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Haley and DeSantis praise former rival Donald Trump at RNC

The former president entered the arena to a raucous ovation, just as he did yesterday in his first public appearance since a gunman tried to assassinate him on Saturday
The former president entered the arena to a raucous ovation, just as he did yesterday in his first public appearance since a gunman tried to assassinate him on Saturday

Donald Trump's former leading rivals for the Republican presidential nomination, Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis, have endorsed his candidacy at the party's convention, a display of unity three days after the former US president survived an assassination attempt.

Ms Haley, who had described Mr Trump as unelectable and unfit for office during her campaign, nevertheless urged her supporters to vote for him over Democratic President Joe Biden "for the sake of our nation".

"You don't have to agree with Trump 100% of the time to vote for him," the former UN ambassador and South Carolina governor said, after taking the stage to a mixture of cheers and boos.

"Take it from me."

Mr DeSantis, the conservative Florida governor whose campaign sputtered early in the year, received a warm welcome from the crowd as he attacked Mr Biden as too old for the job.

Mr Trump smiled and applauded from his box in the arena, where he sat alongside the running mate whose selection he unveiled, Senator JD Vance, himself a former fierce critic of the former president, who has become a staunch supporter.


Read more: JD Vance is a bold choice for VP, but can he win?


The show of harmony was intended to contrast with the Democratic Party, which has spent weeks mired in intraparty tensions over whether Mr Biden, 81, should abandon his re-election bid after his halting 27 June debate performance against the 78-year-old Republican candidate raised fresh questions about his age and mental acuity.

Ron DeSantis received a warm welcome at the RNC

The tenor of the evening's speeches in Milwaukee - centred on the theme of safety - was more aggressive than the first night, with speakers angrily denouncing Mr Biden's southern border policies as putting the country's security at risk.

Kari Lake and Bernie Moreno, who are running in high-profile US Senate races in Arizona and Ohio, respectively, and US Senator Ted Cruz of Texas all called the flow of migrants an "invasion."

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Mr Cruz delivered remarks suffused with Mr Trump's anti-immigrant rhetoric, blaming Democrats for what he said was a wave of violent crimes committed by migrants.

While border crossings reached record highs during Mr Biden's tenure, arrests dropped sharply in June after the president implemented a broad asylum ban.

Ms Haley had described Mr Trump as unelectable and unfit for office during her campaign

Mr Trump has vowed to crack down on illegal immigration and pledged to launch the largest deportation effort in US history, including the use of federal troops if necessary.

The divisive tone contradicted the message of national unity Mr Trump had promised to deliver this week after the shooting.


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The former president entered the arena to a raucous ovation, just as he did yesterday in his first public appearance since a gunman tried to assassinate him on Saturday at a Pennsylvania campaign rally.

The Republican was more ebullient than the night before, when he seemed emotional and more subdued than usual.

A heavily bandaged ear served as a reminder of how narrowly he survived the attempt.

The shooting intensified fears among Americans about the deeply divided state of the nation ahead of the 5 November election.

Authorities were still trying to identify a motive for the shooting. The 20-year-old gunman was killed at the scene by the US Secret Service.

Donald Trump was seated with his newly nominated running mate Senator JD Vance

Mr Vance, 39, the author of the bestselling memoir "Hillbilly Elegy," will deliver the headlining speech at his Presence on the ticket is likely to energise core Republican voters, but it is less clear whether he can appeal to more moderate voters, including independents.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll found 29% of US voters, including 52% of Republicans, had a favourable opinion of Mr Vance.

By comparison, 42% of registered voters and 81% of Democrats had a favourable view of Mr Biden's running mate, Vice President Kamala Harris.

In his first campaign speech since the assassination attempt, Mr Biden told black voters in Las Vegas that he was "all in" for his re-election campaign, again dismissing calls from some Democrats to step aside.

The four-day RNC will culminate with Mr Trump's prime-time address tomorrow, when he formally accepts the party's nomination to face Mr Biden in a rematch of their 2020 race.