MILWAUKEE – A day after surviving an assassination attempt, former President Donald Trump was scheduled to travel to the convention city on Sunday to pick his running mate and accept the Republican Party’s formal nomination.
Trump said on Truth Social that he had initially planned to postpone his visit to Wisconsin for two days because of Saturday’s shooting, but then changed his mind..
“[I]have decided that I cannot allow a ‘gunman’ or potential assassin to force schedule or other changes,” Trump said.
President Trump thanked people for their prayers and said in an earlier Truth Social post that “only God prevented the unthinkable.”
The shocking attack came ahead of a big week for President Trump and Republican leaders. Trump and aides have said they want to name a running mate at the party’s convention, possibly as soon as Monday, with the list of finalists including Sens. J.D. Vance of Ohio, Marco Rubio of Florida and Gov. Doug Burgum of North Dakota.
Trump is expected to defeat his opponent in this year’s Republican primary and receive the Republican nomination for president for the third time.
Many of the former president’s family members are still recovering from the shooting and are planning to travel to Milwaukee for the convention. It is unclear whether former first lady Melania Trump will speak, but she is expected to attend with her husband.
The former first lady urged Americans to “rise above the simplistic mindsets that breed hatred, malice and violence. We all want a world where respect is above all else, where family comes first and where love transcends.”
The former president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., is due to speak at this year’s Republican National Convention. He responded to the shooting in a post on X, specifically criticizing President Joe Biden’s comments about Trump’s vow to be a “dictator” and his frequent references to the former president as a threat to American democracy.
Trump spent the first half of Sunday at his Bedminster, New Jersey, home and golf club recovering after being shot in the ear. In the hours since his injury, Trump met with world leaders, including President Biden and Britain’s new Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
“We pray for the recovery of those injured and our hearts are with the civilians who were so tragically killed. At this moment, it is more important than ever that we come together, show our true American character, remain strong and determined and do not let evil win,” Trump said Sunday morning.
