Did we see a “new” Donald Trump last night, focused on unity after the assassination attempt on his life? Yes we did, especially for the first half-hour of his acceptance speech at the Republican national convention.
Did we see the “old” Trump? To a certain extent, yes too over the following hour. But even then, Trump dispensed with his usual bombast and put aside the name-calling to deliver a compelling — if long — speech that focused understandably on divine providence and his blessings in the moment, as well as the issues in the campaign.
“I’m not supposed to be here,” he said early in the speech to emotional delegates. When they chanted back “Yes you are!”, he smiled and waited them out and answered, “Thank you. No, I’m not.”
Trump spent an extraordinary half-hour recounting the events of last Saturday in Butler County, PA in what he promised would be the first and last time….
