“Run the Clock” Paul Begala Predicts Record-Breaking Applause for Trump at GOP Convention
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Political analyst and former adviser to President Bill Clinton, Paul Begala, has made a bold prediction regarding Donald Trump’s upcoming speech at the Republican National Convention: it will be record-breaking.
Following what has already been a three-day celebration of the former president, Trump is set to close the convention on Thursday night. Begala shared his thoughts with CNN, stating that the event, which is traditionally a significant celebration of the party’s presidential nominee, is poised to reach unprecedented levels.
“Run the clock,” Begala said. “Before he ever speaks. By this I mean in 1964 after President Kennedy was assassinated, Bobby Kennedy stood up to introduce a documentary. The applause went on for 16 minutes. That’s the record in American politics. I think Donald Trump will break that record tonight.”
Begala’s comments come in the wake of an attempted assassination of Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, just days earlier. The attack has become a central theme of this year’s convention, used repeatedly to highlight Trump’s resilience and strength. Delegates have even shown their support by wearing bandages on their ears, mirroring the one covering Trump’s wound, reported Raw Story.
“I think because it is his party, and thank God he survived that shooting attempt, I think that the outpouring of love there is going to be extraordinary. I think it may break Bobby Kennedy’s record,” Begala said. The assassination attempt has dominated discussions at the convention, with a significant focus on the shooter, the response by U.S. Secret Service agents, and the specifics of Trump’s injury.
The absence of a detailed medical report has fueled speculation and criticism. Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a professor of medicine at George Washington University, expressed his concerns on X, writing, “It’s an understatement to say that it’s bizarre that a presidential candidate has sustained an injury from an attempted assassination and no medical report is issued to describe his evaluation and the extent of his injury.”
Journalist Brian Beutler echoed this sentiment, tweeting, “My read: If the medical evaluation matched Trump’s description, he would have OK’d its release. He wants the cred of having been shot; being shot at and lightly injured incidentally isn’t good enough for him. So as always, he chose a lie and a coverup.”
Former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele also questioned the severity of Trump’s injury, tweeting, “Outside of Trump telling us he’s ‘fine,’ how severe was the wound? Did he lose part of his ear (bullets do terrible things to flesh)? How long for recovery? Will the wound require cosmetic surgery? What about reports that it may not have been a bullet that wounded him but glass from the shattered teleprompter?”
As Trump prepares to address the convention, the anticipation and speculation surrounding his speech continue to build. Begala’s prediction adds to the drama of what promises to be a historic and highly scrutinized moment in American politics.
