REPUBLICAN PARTY NOMINEE Donald Trump has returned to the campaign trail for the first time following an assassination attempt against him at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. He will be joined at a rally in Michigan by his newly-appointed running mate, JD Vance.

Vance was announced as Trump’s pick for Vice President at the Republican National Convention, which took place over the last week in the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Trump himself was confirmed as the Republican’s official nominee at the event.

Speaking at the Convention, with a bandage covering his right ear, Trump recounted the events of 13 July, before laying out a broad agenda for his term as president, in a speech that lasted over 90 minutes.

Some of the commitments he made included a significantly tougher stance on immigration, a more isolationist foreign policy, and investment in the “Rust Belt” states of the Midwest, of which Wisconsin is one.

He also criticised what he called the “incompetent leadership” of President Joe Biden, and said that the upcoming election will be “the most important in the history of the United States”.

Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, has served as Senator for the state of Ohio since January 2023. He previously worked as a lawyer, and served in the US Marine Corp as a combat correspondent – a press officer.

He is the author of the bestselling autobiography Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis.

Trump and Vance will be focusing their campaign on crucial swing states such as Michigan, Ohio, and North Carolina in coming months, in advance of the presidential elections in November.

The Democratic National Convention will take place between August 19-22. While Joe Biden has denied suggestions that he will not run, it is as of yet unclear whether or not he will be the convention’s pick to take on Trump.

Trump’s Michigan rally will get underway at 9pm Irish time.