Trump makes first appearance since shooting - and picks running mate (2024)

While his speech is billed for Thursday, Donald Tump has made an appearance on day one of Republican National Convention.

It is his first public event since being shot on Saturday, and his ear can be seen in a small bandage.

Just a few hours ago he was made the official Republican presidential nominee.

"We love Trump" is chanted by the crowd, as he stands next to his newly nominated running mate JD Vance.

Earlier we reported how Donald Trump called for secret service protection for independent presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr (see our 5.04pm post).

Mr Kennedy is the nephew of assassinated former president John F Kennedy.

Homeland security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has now confirmed the agency will provide protection to Mr Kennedy.

Agents mostly protects the president, former presidents, vice-president and their families.

However, it is also authorised to provide for major presidential and vice presidential candidates and their spouses.

Police were inside the building while a shooter tried to assassinate Donald Trump from its roof, according to reports.

Secret service director Kimberly Cheatle told ABC News that local authorities were tasked with securing the building.

"We sought assistance from our local counterparts for the outer perimeter. There was local police in that building - there was local police in the area that were responsible for the outer perimeter of the building."

Meanwhile, CBS reports the shooter bought 50 rounds of ammunition from a gun store before arriving at the rally.

Two senior officials have told our NBC colleagues that investigators found a Home Depot receipt onThomas Matthew Crooks' body indicating the purchase of a ladder.

Officials are now looking to see if it was brought to the site to access the roof.

Joe Biden has revealed details of his phone call with Trump, commented on the secret service's role around Saturday's shooting, and attacked an "out of touch" Supreme Court in an interview with our US partner network, NBC News.

Trump - Biden call

Mr Biden said he had a "very cordial" conversation with Donald Trump following the shooting, telling him he was in his prayers.

"I told him how concerned I was, and want to make sure I knew how he was actually doing. He sounded good."

Campaign language

Asked about his language during the campaign, Mr Biden asked: "How do you talk about the threat to democracy?

"Do you just not say anything 'cause it may incite somebody?"

It is in fact Trump who has engaged in inflammatory rhetoric, Mr Biden said, pointing to the former president's remarks that there would be a "bloodbath" if he lost, and his intention to suspend the sentences of 6 January Capitol rioters.

Mr Biden said his focus has been on criticising Trump's policy proposals that are "dividing the country" and relate to democracy.

Secret service

Asked if he has confidence in the secret service after the assassination attempt, the president said: "I feel safe with the secret service.

"They were ready to give their lives for the president. The question is should they have anticipated what happened."

He said a "major piece" of what happened related to "domestic and local law enforcement".

'Terrible' Supreme Court decision

Turning to the dismissal of the documents case against Trump, Mr Biden said the Supreme Court's decision on the legitimacy of independent prosecutors appointed by the attorney general was a "terrible" one.

He accused its justices of being the "most conservative" and seeming "out of touch with what the founders intended".

Future of the election

The race was now a "toss-up" between himself and Trump, he said, with "no wide gap" between them in the polls.

Reminded of his performance in the last debate, Mr Biden pushed back, asking Lester Holt why he wasn't interested in the dozens of lies told by Trump.

"I had a bad, bad night. I wasn't feeling well at all. And... I screwed up," said Mr Biden.

"But I'm only three years older than Trump, number one. And number two, my mental acuity's been pretty damn good.I've gotten more done than any president has in a long, long time."

Trump's running mate

Questions turn now to Trump's running mate, JD Vance, who was announced earlier.

"It's not unusual. He's gonna surround himself with people who agree completely with him."

He criticises Mr Vance for offering "no exceptions on abortion", supporting a $5trn tax cut and for saying "there's no climate change".

Donald Trump had a rare kind word to say of his rival following a phone call in the aftermath of Saturday's shooting.

The pair spoke on the phone in what Mr Biden described as a "very cordial" conversation.

Trump agreed with the president's assessment of the chat, saying it had been "very nice".

"He couldn't have been nicer," added Mr Trump, in an interview with ABC News.

Mr Biden said he told Trump he was in his family's prayers.

"I told him how concerned I was, and want to make sure I knew how he was actually doing. He sounded good."

The US justice department has said it will appeal against the ruling today dismissing the criminal case accusing former president Donald Trump of illegally keeping classified documents after leaving office.

As we reported earlier, Florida-based district judge Aileen Cannon, who was nominated by Trump, ruled special counsel Jack Smith, who is leading the prosecution, was unlawfully appointed to his role and did not have the authority to bring the case (see our 3.01pm post).

The order represents another huge legal victory for Trump, following the 1 July Supreme Court ruling that, as a former president, he enjoyed immunity from prosecution for many of his actions in office.

Trump will make an appearance at tonight's convention, a source familiar with the plans has told our US partner network NBC News.

It would be the first public appearance since an attempt on his life at a campaign rally on Saturday.

The timing is not yet known.

Donald Trump was officially nominated as the Republican candidate for president.

The vast majority of the party's 2,400 delegates lined up behind the former president.

Ohio senator JD Vance was chosen as his running mate and potential vice president.

Despite once comparing Trump to Adolf Hitler, Mr Vance has become one of his most loyal defenders, promoting a mix of isolationism and economic populism.

Joe Biden called Mr Vance a "Trump clone", while his campaign warned he would enable MAGA extremism.

Meanwhile, presidential hopeful Robert Kennedy Jr insisted he will not drop out of the race after meeting with Donald Trump this morning.

Shooting fallout

Mr Biden also said he wasn't sure whether the attempted assassination of Donald Trump will change the trajectory of the presidential election or not.

Republican strategist Amanda Makki told Sky News the shooting will end calls from Democrats for Joe Biden to bow out of the race.

A search of the suspected gunman's home revealed more than a dozen guns, our US partner network NBC News reported.

And the shooter was reportedly spotted by law enforcement nearly 30 minutes before shots were fired.

There's more fallout from the attempted assassination of Trump, with Mr Biden saying he wasn't sure whether it will change the trajectory of the presidential election or not.

Speaking in an interview with our NBC colleagues, Mr Biden said: "I don't know and you don't know either."

Meanwhile, US secret service director Kimberly Cheatle said the shooting was "unacceptable" but she would not resign herpost.

"I am the director of the secret service, and I need to makesure that we are performing a review and that we are givingresources to our personnel as necessary," Ms Cheatle told ABC New.

The man who tried to assassinate Donald Trump was spotted by law enforcement nearly 30 minutes before shots were fired, reports a local NBC News affiliate.

WPXI claims a member of Beaver County, Pennsylvania's emergency services unit noticed a suspicious man on a roof near the rally at 5.45pm, called it in and took a picture of the person.

Shots were fired at the rally after 6pm.