MILWAUKEE, WI—Eric Trump, the chosen chair of the Florida delegation at the Republican National Convention, lauded the "divine intervention" sparing his father's life, blasted President Biden's mental state, and called out "cheating" Democrats.
In other words, the party's reinvigorated platform following Trump's near-death experience.
"It absolutely is divine [intervention]. I'm not a mushy person—it is divine intervention. What happened there should have never happened," said Trump, the second son to the former president, at the Sunshine State Breakfast Tuesday morning; the second day of the four-day convention hosted in Milwaukee. He claimed that an emergency room doctor he spoke to had treated thousands of gunshot wounds and "had never seen a bullet graze somebody like that."
He referenced the attempt on Trump's life Saturday evening, when 20-year-old Thomas Crooks fired bullets from an AR-style rifle at a Butler, Pennsylvania rally, killing one attendee, critically injuring two others, and grazing the former president's ear.
"The flag curled up and looked like a perfect angel," added the younger Trump.
He pivoted to Biden and the Democrats, slamming the U.S. judicial system for finding Trump guilty on 34 felony counts for hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels, likening the court to Venezuela or some "dictatorship-run" country while touting a Trump victory in Florida when Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed his documents case Monday afternoon.
"I've never been more confident that we're going to win—they can't hide Biden anymore," Trump continued, taking aim at the President's dire debate performance. "They can't cover up for him anymore. They can't cover his gaffes."
However, he says, Republicans must be on guard for what he calls the "October surprise", or when Democrats "spring something on you [that is] so sensational that it buries you, but it's something that you don't have enough time to disprove. In the civilian world, we would call that slander, but in the Democratic world, they call that the October surprise."
In October 2016, an Access Hollywood tape featuring Donald Trump saying he can "grab [women] by the p***y" was released, though at the end of the month, then-FBI director James Comey announced Hillary Clinton's private email server would be investigated. This "October surprise" worked in the Republicans' favor, decreasing Clinton's lead from five points to under two points.
In October 2020, Hunter Biden's laptop became the newly-released focal point, though the shock Republicans hoped for didn't translate at the polls. However, Trump says, Democrats cheat.
"These people cheat, and I don't care what anybody says—we all know it. These people cheat and they're willing to do anything," he said, bringing up Trump's impeachments over "nonsense".
"There's a new momentum in the air. After 9/11 every American was flying an American flag outside their home...America came together in a massive way, and I certainly hope—as horrible and as close as this was—I certainly hope that can be one of these kinds of benchmarks in life where that can happen," Trump said.
The convention began on Monday and will end on Thursday, with Trump expected to speak on the final day. As for Florida, Governor DeSantis and Senator Rick Scott will address the delegation tonight.
