Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum says there is a “huge emotional force” behind former President Trump at this week’s Republican National Convention in the wake of the assassination attempt he survived Saturday.
“If anything, Saturday will solidify his base,” MacCallum predicted during a brief interview with The Hill on Monday. “After Saturday, there is a huge emotional force behind him, and I spoke with some voters this morning who confirmed that.”
MacCallum is in Milwaukee this week for the convention, where she will anchor the network’s coverage of convention prime-time proceedings along with chief political anchor Bret Baier.
The anchor said voters she has spoken with voters in Wisconsin were “emotionally moved” by the imagery of Trump raising his fists as he was whisked off stage by Secret Service on Saturday after he being grazed by the bullet of a would-be assassin.
Asked about reports that Trump is attempting to use his attempted assassination as an opportunity to tone down partisan rhetoric on the campaign trail, MacCallum said, “I don’t think you’re going to see Donald Trump turn into a new person, but it obviously has an impact on him when you come within millimeters of losing your life.”
Trump has reportedly revamped his acceptance speech for this week’s convention to focus on unity rather than his usual attacks on President Biden, Democrats and the media.
The assassination attempt on Trump has sparked a flood of calls from leading political figures on both sides of the aisle to lower the temperature and condemn political violence.
Asked what role partisan media outlets have in the increased vitriol and growing threats of political violence, MacCallum demurred.
“Unfortunately political violence is part of the fabric of what we’ve experienced, sadly,” she said. “It would be great to see both sides say they’d like to take that rhetoric down. When you live in an environment where calling a candidate Hitler-esque is acceptable, that is not a place where we should be.”
The assassination attempt comes while Biden, Trump’s opponent, faces calls to drop out of the race in the fallout of a shaky performance in the first debate between the two candidates late last month.
Baier, during a conversation with The Hill last week, predicted there would be a larger number of eyes on this week’s convention given Biden’s debate showing.
“These conventions are usually a rah-rah session and more of a launch. I think they may get more attention from more Americans across the board,” he said. “This is a crucial time and people are really starting to tune in.”