Trump warns of Indo-Pacific war, claims 'God on my side' after shooting
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The news: Former US President Donald Trump warns the spectre of "war like no other" hangs over the South China Sea, and claims "I had God on my side" after narrowly surviving a would-be assassin's bullet over the weekend.
The context: In a speech to the Republican National Convention (RNC), his first since escaping a deadly shooting at a campaign rally on Sunday, Trump initially attempted to strike an untypical conciliatory tone after eight years of divisive rhetoric.
The former president had said the attack led him to rip up his original convention keynote — a major tone-setter for presidential candidates — in favour of one focussing on unity, having previously threatened "retribution" for his supporters.
But Trump soon accused Democrats of “destroying our country”, weaponising the justice system – he was convicted by a New York court on 34 felony counts in May – and labelled former US Speaker Nancy Pelosi “crazy”.
Trump opened his speech by recounting the attack at length, though claimed it would be the last time he would do so because it was "too painful to tell". He said he understood "we were under attack" the moment the bullet grazed his ear. His followers repeatedly chanted "fight", which Trump himself mouthed immediately after the shooting.
Trump warned the spectre of "war like no other" hangs over Taiwan, Korea and the Philippines, as current conflicts blaze in Ukraine and Gaza.
The speech wrapped up the three-day RNC, in which Trump unveiled Ohio Senator JD Vance as his running mate.
It comes as US media published a flurry of reports suggesting US President Joe Biden is edging closer to dropping out of the race, after pressure from senior Democrats including Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi.
The numbers: Recent polling from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows Trump leading by 5% among likely voters, and in seven key states. Another showed 65% of Democrats want the president to drop out of the race.
What they said: "If I had not moved my head at that very last instant, the assassin's bullet would have perfectly hit its mark and I would not be here tonight. We would not be together," Trump said.
