'Every single moment that we have on Earth is a gift from God'
President Trump brings a message of historic UNITY to RNC
Amid flashing stage lights and a cadre of musical voices belting Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the USA, President Donald Trump stepped onstage at the Republican National Convention with a demure smile, looking with gratitude and solemnity upon a Milwaukee crowd peppered with Republican establishment elites and Wisconsin cheeseheads alike.
It was a poignant moment when the white stage lights deftly switched to a red, white, and blue backdrop depicting the White House. It was even more meaningful when the jacket of fallen former fire chief Corey Comperatore was wheeled on stage - a moment that brought me to tears.
Mr. Comperatore was shot and killed on Saturday, July 13, during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, by an assassin’s bullet that was meant for President Trump.
The president’s Republican nomination speech on Thursday night was not a mere formality - it was a miracle.
“I shouldn’t be here,” Trump said.
He told the audience that he only stood onstage tonight “by the grace of Almighty God.”
As he recounted his brush with death after surviving the assassination attempt, he talked slowly, his words measured and even. The president is not a man who wears his heart on his sleeve, but it seemed, at times, that he was close to tears.
“Every single moment we have on this earth is a gift from God,” he said.,
Sporting a large, square bandage on his ear, the audience was acutely reminded of just how incredibly close Mr. Trump came to dying on Saturday.
(Readers are likely aware that the assassin’s bullet ripped through his ear instead of his skull, thanks to the president’s last-minute decision to glance at a jumbotron displaying a graph of immigration statistics - it saved his life.)
It was clear as the president spoke that he was all too aware of how close he was to death.
In a truly moving moment, Trump stopped speaking and walked away from the podium, pausing to pay homage to Mr. Comperatore, who laid down his life while protecting his family from deadly bullets in Pennsylvania.
He kissed the fire chief’s helmet and returned to the podium with a pained expression on his face. It struck me while watching that I had never seen the president quite so serious or so intense.
“The truth is, the movement has never been about me,” he said. “The movement is about YOU.”
The crowd periodically broke into chants of “USA,” “TRUMP,” and “FIGHT!”
The president’s speech was preceded by a meaningful lineup of speakers, including Tucker Carlson, Eric Trump, Hulk Hogan (I never saw that coming, but I can’t say I didn’t find it entertaining!), and UFC CEO Dana White.
Kid Rock even graced the stage for a special rendition of “American Bad Ass” with a few original lines dedicated to President Trump.
There were other highlights, too:
President Trump sitting with his grandchildren,
Trump’s granddaughter, Carolina, sitting on his lap,
A graceful Melania Trump entering the arena, resplendent in a gorgeous red Dior skirt suit, looking radiant and relieved to be with her husband,
The Trump family - including Jared and Ivanka - standing together as a unified front,
A moment of silence observed for Mr. Comperatore,
Balloons - SO MANY BALLOONS!
“For too long our nation has settled for too little,” President Trump said. “You have been told to lower your expectations…your expectations are NOT BIG ENOUGH. It is time to start expecting MORE.”
He hinted at writing “our own thrilling chapter of the American story” and, as always, told the crowd: “SUCCESS WILL BRING US TOGETHER.”
The president’s speech was a reminder of things to come - a hint of a future that is focused on unity, brotherly love, and common sense policies aimed at protecting Americans and elevating the American dream.
President Trump’s presence at the RNC on Thursday night is a gift we should be thankful for. He is the driving force behind a movement in this country that represents a “story of love, sacrifice, and so many other things,” as he said.
“It’s unmatched devotion,” he stated.
Making America great again isn’t about politics. It’s about freedom. It’s about equality. It’s about preserving liberty for future generations. It’s about fighting for something bigger than ourselves and aiming for the impossible - and achieving it, because that is what Americans do.
President Donald Trump lives on, and so does his vision for this country.
2024 may very well be our generation’s 1776 moment, and with a strong leader like President Trump by our side - a man who is willing to take a bullet for this country - we are poised to kick-start the biggest comeback story in American history.
I’m all in.
Are you?
Visit President Donald Trump’s official website HERE.
I’m all in!