At the end of May, Donald Trump was convicted in a business fraud/campaign finance violation case. The judge in New York announced July 11 as the date of sentencing, five days before the Republican National Convention was to kick off, even as Trump faced the prospect of going to trial in other cases in Washington DC, Florida and Georgia.

A month-and-a-half later, as Trump arrived in Wisconsin’s Milwaukee for his party’s convention that kicked off on Monday, American politics has changed. At the end of June, Trump had a successful debate against a visibly old and struggling Joe Biden, now under pressure from his own party to quit the race.

In early July, Trump had a set of legal wins, including a major Supreme Court verdict that expansively defines presidential immunity to cover all “official acts”; the judge in New York also agreed to postpone the decision on his sentencing and trials in other cases won’t commence till the election. And this weekend, Trump survived an assassination bid that has galvanised his base and positioned him as the clear frontrunner for elections scheduled for November.

It is this new mood, a sense of celebration but also of determination, a growing recognition that White House is within grasp for them, that greets you in this swing state of Wisconsin where over 2,400 Republican delegates are gathering at Fiserv Forum, the home of the Milwaukee Bucks.

Another 50,000 people are expected to attend. The event, already categorised as a “national special security event”, is witnessing additional security arrangements after Saturday’s shooting. Billboards and placards, flags and badges, with the Make America Great Again (MAGA) slogan, are emblazoned everywhere. But there is one image that dominates and defines the city, of Donald Trump.

The convention delegates will nominate Trump as their candidate on Thursday. A range of Republican leaders including Trump’s primary rivals, Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy will speak through the convention week. Trump will announce his vice presidential pick and attempt to send out a message of unity to tap into the current national mood and expand his political map.