MILWAUKEE — Former President Donald Trump’s campaign directly edited recent speeches from convention speakers and made suggestions to tone down the political rhetoric and focus on policy differences with President Joe Biden after Saturday’s shooting, NBC News has learned from four people. resources dealing with speech preparation for the convention.
Trump said there is rewritten his own speech accepting the Republican presidential nomination on Thursday night after surviving an assassination attempt. The Trump campaign has said it now intends to enter the theme of reuniting America.
“Obviously, they sent the same message to our speakers,” former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., said before speaking at the convention on Wednesday.
“We always planned to be a reflection of the unity of our party and to remind the American people of the difference between President Trump’s success and Crooked Joe Biden’s failure,” Brian Hughes, a senior Trump campaign adviser, said in a statement. “Congress messages everyday Americans and politicians have achieved this goal. This convention is one of the greatest ever and will lead us to victory in November.”
While this week’s convention speakers provided plenty of red meat to the thousands of delegates, particularly on immigration and crime, they avoided some of the party’s more divisive topics and talk of revenge.
During the first two nights of the convention, speakers did not mention the following issues: baseless allegations of stolen elections; January 6, 2021, Attack on the US Capitol; investigate Trump’s political opponents, including Biden; and special counsel Jack Smith is investigating prosecutors seeking indictments against him, such as Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg or Fulton County Prosecutor Fanny Willis.
During the first two nights of the convention, a video was shown in which Trump talked about the unsubstantiated threat of “cheating” Democrats in the upcoming election.
Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., said, “I do,” when asked if the toned down theme would continue throughout the week.
“I mean, it starts with Trump,” he said. “Hopefully, JD [Vance] takes it. And others. Trump said that he doesn’t want people to change their speech, but I think they will.”
There was no word on the party’s speakers, including former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., former Vice President Mike Pence and former House Speaker Paul Ryan, who purged Republicans who felt Trump and his allies had crossed them. Wis.
Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Trump’s main rivals in the 2024 GOP presidential race, were well received by the convention when they spoke Tuesday night, though Haley received boos.
A source told NBC News that some of the speakers took suggested points of focus to better reflect the theme of the night.
So far, only one speaker, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., has used the phrase “weaponized government” from the stage, a phrase he has often used to challenge criminal charges brought against him by Trump and his allies. After his speech, Johnson claimed that the wrong speech was uploaded to the teleprompter.
Johnson’s spokesman told NBC News on Monday that the speech was to begin by noting that the convention was meeting at a “sad moment in history” and that Americans “should all heed President Trump’s call for unity, strength and resolve.”
“He also didn’t have ‘Today’s Democratic Party is a clear and present danger to America,'” the spokesman said.
Jason Miller, a senior adviser to Trump, on Wednesday did not say publicly whether the campaign was guided by the remarks of the convention speakers, but noted Trump’s willingness to tone down the rhetoric from inside the Milwaukee arena.
“Politically, the country is a dump right now,” Miller said.[We’ve] We need to find a way to lower the temperature.”
If Trump or campaign speakers have pushed to steer away from topics like the Capitol riots, the 2020 election or retaliation against Trump’s enemies, a pressed Miller said, “Anyone who watches all of President Trump’s rallies will see that’s exactly what he’s talking about.”
“These are issues he’s passionate about,” Miller said. “So we’re going to follow his lead. And — I think throughout the first two nights of the convention — I think the speakers have really done a masterful job of reflecting on those themes, while also clearly saying why they support him.”