Trump shooting, RNC Convention latest: Wounded Donald Trump arrives at convention to standing ovation, Musk pledges $66m a month for Trump bid

Republican nominee Donald Trump, sporting a bandaged ear, receives a standing ovation from a packed convention, as running mate JD Vance reveals his plea to 'help save the country' and Elon Musk backs new pro-Trump super political-action committee.

Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump arrives on the first day of the Republican National Convention. Picture: Getty Images via AFP)

Welcome to The Australian's rolling coverage of the aftermath of assassination attempt on Donald Trump and the Republican National Convention which is underway in Milwaukee.

Here are the main developments you need to know about. 

• Donald Trump arrived at the Republican National Convention to a cheering, packed house.
• Elon Musk will inject more than $66m a month to political committee aimed at countering Democrat spending on mobilising voters.
• US President Joe Biden has admitted in a TV interview that he 'screwed up' the debate, while defending his age and mental acuity. He also admitted at it was a mistake to call for Trump to be put in the 'bullseye' days before the assassination attempt.
• Donald Trump has chosen 39-year-old JD Vance as his vice presidential running mate, a conservative populist who was once a Trump critic but has since become one of the former president’s closest allies.
• Biden called Vance a 'Trump clone' as his campaign began a new fundraising push targeting Vance as the 'poster child for Project 2025'.
• A federal judge has dismissed the classified documents prosecution against Trump.

Updates

7:54 pm July 16, 2024 Highlight

Abbott supports Trump's VP pick, attacks Biden

Staff writers

Donald Trump's selection of JD Vance as his presumptive vice-presidential nominee has garnered praise from former prime minister Tony Abbott, who believes Mr Vance will invigorate the Republican Party and bring about "generational change".

Mr Vance, a US senator who became famous for his memoir "Hillbilly Elegy" about his hometown of Middletown, Ohio, and in 2016 said Mr Trump could be "America's Hitler", has since established himself as a staunch conservative and Trump ally.

Mr Abbott praised Trump's decision as both strategic and "magnanimous," but acknowledged that Mr Vance had not always been an ardent supporter of Mr Trump.

"I think Trump has shown a degree of magnanimity and a degree of farsightedness in picking someone who is a couple of generations below him, and I think this is a welcome sign of renewal on the part of the Republicans, and hopefully for the American system more generally," Mr Abbott told Sky News.

He also critiqued the Democratic leadership, arguing that a political party must offer viable choices to be taken seriously.

"I can't believe a credible political party would persist with someone who, regardless of his meritorious service over the years, and regardless of the current difficulty of change, is plainly past his prime.

"Let's face it, this guy (President Joe Biden) is the leader of the free world. In effect, he's our president, as well as America's president, and I just think it's incumbent on a political party that wants to be taken seriously to give the public a viable choice because right now, Biden looks bigger than the Democrats."

– Mohammad Alfares

5:26 pm July 16, 2024

Secret Service faces scrutiny

Agency writers

United States Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle. Picture: AFP

The Secret Service has faced heavy scrutiny for not stopping a would-be assassin from shooting at Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. At the heart of what will be a torrent of investigations: How was a 20-year-old lone shooter able to take up an exposed firing position on an open rooftop not much more than a football field away from the former president? Lawmakers plan public hearings to look into the security failure.

Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle released her first statement since the Saturday attack, saying Monday morning (local time) that the agency will work with Congress “on any oversight action” and that it has implemented changes to Donald Trump’s security detail since Saturday.

“I am confident in the security plan our Secret Service RNC coordinator and our partners have put in place, which we have reviewed and strengthened in the wake of Saturday’s shooting,” Ms Cheatle wrote. Ms Cheatle said she has been “in constant contact” with Pennsylvania Secret Service personnel, and that she briefed President Joe Biden on the shooting’s details.

– The Wall Street Journal

5:17 pm July 16, 2024

Shooting victim's widow rejects call from Biden

Staff writers

Corey Comperatore (pictured with his wife Helen) was killed at the Donald Trump rally. Picture: Facebook

The widow of Corey Comperatore, the firefighter killed by would-be Donald Trump assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks, has refused to speak with President Joe Biden when he called, the New York Post reports.

Mr Comperatore, a beloved volunteer firefighter and father of two, was killed when Crooks opened fire at Mr Trump at the former president's rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday (local time).

Helen Comperatore told the New York Post she wanted nothing to do with Mr Biden when he called after the tragedy.

"I didn't talk to Biden, I didn't want to talk to him. My husband was a devout Republican and he would not have wanted me to talk to him," she said.

She said Mr Trump had not reached out, but Mr Biden's call was "not welcome".

"I support Trump, that's who I'm voting for. But I don't have ill will towards Biden," she added. "He didn't do anything bad to my husband, a 20-year-old despicable kid did."

– Mohammad Alfares

4:20 pm July 16, 2024

Senator wants Jack Black's band deported over 'evil' joke

Staff writers

United Australia Party senator Ralph Babet has called on the federal government to deport Jack Black's band, Tenacious D, after the Hollywood actor's bandmate "wished for the death of the president" during a concert in Sydney.

Black's bandmate Kyle Gass made the comment about the assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump during the comedy-rock duo's concert at Sydney's ICC Theatre on Sunday night, which also happened to be his 64th birthday.

In footage shared on social media, Black presents Gass with a birthday cake on stage and asks him to "make a wish".

"Don't miss Trump next time," Gass joked before the crowd burst in laughter.

In a statement, Senator Babet did not make light of the joke and condemned the act, calling for the duo to be immediately deported from Australia.

"To advocate and or wish for the assassination of a President is egregious, disgusting, filthy, evil, and not acceptable in any way, shape or form," Senator Babet said.

"This was not a joke, he was deadly serious when he wished for the death of the President."

Senator Babet called on Immigration Minister Andrew Giles to revoke the pair's visas immediately.

"Australia wrongly locked up Novak Djokovic and deported him because he allegedly undermined public trust in vaccination. Allowing Tenacious D to remain in Australia after calling for the death of a President is unthinkable, and it affirms the weakness of our current Prime Minister."

The band's Newcastle show, which was scheduled for Tuesday night, has reportedly been postponed.

– Mohammad Alfares

3:26 pm July 16, 2024

Japan urges security 'vigilance' after Trump shooting

Agency writers

Japan’s national police agency has issued a reminder to ensure proper security at public events involving politicians following the shooting of Donald Trump, the government said.

The attempted assassination of the former US president on Saturday brought back memories in Japan of the traumatising 2022 killing of former prime minister Shinzo Abe.

The attempt on Trump’s life prompted Japan’s National Police Agency (NPA) to “instruct police forces nationwide to renew their vigilance in the vicinity of stump speech sites”, top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters.

Japan has been ratcheting up its VIP security measures since the deadly shooting of Abe, which blindsided police in a nation where gun violence is extremely rare.

It eventually led to the resignation of the NPA chief, Itaru Nakamura, after he admitted there were “shortcomings in the security plans and the risk assessments on which they were based”.

Less than a year later, an explosive was hurled toward Fumio Kishida, the current prime minister, on the campaign trail just as Japan was hosting two G7 ministerial meetings.

Kishida survived the attack unscathed, but it was nonetheless a sobering reminder of “how the sites of stump speeches by high-ranking officials can become dangerous places", Hayashi said.

He also echoed Kishida’s comments on Sunday condemning the attack on Trump as an “intolerable act of violence that challenges democracy”.

“We must be resolute and stand up against it,” he said.

– AFP

1:31 pm July 16, 2024

A final prayer for Trump as first night ends

Staff writers

People cheer as Donald Trump, right, J.D. Vance and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, all seen from behind, appear on the first day of the Republican National Convention . Picture: Getty Images via AFP

The night at the Republican National Convention wound down with a prayer from a pastor who first broke into a Donald Trump impression.

“You’re going to be so blessed. You’re going to be tired of being blessed, I guarantee it,” the pastor said.

Mr Trump broke into a wide smile. The pastor thanked God for keeping Mr Trump safe on Saturday and he noted the families affected by the violence.

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley congratulated Senator Vance and Mr Trump. “We love Trump, we love Trump,” the crowd shouted as the day came to a conclusion.

– The Wall Street Journal

12:58 pm July 16, 2024

Amber Rose's journey from anti-Trump to true believer

Agency writers

US model and rapper Amber Rose speaks during the first day of the 2024 Republican National Convention. Picture: AFP

Donald Trump watched several speakers, including the influencer Amber Rose, who described a journey of being anti-Trump to supporting him. “These are my people, this is where I belong,” she said.

A Hispanic woman, Linda Fornos, said she voted for President Biden in 2020. “I’m sorry,” she said as boos rang out. She lamented how her child at school learned about pronouns.

Perhaps the biggest applause came for Sean O’Brien, president of the Teamsters, the last major speaker of the night. He highlighted how he was the first leader from the union to address a Republican convention.

O’Brien praised Trump for “having the backbone to open the doors of this convention” for a union leader. “He has proven to be one tough S.O.B,” O’Brien said, referencing Saturday’s attack in Pennsylvania.

The Teamsters haven’t endorsed a candidate. Trump has made inroads with rank and file union members, as he hammers away at an “America First” agenda.

– Wall Street Journal

12:54 pm July 16, 2024

Republican luminaries line up to sing Trump's praises

Agency writers

Tonight is the night of the almost-maybe short-listers for vice president, with a series of GOP luminaries taking the stage.

A more relaxed Sen. Katie Britt (R., Ala.) – who had a poorly received State of the Union response earlier this year – told the crowd: “We need to change the direction of our nation and Donald Trump is the change we need.”

Sen. Tim Scott (R., S.C), who was seen at times as a possible Trump vice president, dubbed Trump an “American lion” who roared after surviving an assassination attempt.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R., Ga.), one of Trump’s fiercest supporters, called the nomination a “celebration” and saw divine intervention in Trump's survival.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin embraced Trump lore as the "outsider businessman who stepped out of his career to rebuild a great nation.”

South Dakota's Republican Gov. Kristi Noem called Trump "the toughest man that I have ever met."

– Wall Street Journal

12:51 pm July 16, 2024

Hillbilly Elegy roars to No. 1 on bestsellers list

Agency writers

Glenn Close and Amy Adams in the film Hillbilly Elegy (2020). Director Ron Howard

“Hillbilly Elegy,” Senator JD Vance's bestselling memoir, is topping the charts once again.

The book surged to No. 1 on Amazon's best-seller list on Monday, soon after former President Donald Trump named Vance as his running mate.

Prior to Trump's VP announcement, Vance's book was No. 220 on Amazon's list earlier in the day, according to the Associated Press.

Vance came to national prominence with his memoir, published in 2016, about growing up in working-class America. The book became a hit months before Trump won the 2016 presidential election.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal in 2016, Vance said of the book: “I think it speaks to a couple of things: First, that people are really curious about the anger and frustration of the white working class; second, that members of the white working class have been hungry to have someone tell their story.”

– Wall Street Journal

12:42 pm July 16, 2024

'Fight. Fight. Fight ... We love Trump': chants fill arena

Agency writers

Donald Trump, with a bandage on his right ear, made his first major public appearance since Saturday’s shooting, walking on to an in-person version of “God Bless the USA” (also known as “Proud to Be an American”) by singer Lee Greenwood.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the 45th president of the United States and soon to be the 47th President of the United States,” Greenwood said.

Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, shook hands and took a spot in the front row of a VIP box. Joining him was Tucker Carlson, Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.).

Chants of “USA” filled the arena. Then “fight, fight, fight” – the words Trump used after the assassination attempt Saturday in Butler, Pa. “We love Trump,” the audience then chanted.

– Wall Street Journal