ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

Former President Donald Trump accepted the GOP nomination for the third time last night at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. He delivered the longest convention speech in history. At first, Trump showed some vulnerability while recounting what happened during Saturday’s assassination attempt. And then he quickly moved on from any message of unity to a litany of familiar grievances that have marked his campaign trail appearances. NPR’s Franco Ordoñez has covered the campaign and the convention, and he’s in Milwaukee. Hi, Franco.

FRANCO ORDOÑEZ, BYLINE: Hey, Ari.

SHAPIRO: The first 20 minutes of the speech or thereabouts were about the shooting. How did the crowd respond to that part?

ORDOÑEZ: I mean, they were really holding onto their seats. And, you know, I will say for that first beginning, I mean, it was a softer, more personal version of Trump than at least I’ve ever seen. I mean, he went into some pretty harrowing details about hearing and then feeling the bullet pierce his skin and then seeing the blood, you know, dripping down his ear.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

DONALD TRUMP: If I had not moved my head at that very last instant, the assassin’s bullet would have perfectly hit its mark. And I would not be here tonight. We would not be together.

ORDOÑEZ: You know, it was about as quiet as I could imagine, you know, a full arena can get. You know, there were tears. There were some gasps. I mean, it was an effective speech. I mean, the crowd was really right there with Trump.

SHAPIRO: Well, after those 20 minutes, there was still more than an hour left of his speech, and there had been a lot of talk about how he’d rewritten his remarks to be about national unity. How much was that actually the case?

ORDOÑEZ: I mean, he did call for unity. He said it was the time for Americans to come together.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

TRUMP: I am running to be president for all of America, not half of America.

ORDOÑEZ: But, you know, it was the kind of statement that so many other presidents have made over and over again. You know, it wasn’t so original. And then he quickly abandoned that message. I mean, really, the majority of his speech was pretty dark and meandering. I mean, he went off script so many times, where he dished out all those familiar attacks and promises – an invasion on the border, the largest deportation operation in history. He talked about political witch hunts. He again falsely claimed that the 2020 election was rigged, despite so many investigations and the courts saying there was no fraud.

SHAPIRO: And in the run-up to his remarks, the other speakers, the imagery – they were different from what you would see in a typical convention. Tell us about it.

ORDOÑEZ: Yeah, definitely. I mean, for example, it’s usually the candidate’s spouse introducing the nominee, you know, a chance to show the candidate’s human side. And while there was that, it wasn’t from Melania Trump. She did not introduce Trump. She didn’t speak at all. Instead, Trump was introduced by Dana White, the president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. You know, in addition to him, there was Hulk Hogan there, when he ripped off his shirt to reveal his endorsement, a T-shirt with Trump and Vance on it. You know, it had kind of a wrestling championship feel. I mean, this was really – a big part of this was spectacle.

But, you know, I think a lot about those guys, and I think about other speakers. I mean, this was just such an interesting convention because it really showed how this was so centered around Trump. You wouldn’t imagine them at a Republican convention. You would also not imagine someone like a union boss speaking at a Republican convention like this. These were people that were not united by party ideology but united by Trump.

SHAPIRO: Meanwhile, the calls for President Biden to step aside have continued to grow. We’re going to hear more specifics in another part of the program. But how did that affect the convention?

ORDOÑEZ: You know, I’d say it fueled the confidence inside the arena. There was kind of this feeling of inevitability. And it’s, you know, fueling the campaign, as well. When pressed about unity, campaign officials bragged to me about how they were unified while Democrats were kind of in disarray. And while they prepare to run, you know, they were – they’re dealing with this. But I will say, as we heard in the speech, that doesn’t mean Trump is going to let up. I’m really interested to watch tomorrow when he gives his speech in Grand Rapids, Mich., and see how his message evolves.

SHAPIRO: That’s NPR’s Franco Ordoñez reporting from Milwaukee. Thank you.

ORDOÑEZ: Thank you, Ari.

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