Former President Donald Trump had no intention of mentioning President Joe Biden during his speech at the Republican National Convention tonight, but he did so twice. “I’m not going to use the name anymore, just one time,” Trump stated after saying “Biden.” Then he promptly repeated it.
Trump lambasted his “opponents” and “the horrible, horrible administration” for transforming “unprecedented success into unparalleled and failure,” targeting Biden administration policies throughout the latter half of his address. However, Trump mostly refrained from naming Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris directly, only doing so once when he seemed to veer off script. His prepared speech did not include the president or vice president, and his campaign informed reporters he would not mention Biden by name.
That marks a slight shift for the former president, who is known for mocking, nicknaming, and shaming his rivals. During his RNC speech in 2020, Trump mentioned Biden by name numerous times, criticizing his opponent as “weak” and his record as “shameful.” Just last month, following Biden’s disastrous debate performance, Trump called him “crooked Joe Biden” and “the most incompetent president” in U.S. history at a rally in Virginia.
But following the assassination attempt on Trump Saturday and amid bipartisan appeals to lower the political temperature, Trump altered his remarks. His initial speech was a “humdinger” that critiqued Biden’s policies, he told the Washington Examiner. His revised speech, he said, would be “a chance to bring the country together.”
The decision to tone down his criticism of the presumptive Democratic nominee at the climax of the RNC in Milwaukee comes as Biden’s situation seems dire. Increasing numbers of congressional Democrats are publicly calling for the president to step aside due to concerns about his mental acuity and his ability to win the election, with party leaders reportedly urging him to consider resigning. Trump has mostly stayed silent on Biden’s predicament, observing as the Democratic party turns on itself, though he predicted on Fox’s “Hannity” earlier this month that Biden would remain in the race because, he said, “he’s got an ego and he doesn’t want to quit.”
{Matzav.com}
