So, too, his vow to “bring back the American dream” and heal “the discord and division in our society” because we “are bound together by a single fate and a shared destiny.”

After all, we hear similar paeans to our better angels on schedule every four years. Like presidential inaugural addresses, acceptances speeches of new nominees routinely soar with grandeur and are just as quickly forgotten as the complex business of governing inevitably turns messy.

And yet, because we are living in extraordinary times and have just witnessed one of the most consequential weeks in political history, we must view Trump’s remarks through a new lens.

A man who came within one-quarter of an inch of having his head blown off by an assassin is giving every indication that survival has given him a new lease on life.

As he told me in an interview the day after the shooting, “I’m not supposed to be here, I’m supposed to be dead.”

That’s a profound feeling, and is possible only to those who have faced sudden death and see their lives as a gift.

Trump said something similar Thursday night, then added a new finish: “I stand before you in this arena only by the grace of almighty God.”

He said Sunday that he had already prepared “an extremely tough speech, really good, all about the corrupt, horrible administration” of Joe Biden. Then suddenly added: “But I threw it away.”

The result was last night’s address. Though he rambled at times and trotted out his claims that the 2020 election was stolen, the former president largely kept to his script and his promise to “try to unite our country.”

The changes in tone and content were numerous, and the inclusion of such lines as “I am running to be president for ALL of America, not half of America, because there is no victory in winning for half of America” were warmly received.

And this one captured the spirit of the convention, which featured a wide array of Americans united by a dreadful sense that their country is sliding downhill.

“To every citizen,” Trump said, “whether you are young or old, man or woman, Democrat, Republican, or Independent, black or white, Asian or Hispanic, I extend to you a hand of loyalty and friendship.”

Other sections were not so encouraging, as when he referred to “crazy Nancy Pelosi.” It’s the sort of insult that repels people who want to fix the country but see Trump’s name calling as juvenile and leads them to ignore everything he says after that.

“To every citizen,” Trump said, “whether you are young or old, man or woman, Democrat, Republican, or Independent, black or white, Asian or Hispanic, I extend to you a hand of loyalty and friendship.”

As such, his speech was a curious end to one of the most enthusiastic party conventions I have ever seen.

The contrast with Democrats and President Biden couldn’t be starker. Growing ranks of Democrats are trying to force him to quit the race and are threatening to use their convention next month to find a replacement.

Some reports say the end could come as soon as Sunday, assuming Biden finally comes to accept the fact that the country no longer has confidence in his leadership.

Republicans, on the other hand, are growing ever more certain of victory in November. The convention was a continuing celebration that happy days would soon be here again.

Even before the assassination attempt, Trump was on a roll, with poll after poll showing him building a commanding lead nationally and especially in the battleground states.

The major shift began with Biden’s debate debacle on June 27th, and has continued so relentlessly that members of the president’s party have pushed him to cede the nomination.

That was an awakening all its own. For more than three years, they had defended evidence of his obvious decline as a right-wing conspiracy.