On the fourth and final day of the Republican National Convention, former President Donald Trump gave a highly anticipated speech, which he said beforehand would call for unity following his assassination attempt.
However in his first speech since the incident, Trump leaned into his usual talking points, slamming President Joe Biden, Democrats and other critics on a wide variety of issues from the economy, immigration and crime.
For over an hour, Trump went off script much to the crowd's delight. The former president told them he was grateful for their support after his brush with death but argued that the country needed to be fixed due to Biden's policies.
The night also included wild speeches from guests such as Hulk Hogan and Eric Trump, who echoed some of the former president's rhetoric bashing Biden and the Democrats.
Republicans at RNC blame Biden for inflation. Economists say it's misleading
Speakers at the Republican National Convention this week have faulted the Biden administration for putting the nation at risk from threats that include criminals, illicit drugs -- and high prices.
Some economists who spoke to ABC News took issue with the blame placed on President Joe Biden as an overstatement of his role in the price spike.
"There's a long list of reasons for the high inflation. At the top of the list is the pandemic and the Russian war," Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics, told ABC News.
Vance shares faith journey at Faith and Freedom breakfast
Speaking at the Faith and Freedom breakfast Thursday morning, vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance shared his faith journey with the attendees, saying his faith was "shallow" when he was a child and evolved into more over time.
"I was raised, as I mentioned last night, by my mamaw who, despite the fact that she loved the F word, was a woman a very deep Christian faith. And you know, she was in some ways what you might call 'unchurched,'" Vance said.
"We went to church maybe once or twice a month, sometimes less, sometimes more. But she read the Bible every single day. She prayed every single day. She loved to watch Billy Graham whenever he was on the TV and that was really my introduction to the Christian faith," Vance continued.
US Senator from Ohio and 2024 Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance waves from stage during the third day of the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wis., on July 17, 2024.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images
When Vance went on to higher education, he began calling himself an atheist. However, Vance said he decided to learn more about his Christian faith when he met his wife at Yale Law School, who does not share his faith.
"But to me, what really brought me back to Christ was finding a wife and falling in love and thinking about my thinking about what was required of me as a husband and as a father," Vance said.
"And the more that I thought about those deeper questions, the more that I thought that there was wisdom in the Christian faith that I had completely discarded and completely ignored but was most relevant to the questions that were presented in my life as a husband and father."
-ABC News' Hannah Demissie
Jul 18, 2024, 10:50 AM EDT
'Hillbilly Elegy' continues to climb Netflix's charts
Netflix's movie "Hillbilly Elegy," based on Sen. JD Vance's memoir, continues to climb the charts following Vance being named Donald Trump's running mate.
It's now ranked No. 2 on Netflix. On Wednesday, it was ranked No. 4; on Tuesday, it was ranked No. 6.
-ABC News' Hannah Demissie
Jul 18, 2024, 10:38 AM EDT
In RNC keynote, Trump says he'll stress 'unity' after assassination attempt
Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump gestures on Day 3 of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, July 17, 2024.
Callaghan O'hare/Reuters
Trump will formally accept the GOP presidential nomination Thursday night and deliver his first speech since Saturday's assassination attempt, capping off an ebullient Republican convention at a time of heightened political uncertainty -- and now he says he will push for a more unifying message.
Such a tone would mark a departure both for Trump individually and for American politics writ large, though operatives and conventiongoers alike predicted a more subdued speech focused on uniting the country, with the nation captivated by news of the attempt on the former president's life in Butler, Pennsylvania.
"I think he's a changed man. Anytime you come within millimeters of your life, that has an effect," said Bryan Lanza, a former Trump campaign official who remains in touch with his current team. "I think, from his standpoint, he doesn't want to be a divisive figure. He wants to be a unifying figure at a time that the country is desperately seeking unity and needs unity."
