MILWAUKEE — The economy was the focus of the first night of the Republican National Convention, but it was Donald Trump's first public appearance since the attempted assassination at his rally Saturday that stole the show.
Electricity pulsed through Fiserv Forum when Trump, wearing a large white bandage over his right ear, entered the venue. The crowd erupted into raucous cheers as Lee Greenwood performed "God Bless the U.S.A." — a song played at every Trump rally — in a moment that made a number of people in the crowd, including the former president's son Don Jr., emotional.
Imitating Trump's remarks after he was shot and stood back up, rally attendees shouted, "Fight! Fight! Fight!"
Most speakers stuck to the night's theme — "Make America Wealthy Again" — but interspersed through the night were mentions of the shooting and rhetoric that, at times, contradicted Trump's own calls for unity.
High inflation, and what the speakers said was the lackluster economy under President Joe Biden, was a key talking point throughout the night.
"Many families today are having that same experience," said North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, speaking of his experience growing up poor. "Grocery prices have skyrocketed, and gas has nearly doubled in North Carolina factories."
The fallout of an attempted assassination on the Republican presidential nominee has been felt at the convention, but on the first night it wasn't a main theme. The Trump campaign strategically picked which speakers would discuss the issue to prevent it from coming up in every speech, and it came in just a handful Monday night.
"Unfortunately, this is also a somber moment for our nation," said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. "Two days ago, evil came for the man we admire and love so much. I think God that his hand was on President Trump."
But the convention wasn't all about unifying the country; there was still plenty of red meat for the base that went after Democrats and other groups of people.
Greene, for example, also went after transgender rights. And Charlie Kirk, an outspoken Trump ally, urged Republicans to "fire the Biden-Harris regime."
"Our current state of slow-motion national decline is a choice," he said.
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