RNC Day 4: Trump Delivers Speech At RNC To Accept 2024 GOP Nomination

Former President Donald Trump accepted the GOP nomination for president for the third time in a row on Thursday, closing out the Republican National Convention with his first speech since he was shot in a failed assassination attempt just days earlier.

Speaking for more than an hour and a half in what was the longest convention address in modern history, Trump struck an uncharacteristically somber tone to recount the fatal shooting at his rally in Pennsylvania before he transitioned into the kind of meandering address that is his staple.

With a bandage covering the wound where a sniper's bullet tore through his ear, Trump told Republican delegates in Milwaukee and a primetime television audience about his experience during the shooting, which left one rally attendee dead and two others wounded. 

"I am not supposed to be here tonight," he said. "I stand before you in this arena only by the grace of almighty God. And watching the reports over the last few days, many people say it was a providential moment. Probably was."

The rest of the speech featured an unfocused Trump riffing on the text in his prepared remarks, with an emphasis on the economy, inflation and the Biden administration's foreign policy. If elected, he vowed to implement large-scale deportations of undocumented immigrants, cut taxes and reassert American might abroad.

The remarks stretched past midnight on the East Coast, and Trump concluded by tying the attempt on his life to his campaign for the White House. 

"Nothing will sway us. Nothing will slow us. And no one will ever stop us," Trump said. "No matter what dangers come our way, no matter what obstacles lie in our path, we will keep striving toward our shared and glorious destiny — and we will not fail."

Here's what Trump said in his 2024 RNC speech:

Trump closes speech: "Nothing will sway us. Nothing will slow us. And no one will ever stop us"

The former president closed his speech by again mentioning Saturday's horrible scene.

"Just a few short days ago, my journey with you nearly ended, we know that," he said. "And yet here we are tonight, all gathered together, talking about the future, promise, and a total renewal of a thing we love very much, it's called America. We live in a world of miracles."

"None of us knows God's plan, or where life's adventure will take us," Trump added. "But if the events of last Saturday make anything clear, it is that every single moment we have on Earth is a gift from God. We have to make the most of every day for the people and for the country we love. The attacker in Pennsylvania wanted to stop our movement, but the truth is the movement has never been about me. It has always been about you." 

Trump said greatness is an American birthright, "but as long as our energies are spent fighting each other, our destiny will remain out of reach."

The former president nodded to ancestors who crossed the Delaware, survived an icy winter at Valley Forge and overcame many more challenges. 

"When our way of life was threatened, American patriots marched onto the battlefield, raced into enemy strongholds, and stared down death, and stared down those enemies to keep alive the flame of freedom," Trump said. 

The crowd started a chant of, "Win, win, win," and Trump joined. 

"Nothing will sway us. Nothing will slow us. And no one will ever stop us," Trump said. "No matter what dangers come our way, no matter what obstacles lie in our path, we will keep striving toward our shared and glorious destiny — and we will not fail. We will not fail."