Trump and Melania kissed like two blind tortoises trying to gum the same lettuce leaf... JAN MOIR watches The Donald's messianic reception at the Republican Convention - tribute ear bandages and all

At nan extremity of 1 of nan astir unthinkable weeks successful American governmental history and astatine nan culmination of nan National Republican Convention successful Milwaukee, Donald Trump yet took to nan shape to judge nan GOP statesmanlike information – and make his first reside since nan assassination effort past Saturday.

Around 9pm section time, nan erstwhile president appeared successful beforehand of a blaze of lightbulbs pronunciation retired 'TRUMP', a showbiz backdrop redolent of Elvis successful his Las Vegas heyday.

In silhouette, he looked for illustration a minotaur: bulky successful nan shoulders but ray successful nan hooves arsenic he trotted complete to nan lectern. His correct receptor was still bandaged, occasionally he sweated nether nan spotlights and successful temper he switched from folksy and affectional to pugnacious and aggrieved, past backmost again.

'There is emotion successful nan room, location is large emotion successful nan room,' Trump purred, earlier promising to extremity each wars, present taxation cuts, make cities safe again, boost lipid and state accumulation and benignant retired that forbidden migration messiness down Mexico way.

'Drill baby, drill! And adjacent our borders,' he bellowed, arsenic nan fevered crowd roared their approval. But not everyone was pleased.

'Was location thing successful location for nan moderates?' fretted a big connected NBC News.

There was small room for moderation successful nan 18,000 capacity Convention Hall, wherever Trump was fixed a hero's invited from nan nailed-on fans, senators and delegates known variously arsenic Trumpers, Trumplicans, Trump Boosters, Trumpists and Trumpites.

The 78-year-old leader began his epic 93-minute reside by describing successful item what it's for illustration to beryllium nan target of an assassination attempt, adding that he would ne'er show nan communicative again because it was 'too painful' to recount.

This was gripping; earthy history being played retired connected millions of tv screens crossed America. For nary 1 needed reminding that excessively fewer presidents, serving aliases otherwise, person lived to show nan tale.

'The slug came wrong a 4th inch of taking my life,' he began. 'Trump, Trump, Trump,' chanted nan crowd, immoderate of them already successful tears.

'I felt secure because I had God connected my side. I'm not expected to beryllium present tonight,' he continued.

'Yes you are, yes you are, yes you are!' intoned nan statement faithful.

'I guidelines earlier you successful this arena only by nan grace of Almighty God,' he said.

'USA! USA! USA!' they cried.

Had nan shooting changed thing successful Trump? Tucker Carlson, America's astir influential Right-wing media commentator, seemed to deliberation so.

In a reside onstage earlier, nan man who proved excessively toxic moreover for Fox News, based on that everything was different now.

'The federation is different, nan world is different. Donald Trump is different. When he stood up aft being changeable and put his manus up, I thought astatine that infinitesimal that was a transformation. I deliberation it was divine intervention.'

That mightiness beryllium pushing it a spot but who tin cognize what goes done a man's bosom and psyche erstwhile personification tries and fails to termination them by a fraction of an inch? Certainly, it seems clear that Trump feels touched by nan manus of God and appears to beryllium invigorated pinch a caller consciousness of purpose.

On an question and reply pinch CBS Mornings, connected Thursday, his daughter-in-law Lara Trump – woman of his 2nd boy Eric – put guardant her view. 'I don't deliberation you tin spell done a near-death acquisition and not travel retired connected nan different broadside impacted,' she said, meaning mentally, I presume.

Lara was location past night, seated pinch nan remainder of nan Trump family successful a small enclave successful nan arena. There were nan First Sons – Eric and Donald Junior – location was Ivanka and Jared, location were nan type Trumpkin grandchildren, tiny arsenic buttons.

Everyone was poodle-groomed wrong an inch of their lives, each were togged retired successful red, achromatic and blue, for illustration a patriotic but blond Addams Family. No 1 looked arsenic marvellous arsenic Melania of course, polished and exquisite successful her perfectly fitted reddish Dior suit, but distant arsenic a outer arsenic always. Everyone had to beryllium done hours and hours of warm-up speeches, including contributions from Kid Rock (a dull rap song) and erstwhile wrestler Hulk Hogan who paid tribute to Trump arsenic 'my hero, nan gladiator', personification who was going to 'straighten nan state retired for each nan existent Americans'.

Even Eric sewage successful connected nan action. 'Your condemnation is genuinely adjacent level,' he said to his father. 'I americium honoured to beryllium your son, our state loves you. One of nan astir courageous acts successful nan history of American authorities was erstwhile you shouted: 'Fight-fight-fight'.' 'Fight, fight, fight,' chanted nan crowd, cheerfully oblivious to hyperbole.

Out connected nan floor, galore of nan delegates wore cowboy hats, immoderate had MAGA caps, while nan legendary Wisconsin delegation – called nan 'Cheeseheads' – deterioration wedges of foam food connected their heads successful honour of their state's awesome dairy production.

As a motion of respect, they return them disconnected erstwhile singing nan nationalist anthem aliases successful moments of precocious emotion.

O ne came erstwhile Trump was explaining that location was truthful overmuch humor erstwhile he sewage changeable because of nan location. 'Doctors told maine it's nan ears, they bleed much than immoderate different portion of nan body. So we study something,' he said. Indeed we do.

What I person learned is really you consciousness astir Donald Trump's receptor bandage reveals really you consciousness astir Donald Trump. In nan days preceding his keynote reside location was grumbling from Democrats and Leftists that nan erstwhile president was milking it; wearing that large ol' spot for illustration a badge of courage, flaunting his coiled for illustration a gauze pennant fluttering connected nan statesmanlike battlefield.

MSNBC big Ari Melber was 1 of nan disbelievers, snorting that nan receptor bandage was 'a spectacle' erstwhile Trump made his first quality wrong nan hallway aft being shot.

And retired connected nan badlands of X, formerly known arsenic Twitter, location was a emblematic speech of half-baked misinformation.

Someone called Peggy Vandervoort wrote that 'Trump's immense pad bandage connected his receptor is simply a PR stunt'. Her root connected this was that good known gunshot trauma expert, Martina Navratilova.

According to Peggy, nan tennis champ had 'just posted saying her adjacent friend is simply a caregiver from Major Trauma successful a large metropolis and concurred that 'there is nary request to dress an receptor coiled for illustration this, moreover if half nan receptor was blown off'.'

Martina had done nary specified thing. She had reposted a station from personification called LazarTagWolf (Good cook. Stones fan. Native Californian. Biden/Harris Dem. Taurus. Tall successful Socks) and it was HER friend who was nan complaint nurse. 'It wouldn't look for illustration this,' Lazar insisted, and Martina agreed.

'Of people this is evidently a stunt,' tweeted Navratilova. 'The time aft nan shooting he had nary bandage connected his ear, not moreover a Band Aid.' She was referring to a wide circulated photograph of Trump playing play utilized arsenic grounds for this stunt bandage theory, moreover though it had been taken nan week earlier nan shooting.

During an quality connected Fox & Friends connected Wednesday, boy Donald Trump Jr expressed his understandable disgust.

'He wasn't changeable successful nan look capable for them? It wasn't enough?' he said, explaining nan sceptical reactions arsenic portion of thing he calls The Trump Derangement Syndrome. 'You tin spot nan photograph astatine nan time. There's humor everywhere,' he added.

Trump Derangers see Whoopi Goldberg, who complained astir nan erstwhile president's 17-year-old granddaughter Kai taking to nan shape to 'show a broadside of my grandpa that group don't often see'. 'They are trying to humanise him, don't autumn for it,' said Whoopi connected ABC talk show The View. But others went excessively far.

The character Jack Black, who besides fronts a drama stone set called Tenacious D, was forced to cancel his group's Australian circuit erstwhile a bandmate expressed a wish that nan shooter 'didn't miss adjacent time' – a repellent remark astir an assassination effort that killed 1 bystander and critically injured 2 others.

By Wednesday, normal attendees began wearing their ain receptor bandages successful support. It seemed to commencement pinch Arizona delegate Joe Neglia. 'I thought, 'What tin I do to honour nan truth? What tin I perchance do?' he told Fox News Digital. 'And past I saw nan bandage and I thought, I tin do that. I put it connected to honour Trump and definitive sympathy and unity.'

It caught connected for illustration a contagion. Bandaged ears soon appeared each complete nan hall, for illustration Life Of Brian disciples suffering amid an receptor plague but still worshipping nan caller messiah.

Emily Maitlis was successful Milwaukee reporting for her News Agents podcast and had called nan delegates 'weirdos and misfits' moreover earlier nan sympathy bandages appeared.

I thought it alternatively a gratuitous sneer astatine thousands of group expressing their sincerely held governmental beliefs but that is Emily for you.

'The conversations successful this hallway are utterly dystopian,' she reported to co-host John Sopel. 'I deliberation it has go much cultish, I genuinely deliberation nan group who are spouting this garbage are starting to judge it.'

Bit rich, considering that for 16 years she worked for nan biggest and astir invidious cult of all: nan BBC.

Meanwhile, ample parts of America are still successful daze and distress complete what happened past Saturday night. It comes astatine a clip erstwhile nan civilized codification of nan state seems to beryllium unspooling, amid a backdrop of ideological and partisan divisions on pinch taste and governmental hostilities.

There is unease, location is disinformation, location are worries astir nan incapacity of Joe Biden, astir war, migrants, location prices, ambiance change, supplier wars, weapon unit and dislike speech.

Is Donald Trump nan man to bring nan state together and move guardant arsenic 1 into nan aureate early he promises, aliases will he only deepen divisions, conscionable for illustration before? CNN person already listed 'more than 20 mendacious claims' they allege he made successful his acceptance speech.

At nan extremity of this very agelong night, Pastor Franklin Graham came connected and made everyone guidelines and 'pray to nan heavenly begetter for redeeming nan life of Donald J Trump'.

The Trumplicans sprang up arsenic one. The Cheeseheads took their cheeses off. Donald bowed his caput for a infinitesimal and Melania appeared connected shape to congratulate her husband. 'Good job,' she said, arsenic if he'd conscionable put immoderate cutlery backmost successful nan correct drawer.

Then nan mates did 1 of their awkward, fumbled nationalist kisses, acting for illustration 2 unsighted tortoises who are allergic to each different trying to gum nan aforesaid leafage of lettuce. Then thousands of balloons fell from nan ceiling successful nan accepted euphoric finale and NBC asked a delegate what she thought of Trump now.

'I deliberation nan tone of nan loving God is successful him,' she said, her eyes shining. Amen to that.