Trump Derailed His Own Convention Speech

It began with as intensely personal an account as any presidential nominee has ever delivered — a step-by-step retelling of his near-death experience. And as soon as that narrative ended, it became… a Trump rally speech, with the prepared text delivered in a monotone worthy of a bus driver’s announcement, interrupted by lengthy ad lib riffs, jokes, shout-outs and a litany of “never seen anything like it” and “like never before.”

Even after what for anyone would be a life-changing experience, Trump remained Trump.

Some Republican allies had claimed he had become a changed man after the assassination attempt. The Trump campaign promised a convention that promoted unity. Trump himself said he ripped up his original speech and that he wouldn’t even mention by name his opponent President Joe Biden. None of it was true; Trump couldn’t help himself, not completely.