As the world watched former President Donald Trump speak at a rally last week for the first time since his near-death experience, Black people were ready to see through his lies and condemn the Republican candidate’s racist rhetoric.
Could Donald Trump run for president from prison?
Could Donald Trump run for president from prison?
On Thursday, the fourth day of the Republican National Convention (RNC), President Trump made history by accepting the Republican nomination and delivering the longest speech in RNC history, breaking the record he set in 2020.
Many had hoped the assassination attempt on Trump would serve as a catalyst for uniting the nation against political violence, but the 90-minute speech proved there was nothing new about him apart from the bandages around his ears that he’d been fashionably wearing throughout the convention.
The Republican candidate began his speech by vowing that if elected, he would be “president of all of America, not just half of America.” His comments about unity were a departure from the former president’s usual rhetoric, but they didn’t last long.
Less than 20 minutes into his speech, President Trump continued to falsely claim that Democrats used COVID-19 to steal the 2020 election, likened immigrants to Dr. Hannibal Lecter and launched into countless scathing attacks on his rivals.
While Trump’s supporters gave his speech glowing reviews, social media painted a different picture, and Black people in particular had a lot to say about what this means for the future of America.
X-user @NicoleCiara__ called Trump “delusional” after he detailed the events leading up to and after the assassination attempt. In the aftermath of the shooting, many Black people were skeptical that the assassination attempt was staged or fabricated to garner support.
Other users compared Trump’s speaking performance to growing concerns over President Joe Biden’s health, with many Democrats saying his candidate had dropped out of the race due to his age. Trump mocked Biden during his speech, saying the president had done more damage to the country than the top 10 worst presidents in American history.
People were quick to condemn all the asides Trump made during the speech, which at times seemed to go completely off script and quickly turned his call for national unity into the former president’s familiar politically incorrect and divisive speeches.
As The Associated Press reports, with Biden sidelined by COVID-19, Trump has seized the opportunity to galvanize his supporters and prove he’s not only alive but ready to go in November, while Biden’s fate remains uncertain as his support within his own party falters.
If Biden were to decide to withdraw from the race with less than four months to go until November 4, it would leave a vacancy in the Democratic Party and raise questions about who would take the presidency.