am more determined than ever and so are you. So is everybody in this room.
He celebrated the performances of the family, friends, and supporters who preceded him at the convention. When he moved on, he expressed his desire to unify the country. His tone was conciliatory and aspirational: “I am here tonight to lay out a vision for the whole nation. To every citizen, whether you’re a young or old, man or woman, Democrat, Republican or Independent, Black or white, Asian or Hispanic, I extend to you a hand of loyalty and of friendship. Together, we will lead America to new heights of greatness like the world has never seen before.”
The first political issue he mentioned was the Democrats’ campaign of lawfare against him: “[W]e must not criminalize dissent or demonize political disagreement, which is what’s been happening in our country lately, at a level that nobody has ever seen before. In that spirit, the Democrat party should immediately stop weaponizing the justice system and labeling their political opponent as an enemy of democracy. Especially since that is not true. In fact, I am the one saving democracy for the people of our country.”
When he reached the opposition, he was slightly hobbled by ignorance of his opponent. Whom is he running against? We don’t know. He denounced the “failed leadership” of the current administration.
Past the personal account, the speech assumed the aspect of a Trump rally. It was undisciplined and overlong. It ran twice as long as it should have. It rambled. Less would have been more. Did anyone who isn’t already in Trump’s corner or professionally obligated to watch the speech make it to the end? In this respect it may represent a missed opportunity.
Trump nailed the issues: inflation, the invasion of illegal immigrants, the international crisis, the suppression of our own energy resources. Great in substances, he rambled here too, but I appreciated this:
[N]ext, we will end the ridiculous and actually incredible waste of taxpayer dollars that is fueling the inflation crisis. They’ve spent trillions of dollars of things having to do with the Green New Scam. It’s a scam. And that has caused tremendous inflationary pressures in addition to the cost of energy.
And all of the trillions of dollars that are sitting there not yet spent, we will redirect that money for important projects like roads, bridges, dams and we will not allow it to be spent on the meaningless Green New scam ideas.
And I will end the electric vehicle mandate on day one. Thereby saving the U.S. auto industry from complete obliteration, which is happening right now and saving U.S. customers thousands and thousands of dollars per car.
On foreign policy he gave us Trump versus Biden. Advantage Trump:
Our opponents inherited a world at peace and turned it into a planet of war. We’re in a planet of war. Look at that attack on Israel. Look at what’s happening with Ukraine. The cities are just bombed out. How can people live like that, where buildings, massive buildings are falling to the ground.
It began to unravel with the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, the worst humiliation in the history of our country. We have never had a humiliation like that. Thirteen heroic U.S. service members were tragically and needlessly killed. Forty-five others were horrifically wounded. Nobody ever talks about that. No arms, no legs, face explosions. Horrifically, horrifically wounded. And by the way, we have a man in this room who is running for the U.S. Senate from a great state, Nevada, named Sam Brown, who paid the ultimate price. Thank you, Sam. Thank you, Sam. Thank you. He paid the biggest price probably ever paid by anybody that is running for office, and I think he is going to do great. He’s running against a person that is not good, not respected. A total lightweight.
But Sam, I think, paid really —
We were talking about it with some of the senators that are working so hard for Sam. But he paid the biggest price of any senator ever to run for the Senate. I don’t think anybody has ever, what he did. He’s a real hero, a really great person. And he’s running and I hope that everybody gets out and votes for Sam Brown.
And we also left behind $85 billion dollars’ worth of military equipment, along with many American citizens were left behind. Many, many American citizens.
Emboldened by that disaster, Russia invaded Ukraine. They saw this group of people that were incompetent. We took the soldiers out first, no, no. We’re going to take the soldiers out second. If they would have followed my plan; we had a great plan. But the plan only kicked in if they did everything perfectly, and they weren’t doing things perfectly. So we said it doesn’t kick in. You know, 18 months in Afghanistan, we didn’t have one — they were killing them left and right, snipers. And I spoke to the head of the Taliban. You’ve heard this story. Abdul, still there. Still the head of the Taliban. The press got on me, “Why would you speak to him?” I said, “Because that’s where the killing is.” I don’t have to speak to somebody that has nothing to do with it.
And I told him: “Don’t ever do that. Don’t ever do that again. Don’t ever, ever do that again, you’re going to stop.” Because during the Obama administration, many great people and soldiers, a lot of soldiers, were being killed from long distance. I said, “If you keep doing that, you’re going to be hit harder than anybody has ever been hit by a country before.” And he said, “I understand, Your Excellency.” He called me “Your Excellency.” I wonder if he calls the other guy “Your Excellency.” I doubt it.
The other guy gave him everything. I mean, what kind of a deal was that? He walked out, gave him everything. You know that right now Afghanistan is one of the largest sellers of weapons in the world? They’re selling the brand-new, beautiful weapons that we gave them.
But think of it. He actually said to me, “But why, but why, do you show me a picture of my home?”
I said, “You’ll have to ask your people or one of your wives.”
But he could figure it out. And for 18 months we had not one attack on an American soldier by the Taliban. Eighteen months. And then we had that horrible day where soldiers were killed. I was not there because of a ridiculous election. But we had that horrible attack.
And they also gave up Bagram, one of the biggest bases anywhere in the world, air bases, anywhere in the world. The longest runways, most powerful hardened, thickened runways.
We gave it up. And I liked it not because of Afghanistan, I liked it because of China. It’s one hour away from where China makes their nuclear weapons. And you know who has it now? China has it now.
We were keeping that, and now China is likewise circling Taiwan, and Russian warships and nuclear submarines are operating 60 miles off the coast in Cuba. Do you know that? The press refuses to write about it. If that were me running this country and we had nuclear submarines in Cuba, I will tell you that headlines every day would be “What’s Wrong With Our President?”. You don’t even hear this. You’re not hearing about this. Russia has nuclear submarines and warships 60 miles away, Mr. Congressman. From Miami, by the way, happens to be here. Correct? In Cuba. That would not be stood for if it were somebody else. They don’t want to mention it, but now maybe they will.
He concluded this exposition of foreign policy issues on this Reaganite note: “And to the entire world, I tell you this, we want our hostages back — and they better be back before I assume office, or you will be paying a very big price.” In brevity there is strength.
Trump’s peroration hit the right notes:
We are Americans. Ambition is our heritage. Greatness is our birthright.
But as long as our energies are spent fighting each other, our destiny will remain out of reach. And that’s not acceptable. We must instead take that energy and use it to realize our country’s true potential — and write our own thrilling chapter of the American story. We can do it together. We will unite. We are going to come together and success will bring us together.
It is a story of love, sacrifice and so many other things. And remember the word: Devotion. It’s unmatched devotion. Our American ancestors crossed the Delaware, survived the icy winter at Valley Forge and defeated a mighty empire to establish our cherished republic.
They fought so hard, they lost so many. They pushed thousands and thousands of miles across a dangerous frontier, taming the wilderness to build a life and a magnificent home for their family. They packed their families into covered wagons, trekked across hazardous trails. Scaled towering mountains and braved rivers and rapids to stake their claim on the wide-open, new and very beautiful frontier. When our way of life was threatened, American patriots marched onto the battlefield, raced into enemy strongholds and stared down death — and stared down those enemies — to keep alive the flame of freedom. At Yorktown, Gettysburg, and Midway, they joined the roll call of immortal heroes. So many — just so many heroes, so many great, great people. And we have to cherish those people. We can’t forget those people. We have to cherish those people.
And building monuments to those great people is a good thing, not a bad thing. They saved our country. No challenge was too much. No hardship was too great. No enemy was too fierce. Together, these patriots soldiered on and endured, and they prevailed. Because they had faith in each other, faith in their country, and above all, they had faith in their God.
Just like our ancestors, we must now come together, rise above past differences. Any disagreements have to be put aside, and go forward united as one people, one nation, pledging allegiance to one great, beautiful — I think it’s so beautiful — American flag.
Tonight, I ask for your partnership, for your support and I am humbly asking for your vote. I want your vote. We’re going to make our country great again. Every day, I will strive to honor the trust you have placed in me, and I will never, ever let you down. I promise that. I will never let you down.
To all of the forgotten men and women who have been neglected, abandoned and left behind, you will be forgotten no longer. We will press forward, and together, we will win, win, win.
Win, win, win, win, win, win.
Nothing will sway us. Nothing will slow us. And no one will ever stop us.
No matter what dangers come our way, no matter what obstacles lie in our path, we will keep striving toward our shared and glorious destiny — and we will not fail. We will not fail.
Together, we will save this country, we will restore the republic, and we will usher in the rich and wonderful tomorrows that our people so truly deserve.
America’s future will be bigger, better, bolder, brighter, happier, stronger, freer, greater and more united than ever before.
And quite simply put, we will very quickly make America great again.
Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Wisconsin. God bless you, God bless you, Wisconsin, and God bless the United States of America, our great country. Thank you very much, everybody. Thank you.
I have gone on too long here myself. I urge interested readers to take in the video below.
