A supporter of former US president Donald Trump waits by Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport in Wisconsin on Sunday. AFP
A supporter of former US president Donald Trump waits by Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport in Wisconsin on Sunday. AFP
A supporter of former US president Donald Trump waits by Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport in Wisconsin on Sunday. AFP
A supporter of former US president Donald Trump waits by Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport in Wisconsin on Sunday. AFP

Trump heads to Republican convention for coronation as presidential candidate


Willy Lowry
  • English
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RELATED: Who will be Trump's running mate for vice president?

Tens of thousands of Republicans will arrive in Milwaukee in the US state of Wisconsin on Monday for a four-day convention expected to culminate in the official nomination of Donald Trump as the party’s presidential candidate for the November 5 election.

The convention begins days after Trump was shot in the ear while speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania in an assassination attempt that left one dead and two injured.

A recent poll by the Pew Research Centre has Trump up four points on President Joe Biden, who was quick to condemn the attempt on his rival's life.

In an interview with the Washington Examiner, his first since the shooting, Trump claimed he had scrapped his original speech attacking Mr Biden and would focus on a message of "unity".

It’s going to be a whole different speech now. It is a chance to bring the country together. I was given that chance
Donald Trump,
speaking to the Washington Examiner

“Honestly, it’s going to be a whole different speech now. It is a chance to bring the country together. I was given that chance," he told the newspaper.

Trump said the "reality" of what happened at the rally "is just setting in".

“The energy coming from the people there in that moment, they just stood there; it’s hard to describe what that felt like, but I knew the world was looking," he said.

"I knew that history would judge this, and I knew I had to let them know we are okay."

Questions are swirling over the future of Mr Biden’s candidacy and whether he is the best person to take on Trump, who has been plugging away on the campaign trail.

Mr Biden was struggling even before the shooting. During a disastrous debate last month, the 81-year-old President struggled to articulate his thoughts and sometimes appeared lost.

“I think he's a pretty sharp guy and I think that everything he does is calculated, and the calculation here is pretty smart, which is the Democrats are killing themselves. So why bother getting involved,” said John Feehery, a Republican political strategist.

Perhaps the most anticipated moment of the convention will be when Trump unveils his choice for vice president.

Florida Senator Marco Rubio, Ohio Senator JD Vance and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum are all believed to be in the running.

“I’ll make it close to the convention,” Trump told Fox News Radio when asked about the timing of his announcement.

Donald Trump arrives at Milwaukee airport a day after he survived an assassination attempt. Trump Campaign / Reuters
Donald Trump arrives at Milwaukee airport a day after he survived an assassination attempt. Trump Campaign / Reuters

Mr Feehery believes Trump will be looking for someone “loyal” who won’t upstage him.

The actual nomination process – the whole point of the convention – is likely to be drama-free. Trump has held an iron grip on the Republican Party for the past eight years.

However, it is unknown how the assassination attempt will affect the event. Despite his injury, Trump said on his Truth Social platform that he would attend the convention.

His 2020 defeat to Mr Biden and his subsequent criminal conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection to a hush-money plot involving an adult film actress appears to have done little to lose him favour among Republican voters and delegates.

“Among a very big bulk of Republicans, I think they felt he deserved another chance to be president,” Mr Feehery told The National.

Trump crushed all challengers during the primary process, dispatching Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, who held on until March when it was clear she had no path to victory.

He won 2,265 delegates during the primaries. Ms Haley was a distant second with 97.

“He was able to kind of dominate the field by his sheer force of personality and also by his narrative,” Mr Feehery added.

In Milwaukee, that trend is likely to continue as Republicans gather to once again crown Trump as their official nominee.

Tearful appearance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday. 

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow. 

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

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Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

The tours

A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages. 

'Of Love & War'
Lynsey Addario, Penguin Press

Ahmed Raza

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Age: 31

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Role: Left-arm spinner

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Copa del Rey

Semi-final, first leg

Barcelona 1 (Malcom 57')
Real Madrid (Vazquez 6')

Second leg, February 27

The Cairo Statement

 1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations

2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred

3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC  

4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.

5: Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries and of supporting rogue entities.

6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security

Ain Dubai in numbers

126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure

1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch

16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.

9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.

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192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.

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THE POPE'S ITINERARY

Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport


Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial


Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport

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Helen Cullen, Graydon House 

At a glance

Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

 

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year

 

Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month

 

Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30 

 

Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

 

Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth

 

Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances

The specs

Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8

Transmission: nine-speed

Power: 542bhp

Torque: 700Nm

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PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES

Tuesday (UAE kick-off times)

Leicester City v Brighton (9pm)

Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United (11.15pm)

Wednesday

Manchester United v Sheffield United (9pm)

Newcastle United v Aston Villa (9pm)

Norwich City v Everton (9pm)

Wolves v Bournemouth (9pm)

Liverpool v Crystal Palace (11.15pm)

Thursday

Burnley v Watford (9pm)

Southampton v Arsenal (9pm)

Chelsea v Manchester City (11.15pm)

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Updated: July 15, 2024, 12:34 PM`