For those conservative voters long turned off by former President Donald Trump's rhetoric, his somewhat softened tone in accepting the Republican nomination Thursday night was a welcome relief.
“He's much improved,” said Dave Struthers, a 57-year-old farmer from Collins, Iowa, after watching the beginning of Trump's speech in the basement of his farmhouse. “It's more of a conversation with the American people, rather than yelling at them.”
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Trump, who has a long history of divisive commentary, has said shoplifters should be immediately shot, suggested the United States’ top general be executed as a traitor and mocked Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi's husband, who was beaten with a hammer by a far-right conspiracy theorist.
But on Thursday night in Milwaukee, he sported a white bandage over his right ear, which was pierced by a bullet from a would-be assassin just days earlier, and spoke in a quieter, more relaxed tone for at least the first part of the speech. He described his experience of the shooting and called for an end to discord, division and demonization in national politics.
Nevertheless, many of his talking points remained familiar and his rhetoric grew more ascerbic as the 93-minute speech wore on. He claimed that Democrats are destroying America, derided the prosecutions against him as a partisan witch hunt, warned of an “invasion” at the U.S.-Mexico border and insisted, without evidence, that murder rates in Central and South American countries were down because they were sending their killers to the U.S.
The more muted delivery at the outset was enough to get Trump a second look from Erich Hazen, a 32-year-old art teacher in Milwaukee, who described himself as a longtime Democrat who supports abortion and LGBTQ+ rights. He said he's now considering a vote for Trump in November — surprising even himself.
“I feel like he’s calmed things down a bit more,” Hazen said. “Now that he’s a little more reserved, it’s making me feel more comfortable.”
“I’m normally not undecided, so this is a little bit strange for me,” he added. “But what I’ve seen from the other side hasn’t been impressive at all. He’s at least making coherent sentences.”
Jennifer Ryan Garnica, 52, who owns a store that sells Trump merchandise in Seal Beach, California, said she noticed an uptick in traffic in her store during the speech and thought people found it inspiring. She said the attempt on Trump’s life was an emotional experience for her and a change in tone was desperately needed.
“Our country has become so divided that we wish ill will on each other,” Garnica said.
Struthers, a Republican who raises pigs and grows soybean and corn, supported Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis during the caucuses. He said that while he appreciated some of Trump's policies as president, his trade war with China hurt agriculture — including soybean sales, as that country is an important customer.
The speech didn't win over everyone, however.
“I don’t think he sounds any different than he did before the assassination attempt,” said John Frank, a 25–year-old designer in Milwaukee and self-described libertarian.
Frank said he does not plan to vote in November but nonetheless met up with a friend to watch the speech because "we didn’t want to miss something big happening in Milwaukee.”
Inside the secure zone around the convention, attendees packed a pub called Drink Wisconsinbly and sang along to “Proud to Be an American” as they watched Trump take center stage on the television screens around the bar.
All week, Max Bradshaw, the bar's general manager, said he’s noticed a softened tone in Trump and other party leaders after the attempted assassination. Bradshaw declined to give his own view of Trump and said there's a diversity of political beliefs among his staff, “but this whole week everybody’s been neutral.”
“It seems like we’re all coming a little bit more together, so regardless of what’s happening politically, I still feel more togetherness right now,” he said. “I’m very happy about that.”
Outside the pub Liam Stanton, 29, said he feels increasingly out of place in America’s two-party system, calling both parties “pathetic.” He described himself as a Bernie Sanders supporter who in previous presidential elections has voted for both Republicans and, once, a Democrat.
Despite agreeing with the Democratic Party’s “pro-immigrant views,” Stanton said he plans to vote for Trump. He sees President Joe Biden as “incoherent” and out-of-touch.
Still, Stanton wasn’t impressed by Trump’s speech and said he only attended the convention because a friend had free guest passes.
“I was hoping he would be spicier, to be honest with you,” Stanton said.
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Johnson reported from Seattle. Jeff Roberson in St. Charles, Missouri; Ashley Landis in Seal Beach, California; and Charlie Neibergall in Collins, Iowa, contributed.