Biden says US is 'tense' after assassination attempt as Republican convention enters second day

The Republican National Convention has entered its second day in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with Donald Trump now the official Republican presidential nominee, ITV News US Correspondent Dan Rivers reports

Words by Georgia Ziebart, ITV News Producer

The Republican National Convention entered its second day on Tuesday, now with Donald Trump and JD Vance as the official Republican presidential and vice presidential nominees.

All eyes were on Trump on Monday night, as he made his first appearance since being injured in an assassination attempt on Saturday.

In a signal the party is uniting to take on President Joe Biden in November, several of Trump's fiercest Republican rivals are expected to speak on Tuesday.

They include Nikki Haley - who once called Trump "totally unhinged" - as well as Ron DeSantis, and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.

The second day of the convention is also expected to focus on immigration, one of the key issues that earned Trump the support of Republicans when he began his first campaign in 2015.

President Biden speaks in Las Vegas

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden delivered his first remarks on the campaign trail since the assassination attempt on Trump.

He walked onstage at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) National Convention in Las Vegas to chants of "four more years" and cheers from the crowd.

The President repeated that he was grateful Trump was okay after Saturday's attack, and said the US is "tense" as a result. He again called for a cooling of tensions, condemning violence in any form.

He specifically criticised the level of gun violence in America, adding that an AR-15 rifle was used during Saturday's assassination attempt.

"This was the assault weapon that has killed so many others, including children," he said, "It is time to outlaw them."

But Biden went on to say that although "we must lower the temperature" of politics, "it doesn't mean we should stop telling the truth."

He said Trump's presidency had been "hell" for black Americans - noting that the former President had attempted to limit healthcare and cut taxes, increasing the federal debt and leaving less room to invest in child and elderly care.

According to recent opinion polls, support from black and brown voters - historically a reliable voting bloc for the Democrats - has waned. Both Trump and Biden have upped their appeals to communities of colour using targeted ads.

But speaking to the largely black audience, Biden warned a Trump presidency would "undo everything the NAACP stands for."

The audience continued to cheer loudly throughout his speech, erupting regularly into chants of "four more years."

Biden also appeared to make reference to recent difficulties on the campaign trail, and seemingly made light of the efforts of fellow Democrats to get him to step aside in favour of a more electable candidate.

He quoted former President Harry Truman's adage that "if you want a friend in Washington, get a dog".

"After the last couple of weeks, I know what he means," Biden said.

But he defended his ability to continue serving as President, despite worries over his age: "I know how to tell the truth. I know right from wrong. I know how to do this job," he said.

He also detailed his plans for a second term, including abortion rights and higher federal tax rates for billionaires.

"Come hell or high water, we are going to restore Roe vs Wade as the law of the land," he said.

Trump Meeting with Boris Johnson

Trump met with Boris Johnson on Tuesday, on the fringes of the convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The meeting lasted for around half an hour, over which period Mr Johnson said Ukraine was discussed "at length."

The former prime minister insisted Trump would help to "protect democracy against aggression", after meeting with him today.

He said he believes Trump will "give the strong and decisive leadership necessary to protect democracy against aggression."

Mr Johnson also said the Republican presidential nominee had responded with "sheer indomitability" to the attempt on his life.

Trump has been a vocal critic of NATO in the past, and has threatened to reduce US support for Ukraine during his presidential campaign. His recently selected running mate, JD Vance, has vocally opposed any support for Ukraine.

Mr Johnson, who cites the UK's support for Ukraine after Russia's invasion in 2022 as one of the key achievements of his premiership, previously said he endorsed Trump's presidential bid as long as he backed Kyiv.

"If he does the right thing and backs the Ukrainians, and I believe he will, a Trump presidency can be a big win for the world," he wrote in his Daily Mail column.

Sir Keir Starmer's Labour government has said it will work with whoever the US electorate returns to the White House.

But senior figures were forced to push back on Tuesday after JD Vance, who would become Vice President if Mr Trump wins the presidential election, described Britain under the Labour government as the world's first "truly Islamist country" to have a nuclear weapon.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said she did "not recognise that characterisation" in response to the comments, adding "I think [Vance] has said quite a lot of fruity things in the past."

Trump and Vance to speak at rally in Michigan on Saturday

Trump also announced on Tuesday that he and Vance will speak at a rally on Saturday in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The event will be the first rally since both accepted their nominations at the convention.

The scheduled rally will take place just a week after the attempted assassination of Trump at a campaign rally last Saturday.

"My father will always be a fighter": Trump's son reacts to assassination attempt

Speaking on Tuesday, Trumps son, Donald Trump Jr, said he "felt the gravity of the moment" when his father walked onto the stage on Monday night with a bandage on his ear.

He said he had spent three or four hours going through his father's convention speech with him "trying to de-escalate some of that rhetoric."

Both Republicans and Democrats have called for a cooling down of political rhetoric after Saturday's assassination attempt.

On Monday, in a rare Oval Office address, President Joe Biden called "on all of us to take a step back."

Donald Trump Jr said that Trump was "going to do his best to moderate" his rhetoric, but added that his father "will always be a fighter".

He also said that he felt pride in seeing his father with his fist in the air after the assassination attempt.

"To be shot and to stand up with that kind of resolve, I just told him, 'Hey man, you're the biggest bad-ass I know'", he said.

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