MILWAUKEE — For GOP delegates on the floor at the Republican National Convention on Thursday night, the environment on the floor leading up to former President Donald Trump’s nomination acceptance speech was “thrilling” and almost magical.
Delegates told The Washington Times it felt like a historic moment in the convention hall, less than one week after a gunman attempted to assassinate Mr. Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
“It is a dream come true. That man is so extraordinary. I don’t even have words. He deserves all the gratitude, and his family deserves gratitude, too,” said Vicki Beis, 70, a delegate from Illinois.
“They’ve given up so much. He almost gave up his life, and it was just to save us and to save this country,” she said through tears. “I don’t even know if there are words to express the gratitude that I have for that man.”
The fourth night of the convention was capped off by a series of speakers who revved up the GOP crowd, including conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, former professional wrestler Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White.
Former Barack Obama adviser Van Jones, now a CNN senior political commentator, discussed the intense “spirit” and fervor in evidence among the energized attendees at the convention.
When fellow CNN contributor Scott Jennings spoke excitedly about the Thursday night lineup of speakers, Mr. Jones said: “This spirit that this guy [Mr. Jennings] has, you guys think it’s because he’s drunk. He’s not — this whole thing is like this.”
“The last time I was at a convention that felt like this was Obama 2008. There’s something happening,” he said.
GOP attendees said Mr. Trump’s brush with death was a big part of why the night felt so dynamic. Speakers through the week frequently wove the shocking incident into their remarks, routinely eliciting wild cheers from the overwhelmingly pro-Trump crowd.
“We’re ecstatic that our president, with God’s hand, ’dodged a bullet.’ That saying has never made more sense than today,” said Michael Schaefer, a delegate from Scottsdale, Arizona. “That’s brought great enthusiasm and hope to the people who are here.”
David Brown, an Iowa delegate from Des Moines, described the environment in the convention hall as “electrifying.”
“I think when you have that close of a brush with death, reality sets in, and people start losing all their pettiness,” he said. “I’m not talking about President Trump, I’m just talking about people across the board. It’s awesome.”
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
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