MILWAUKEE — As Donald Trump made his way into the Republican National Convention on Monday, his first public appearance since the attempted assassination attempt on him, the delegates greeted him with thunderous applause.
Then came booming chants of what’s become a steady rallying cry — complete with raised fists — for the thousands gathered in battleground Wisconsin this week: “Fight, fight, fight!”
They’re inspired, of course, by the iconic moment when Trump returned to his feet after the shooting and, with blood streaming down his face, pumped his own fist in the air to those at his Pennsylvania rally and mouthed those three now-famous words.
“He put himself aside and he told us, not knowing how badly he was hurt, to keep fighting. And I thought, could I love this man any more?” said Laurie Schaefer, an Illinois delegate who said she was a Democrat until Trump ran in 2016, as she sat outside waiting to enter the second day of the convention.
Former President Donald Trump raises his fist as he arrives on the second day of the Republican National Convention, July 16, 2024, in Milwaukee.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
A delegate gestures during the Republican National Convention, July 16, 2024, in Milwaukee.
Jae C. Hong/AP
Trump called for unity in the wake of the shooting, a marked shift in tone from his usual blazing rhetoric against President Joe Biden and Democrats. The former president said he is rewriting his acceptance speech for Thursday to emphasize bringing the country together.
But there’s still plenty of criticism of Democrats this week from key speakers. Sen. Ron Johnson, who later said the wrong speech was loaded into the teleprompter, called Democrats’ policies “a clear and present danger to America.” House Speaker Mike Johnson, too, said conservative principles were being “trampled under foot by the radical left,” and Gov. Ron DeSantis took shots at President Joe Biden’s administration being a “Weekend at Bernies” presidency.
So, what then do the words “fight, fight, fight” mean to some of Trump’s most loyal supporters? Do they clash with Trump’s new call for unity?
“Take back our country the way we feel it should be run,” said Randy Garber, a state representative from Kansas who is an alternate delegate. Garber then added, “Without violence, though.”
Tom O’Connor, a delegate from California who is a union carpenter running for city council, said being a Republican in the blue state means “everything is a fight.”
“So, for the president to literally say now’s the time to fight, it’s more of a war cry and we need to push, we need to get more and more conservatives in office to fix the wrongs that have been done to the American people,” he said.
O’Connor, when asked about Trump’s unity appeal and how it would change his campaign rhetoric, argued it’s Democrats who are still stoking division and that he didn’t believe Trump’s messaging would ultimately change much as a result.
“Then how do we become more unified?” ABC News asked.
“That’s a good question. I don’t have the answers, but I’m looking for them,” he said.
RNC delegate Tom O’Connor spoke to ABC News as he waited to enter the second day of the convention.
ABC News
Most attendees who spoke with ABC News insisted they didn’t view Trump’s words of “fight, fight, fight” as calling for violence.
“We can’t give up. That’s what it means,” said Anna Villa, a guest at the RNC who drove 13 hours from New York to be in Milwaukee. “So, you know that we can’t be discouraged, that we have to really keep going. You know, it’s an encouragement.”
“It doesn’t mean to me like I have to go and shoot someone,” she said. “It means that we have to like, probably try to encourage some people that want to stay in and not go vote to get them out and vote for it.”
“I think what that means to me is that go get out the vote, stay diligent to your precinct committee role to help your neighbors, make sure they vote the whole ballot, make sure they vote for good moral values, because with good morality, we have more liberty,” said Clayton Taylor, an alternate delegate from Florida. “I don’t think it should be taken out of context.”
Matt Heilman, a state representative and delegate from North Dakota, said: “What I think of when he says that it’s just to continue on and push forward no matter no matter what. The state of the environment that you’re in, just keep pushing forward and you fight on and hope for a better tomorrow.”
At the recent Republican National Convention (RNC), one phrase seemed to echo throughout the event: “Fight, fight, fight!” This rallying cry, championed by President Donald Trump and his supporters, has become a central theme in the lead-up to the 2020 election. But what exactly does it mean, and why has it struck a chord with so many Americans?
For Trump’s supporters, the call to “fight” represents a sense of urgency and determination in the face of what they see as a threat to their values and way of life. They believe that the president is fighting for them against a perceived onslaught of liberal policies, political correctness, and attacks on traditional American values.
One of the key issues driving this sense of urgency is the belief that the left is attempting to fundamentally transform America into a socialist or communist state. Trump and his supporters see themselves as the last line of defense against this perceived threat, and they are willing to do whatever it takes to prevent it from happening.
The call to “fight” also speaks to a broader sense of frustration and anger among Trump’s base. Many feel that they have been marginalized and ignored by the political establishment for too long, and they see Trump as a champion who is willing to take on the establishment and fight for their interests.
Additionally, the call to “fight” reflects a belief in the importance of standing up for what you believe in, even in the face of adversity. Trump’s supporters see themselves as warriors in a battle for the soul of America, and they are determined to do whatever it takes to ensure that their voices are heard.
Despite criticism from some who see the rhetoric as divisive and inflammatory, Trump’s supporters remain steadfast in their belief that now is not the time for complacency or compromise. They see the upcoming election as a critical moment in American history, and they are prepared to fight tooth and nail to ensure that their vision for the country prevails.
In conclusion, the rallying cry of “Fight, fight, fight!” at the RNC represents a sense of urgency, determination, and defiance among Trump’s supporters. They see themselves as warriors in a battle for the future of America, and they are willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that their voices are heard. Love him or hate him, one thing is clear: Trump’s supporters are not backing down without a fight.
