MILWAUKEE — Many Republicans here in Milwaukee told us to expect a new, more introspective, somber and unifying message from former President Donald Trump on Thursday night. The attempt on his life, they argued, had changed him, mellowed him and refocused his attention on unifying the country. This newer, more disciplined, future-focused Trump, was going to add one more roadblock to President Joe Biden’s attempt to get out of the deep political hole he currently sits in.
But, while the first part of Trump’s speech was a compelling account of the harrowing attempt on his life Saturday and a thoughtful homage to the Pennsylvania firefighter who was killed at that rally, the rest of his 90-minute address reverted to the kind of polarizing and divisive rhetoric that marked his tenure as president. In between his scripted remarks, he called out “crazy Nancy Pelosi” and accused Democrats of using “COVID to cheat in the [2020] election.” He provided no real specifics on the policies he would implement in a second term, but was eager to remind his audience of the
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