Just days after the assassination attempt, former President Donald Trump spoke at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for 92 minutes, past midnight Eastern time, breaking the record for the longest nomination acceptance speech in history.
ABC News and other media reported the 92-minute speech as a record. Trump often improvises for more than an hour at campaign rallies, but doing so in the middle of the night after the attempted assassination showed he was coming out stronger than ever.
Donald Trump tonight set a new record for the longest presidential acceptance speech in history, and he holds records in other major venues as well.
1: President Trump’s speech tonight, 1:31:55
2: President Trump’s speech at the 2016 Republican Convention, 1:14:40.
#3: President Trump’s 2020 Inaugural Address,…
— Norah O’Donnell (@NorahODonnell) July 19, 2024
The contrast with President Joe Biden was unspoken but clear: While aides suggested Biden was only at his best between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and Biden also openly said he went to bed early, Trump showed off his stamina.
CNN panned the speech, with Van Jones quipping, “Trump averted a crisis on Saturday. The Democrats averted a crisis tonight,” and other panelists echoed this, criticizing the second half of the speech as merely a collection of Trump’s “greatest hits.”
Attendees agreed the opening section of the speech was riveting, as Trump recounted his experience surviving an assassination attempt and paid tribute to firefighter Corey Coperatore, who was killed in a hail of bullets.
But CNN panelists were confident that Trump’s rhetorical return would not pique the interest of voters watching at home, even though he only used the word “Biden” once and spent far less time than usual attacking his opponent.
For Trump’s fans, his ear was still bandaged and he appeared to be walking slower since last Saturday’s horrific attack, but his return to his normal self, including making self-deprecating jokes, was a signal that he was indeed OK.
And for an audience for whom the Republican National Convention was as much a bonding experience as it was a political rally, Trump’s speech prolonged the joy of a week that will be missed when it’s over.
Joel B. Pollack is executive editor of Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday The show airs Sunday nights from 7 to 10 p.m. (4 to 7 p.m. ET) on SiriusXM Patriot. He is the author of “Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days,” which is available for preorder on Amazon. He also wrote,Trumpian virtue: The lessons and legacy of Donald Trump’s presidency” is available on Audible. He is the 2018 recipient of the Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter. Joel Pollack.
