Anthony Zurcher
Reporting from the convention

IMAGE SOURCE,REUTERS

There were dozens of speakers here at the Republican convention on Monday – politicians, conservative activists and ordinary citizens. But the star of the evening never approached the stage or stood before a microphone.

When Donald Trump walked into the arena during the evening’s proceedings, the building shook with cheers, applause and chants of support.

It was the moment the assembled convention crowd was waiting for – a chance to give the leader of their party a hero’s welcome just two days after his brush with an assassin’s bullet.

The evidence of that attack was immediately visible, as the former president’s right ear was heavily – but neatly – bandaged. For the next hour, he sat in the VIP section next to his newly chosen running mate, JD Vance, and surrounded by members of his immediate family.

Every time the jumbo video screens showed the former president, the crowd reignited with applause.

It will be three days until Trump formally accepts the nomination with an address to the delegates – and the nation. In the meantime, more Republicans will take the stage, including former rivals Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis. Vance will deliver his own nomination acceptance speech on Wednesday.

As this evening made clear, however, everyone else is just warm-up acts. Trump is the main event.

We’re finishing our live coverage for the day. You can read a full recap of what happened here.