Bruised, but undeterred, Donald Trump takes centre stage at GOP meet

MILWAUKEE: Donald Trump cements his hold on his Republican Party at its 2024 convention this week, having survived an assassination attempt and navigated legal tangles on the road to the party's presidential nomination.

During the four-day event beginning Monday, the former president will announce his choice for a running mate, having cited as frontrunners Ohio US Senator JD Vance, Florida US Senator Marco Rubio and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, all of whom will speak at the gathering. While the event in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, will be a festive affair to formally nominate Trump, it occurs at a tense moment in US history on the road to the November 5 election rematch between President Joe Biden, 81, and Trump, 78.

"This is a chance to bring the whole country, even the whole world, together. The speech will be a lot different than it would've been two days ago," Trump told the Washington Examiner.


Biden, in a televised address on Sunday, said: "There is no place in America for this kind of violence, for any violence ever. Period."

"The political rhetoric in this country has gotten very heated. It's time to cool it down."

Trump and Biden are locked in a close election rematch, according to most opinion polls including by Reuters/Ipsos. The shooting on Saturday whipsawed discussion around the presidential campaign, which had been focused on whether Biden should drop out following a halting June 27 debate performance.