Trump wears bandage like badge of honor

Donald Trump wears bandage like badge of honor - but has shooting truly changed his outlook?
The convention has been more like a celebration as, since the attempted assassination, polls show he leads Joe Biden in all seven swing states.


Martha Kelner
US correspondent @marthakelner

Thursday 18 July 2024 19:58, UK

Former President Donald Trump gestures during the second night of the Republican National Convention at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wis., July 16, 2024. (Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images)
Image:
Donald Trump's bandage is a badge of honour. Pic: AP
Why you can trust Sky News
Inside the Republican National Convention, supporters of Donald Trump wear red ties and clutch MAGA 2024 hats - but there is a new addition to the costume.

At least a couple of people are now sporting fake large white bandages on their ears, a nod to the injury Mr Trump sustained in Saturday night's shooting.

Sponsored link
Florida: Say Bye to Your Car Insurance Bill if You Live in These Zip Codes
Florida: Say Bye to Your Car Insurance Bill if You Live in These Zip Codes
Otto Quotes
What is Outbrain
The full extent of the damage to the former president's ear is not yet clear.

Supporters cheer for Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump during the Republican National Convention Tuesday, July 16, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Image:
Pic: AP
JD Vance at the Republican National Convention. Pic: AP2:32
Play Video - Republicans bring the energy
Republicans bring the energy
His doctor Ronny Jackson says he is missing part of his upper right ear but we don't know if he is receiving ongoing treatment.

Whatever the long-term prognosis, Mr Trump's bandage is now perhaps his most powerful political prop. Since the attempted assassination, polls show he leads Joe Biden in all seven swing states.


The mood at Milwaukee's Fiserv arena, where the convention is taking place, is buoyant.

"Fight, fight, fight," says Debi Stotte from Texas, pumping her fist in the air, mimicking Mr Trump.

MORE ON DONALD TRUMP
Trump will address the Republican National Convention on Thursday evening.
Brush with a bullet, ear bandages and NATO gaffes: An extraordinary few weeks in US politics

The FBI named Thomas Matthew Crooks around seven hours after the alleged assassination attempt of Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania.
Trump gunman flew drone over rally site hours before shooting the former president

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy greets then US President Donald Trump in 2019. File pic: Reuters
Donald Trump and Zelenskyy have 'very good phone call' after Republican convention speech

Related Topics:
Donald Trump
Joe Biden
US Election 2024
"That's what he said, right? And he gets up like that and the first thing he thinks about is us - us, the people."

Erin Sweeney, from North Carolina, believes the shooting, followed by Mr Trump's out of character pleas for unity, will help him win over independent voters.


Advertisement
Delegates look at Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, foreground, during the second day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum, Tuesday, July 16, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Image:
Pic: AP
Follow Sky News on WhatsApp
Follow Sky News on WhatsApp
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

"An assassination attempt like that? My sense is it's having him reflect on what's really important and he's got to get this done," she says.

Mr Trump says he has revised his convention speech with de-escalation in mind.

"I want to try to unite our country, but I don't know if that's possible," he said on Sunday.

Republican National Convention. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Pic: Reuters
Trump will address the Republican National Convention on Thursday evening.4:04
Play Video - Photographer behind iconic Trump photo
Photographer behind iconic Trump photo.
He may be striking a conciliatory tone but the rhetoric inside the convention hall is familiar.

On Tuesday evening the theme was Make America Safe Again and delegates were whooping as they waved placards which read "Stop Biden's Border Bloodbath" in the air and angrily chanted "build that wall".

One woman tells me she believes the Biden administration was "behind" the shooting of Mr Trump, a baseless conspiracy theory catching fire online.

President Joe Biden speaks at the 115th NAACP National Convention in Las Vegas on Tuesday. (Photo: AP/Susan Walsh)1:11
Play Video - Biden calls for outlaw of gun that shot Trump
Biden calls for outlaw of gun that shot Trump
In Milwaukee, Mr Trump's son Donald Trump Jr has assumed a prominent role as a mouthpiece for the campaign. He insists his father's calls for unity were not just for show.

"He's going to be tough when he has to be," he said at an event for Axios.

"We've seen that, he's never gonna change. But I think there will be something. I think these are momentous occasions that change people permanently."

Read more:
Analysis: What could JD Vance mean for future of Ukraine and NATO?
Analysis: Trump has look of man who can't lose

Donald Trump's speech on Thursday will be the denouement of this convention.

It will be the first time he has spoken publicly since his brush with death.

But it may be months before this country discovers if it has truly changed his outlook.