The height of narcissism is an intense pretense at humility. Donald Trump was unrecognizable when he arrived on stage for his nomination address, concluding the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Thursday, July 18. With a slight slouch, he strolled up to the lectern and began his speech in a sober, weary voice, sounding like he was about to burn out like a candle. He was there to recount a miracle: his own – how he had survived the assassination attempt. It was important to pay attention because he wasn't going to repeat it, he said. It was "too painful to tell." Trump began the story of his July 13 rally, from the setting sun to the brave crowd, and remaining motionless despite the gunman.

"There was blood pouring everywhere and yet, in a certain way, I felt very safe because I had God on my side," said Trump, after detailing the bullet's trajectory and his own position, like a ballistics expert. "I shouldn't be here today," he added, his presence due only to the "grace of almighty God." His voice then seemed to collapse, like that of someone on a sickbed. He asked for a minute's silence in memory of the slain spectator.

The second point of his speech was to be the heart of his message: a man transformed by an ordeal, wanting to reconcile the country with itself. "The discord and division in our society must be healed. We must heal it quickly. As Americans, we are bound together by a single fate and a shared destiny. We rise together. Or we fall apart." Accepting the Republican nomination "with faith and devotion," he then thanked the speakers who had preceded him, including singer Kid Rock and wrestling veteran Hulk Hogan. "I know about entertainment," said Trump. It would be hard to argue with that point.

Disciplined in following his text until now, the Republican candidate gradually detached himself from the teleprompter. His voice became firmer. The familiar Trump was resurrected. Falsely modest confession gave way to the rambling, caricatured performance he repeats from rally to rally, with the same anecdotes and cookie-cutter promises. And with one constant target explaining all of America's ills. Crime, drugs? According to him, the fault lies with illegal immigrants. The supposed loss of jobs, when 15.7 million have been created in the last three years? Again, due to foreigners. The supposed end of Medicare and health coverage for the elderly? Foreigners again. A southern border "invasion" – the word was repeated several times – has "spread misery, crime, poverty, disease and destruction to communities all across our land."

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