After surviving an historic attempt on his life on Saturday, President Trump will be greeted by nothing less than a completely unified Republican Party at the GOP’s convention in Wisconsin. All of his primary challengers and past foes are expected to sing the praises of the former president. 

After a gunman shot at Trump during a Pennsylvania rally on Saturday, leaving the former president with a wound to his ear, the expressions of admiration from both within and beyond the Republican Party were swift. Senators, governors, members of Congress, those who have always loved Trump and those who have sparred with him over the years were all singing his praises as a fighter. 

Shortly after Trump was shot, his campaign and the Republican National Committee put out a statement confirming that the former president would be in attendance at the convention for all four days, putting an end to any online speculation that he would miss any of the events. 

Even some of Trump’s most ardent detractors admit that any concerns Republicans may have had about this convention will be dispelled following the former president’s surviving an assassination attempt. “The political consequences of this assassination attempt will be immense, and they will benefit Donald Trump, who just responded to being shot in the exact same way that Teddy Roosevelt did,” wrote the co-founder of the Lincoln Project, Steve Schmidt.

An Ohio state senator, Niraj Antani, tells NBC News that the assassination attempt brings a new energy to the convention and its attendees. “Delegates were already excited for the RNC in Milwaukee,” Mr. Antani says. “Now, delegates will go to the RNC feeling a duty to protect President Trump and the values he fights for.”

When Trump arrives in Wisconsin on Sunday and begins his four-day coronation, Trump will have control over the party to an extent that he has never experienced. At the 2016 gathering, he faced negative reactions from Senator Cruz’s devotees, and even Mr. Cruz himself refused to endorse Trump during his address. The 2020 convention was held virtually due to the pandemic. 

This time, all of Trump’s most serious challengers for the 2024 nomination will all be in attendance to sing his praises. Senator Scott, North Dakota’s governor Doug Burgum, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, Governor DeSantis, and even the little-known businessman Perry Johnson will all speak on the former president’s behalf after endorsing him several months ago. Messrs. Scott, Burgum, and Ramaswamy, all shared the iconic photo on X of a bloodied Trump raising his fist in the air while being escorted off the rally stage as an American flag waved in the background. 

In the latest surprise development, Trump’s longest-lasting primary opponent and one of his harshest critics during the campaign, Nikki Haley, who bested him in both the Washington D.C. and Vermont primaries, will address delegates and attendees, according to Fox News. She was the last of the major candidates to endorse Trump, though she said that he “would be smart to reach out to the millions of people who voted for me and continue to support me and not assume that they’re just going to be with him.”

Ms. Haley endorsed Trump months after she got out of the race, unlike other competitors. Mr. Burgum — a leading candidate to be tapped for vice president — stood on stage to give his blessing to Trump just weeks after his own campaign was suspended. Mr. Ramaswamy and Mr. DeSantis both endorsed the former president at the same time they announced they were dropping out of the race. Mr. Scott, who was appointed to the Senate by Ms. Haley while she was governor and he was a congressman, was called “Senator Judas” by Ms. Haley’s son after the senator endorsed Trump ahead of the Iowa caucuses. 

“This should horrify every freedom loving American. Violence against presidential candidates must never be normalized,” Ms. Haley said in a statement Saturday night. “We are lifting up Donald Trump, the entire Trump family, and all in attendance in prayer.”

Trump will also draw on unlikely friends from the business community at the convention in coming days, specifically from the typically liberal but increasingly libertarian enclave of Silicon Valley. A PayPal co-founder, David Sacks, who recently raised more than $10 million for Trump at his San Francisco home, will address the convention. 

The four-day event — to use one of the former president’s favorite terms — could turn out to be the greatest “love fest” in modern American politics, with a candidate that looks set to sail back to the White House having just come off an attempted assassination, strong fundraising numbers, and the seeming collapse of his opponent. 

It’s a far cry from what awaits Democrats, who will gather in Chicago in just over a month. The fallout from President Biden’s disastrous debate performance in June will likely hang heavy over nervous delegates and fundraisers, some of whom have already pitched some fantastical ideas about replacing Mr. Biden with a more viable candidate.

According to Semafor, one idea being shopped around by Democratic donors is to have a “blitz primary” with debates moderated by Taylor Swift between the five to ten candidates who may run for the nomination if given the chance. Such a primary would end in a crescendo at the August convention, with fiery speeches and contested convention floor votes. 

Those plans may be foiled, however, as delegates are planning a virtual roll call in the coming weeks so that Mr. Biden can be officially nominated by the party before the convention week. Still, protests are planned throughout the four-day spectacle in response to Israel’s war and Mr. Biden’s support for it.