Trump to make first public speech since assassination attempt

MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin

Donald Trump is set to accept the Republican presidential nomination on Thursday amid rising calls for US President Joe Biden to withdraw from the race.

The four-day Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, will end Thursday after a much-anticipated address by former President Trump.

Although he made appearances since the first day of the convention at the Fiserv Forum, his address Thursday will be his first since being targeted in an attempted assassination at a campaign event Saturday in the state of Pennsylvania where a bullet grazed his right ear.

Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance officially introduced himself Wednesday to the convention after being chosen by Trump as his running mate.

Vance vowed to work to "put the citizens of America first."

While there is Republican unity on display, Democrats are putting pressure on Biden to drop out of the race.

Biden hinted that he might consider dropping out of the presidential race if doctors advised him because of a "medical condition."

“If I had some medical condition that emerged, if somebody, if doctors came to me and said, ‘You got this problem, that problem',” Biden said in an interview Wednesday.

An overwhelming majority of Democrats approve of Vice President Kamala Harris replacing Biden atop the ticket if he decides to step aside, according to a recent report.

Biden's candidacy has been in the spotlight following his dismal performance against Trump in a presidential debate late last month.

Biden, meanwhile, tested positive for the coronavirus while campaigning in Las Vegas, Nevada, the White House announced Wednesday.

The president "will self-isolate and will continue to carry out all of his duties fully during that time," spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.