Trump to make first speech since assassination attempt at Republican party meeting

Former U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to make his first speech after an assassination attempt when Republicans gather for their party meeting in Milwaukee, United States. There is particular interest in the content of the speech, as it comes only a few days after Trump was shot in Pennsylvania during a campaign event.

Marko Maunula, a professor of U.S. history based in Atlanta, hopes that Trump will choose a constructive approach rather than reinforce enemy images. It is still uncertain when Trump will take the stage, but rumors suggest that he is rewriting his speech.

Maunula commented, “Hopefully, he will try to calm the situation. That would benefit Trump in terms of his support. An enemy-seeking speech would further fuel the flames.”

The divisions in American politics are so deep that the assassination attempt may not necessarily affect the presidential candidates’ support. Maunula notes that Trump has recently led the Democratic candidate, Joe Biden, in all support polls.

Maunula also points out that unfortunately, the United States has a long tradition of political violence. For example, Robert Kennedy was shot during his campaign in 1968 when he was a Democratic presidential candidate. George Wallace, the governor of Alabama, ran for president in 1968 and 1972, and in 1972 he was shot, which resulted in him being wheelchair-bound for the rest of his life.

Maunula added that the motives for political violence over time have been very similar: either the perpetrator has had a mental health disorder or there has been colored political radicalism in the background.

If the worst had happened to Trump over the weekend, it might not have directly affected the Republicans’ activities. This is because the party’s membership is very strongly pro-Trump. Maunula said, “The so-called anti-Trump people have been smoked out. They might have tried to take over the party again if Trump had died. That would have been a very difficult goal to achieve.”