Has the attempt to kill Trump handed him the election? – podcast
As Republicans meet at their national convention this week, has the shooting of the former president altered the course of US politics? David Smith reports
It was supposed to be a celebratory week for the Republican party – with a convention in Milwaukee where Donald Trump would formally be announced as their presidential candidate, pick his running mate and talk about what he has planned if he wins the election. Instead, the party is reeling from the attempted assassination of Trump at a rally at the weekend.
Michael Safi hears how Trump has apparently ripped up the convention speech he was planning to make and will talk instead of the need for unity. President Biden has already called for calm and condemned political violence – but how long will this improvement in the political conversation hold?
David Smith is at the Republican National Convention, speaking to party members about how they feel about the near miss and what they think needs to change in US political culture. After Trump’s fist-pumping response to his brush with death, there is renewed admiration amongst his supporters. But will it change the course of the election?
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