MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Republican National Convention begins Monday in Milwaukee, two days later donald trump I was hurt in an assassination attemptwith the violent scene at his campaign rally horrifying the country and amplifying the already intense political divisions.
Trump and his advisers are promising resilience in the face of the attack, with plans for the event to showcase the former president and his platform as his party formally chooses him to be its nominee.
It was not immediately clear if and how Saturday’s attack would alter the four-day event, which normally has a celebratory atmosphere. Republican officials have said they want to defy the threat Trump faced and stick to his plans and timeline. But at the very least, the event is expected to include an increased focus on security and a grim acknowledgment of how close the presumptive Republican nominee came to losing his life.
Here’s what to watch for on the first day of Republican National Convention:
HOW THE ATTACK IMPACT ON THE TONE OF SPEECHES
The shooting drew bipartisan condemnation and bipartisan calls for unity. But it also led some Republicans to blame the president Joe Biden, pointing to his words that classify Trump as a threat to democracy. Some have demanded that prosecutors now drop the four criminal cases Trump faces, including one in which he was convicted.
As elected officials, politicians and some ordinary Americans speak at the conference, the question is what tone will prevail in the aftermath of the attack: Will the speeches be even more inflammatory or will calls for calm prevail?
A SHOW OF GOP UNITY
Even before the attempt on Trump’s life on Saturday, Republicans were firmly aligned with him and planned to show party unity at the convention. But that message is expected to be even more pronounced as the former president and GOP officials seek to project resolve, with Trump saying on Sunday that “it is more important than ever that we stand together and show our true character.” as Americans, remaining strong and determined and not allowing Evil to win.”
The show of unity is a departure from the party’s recent history. In 2016, the first time Republicans formally crowned Trump as their candidate, the opening day of their convention was marked by furious dissent from anti-Trump delegates attending the event. After his turbulent presidency ended with an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol by his supporters, his political standing appeared weaker than ever as he launched his third White House campaign in 2022. But Trump swept aside a field of presidential opponents. Republican Party and its legal problems galvanized its supporters. .
RUNNING COMPANION
Trump has not yet named a running mate and an announcement could be made as early as Monday. Its three main candidates, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, are scheduled to speak to Republican delegates sometime this week, according to event organizers. And by tradition, whoever Trump chooses as his vice presidential running mate is expected to give a speech on Wednesday night.
Trump compared his search for a new vice president to his former reality show, “The Apprentice,” leading to speculation that the showman might opt for a revelation on the stage of his choosing at the convention. He could also make the announcement on social media, as he did in 2016 when he chose Mike Pence to be his running mate.
GREATER FOCUS ON HARRIS AS QUESTIONS SURROUND BIDEN
Before the shooting, the 2024 race was roiled by convulsions among Democrats after Biden’s shaky debate performance last month prompted members of his party to begin staging a public intervention calling on him to withdraw as a candidate and raising the possibility that Trump could be running. against another person.
Republicans have long sought to paint Biden as incompetent, but since Biden’s campaign has been seriously questioned, Trump and the Republican Party have stepped up their criticism of Vice President Kamala Harris. This is expected to continue as the convention begins, with more references to the “Biden-Harris administration.”
ECONOMIC POLICIES TO GET PROMINENCE
The theme of Monday’s show is “Make America Rich Again,” according to the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee. Focusing on the economy not only makes sense because it can be a key issue for undecided voters, but it is also an area where Trump may have an advantage about Biden when it comes to voters’ views on job creation and the cost of living.
Let’s hope Republicans focus on Trump’s proposals to impose higher tariffs on foreign-made goods, along with extending the tax cuts he signed into law in 2017, which expire next year. Biden wants to extend tax cuts for the middle class while raising taxes on highly profitable companies and the wealthiest Americans.
Let’s hope Republicans also focus on inflation, even though the worst price increase in four decades is steadily fading, according to a new report from the Department of Labor. Biden claims Trump’s tariffs would only worsen the problem.
CALL BEYOND THE BASIS TO MODERATES
As Trump tries to win over swing and middle-of-the-road voters, one of the main questions is the extent to which he will introduce some of the far-right characters into his orbit, his lies about his defeat in the 2020 election, his calls for revenge against his opponents, and his embrace of to those who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
The main messages of Trump’s third campaign for the White House included venting his grievances from the last election and denouncing his legal problems. He said that if he is elected president, he hopes to pardon many of those arrested or convicted for their roles in the violent Capitol siege and has even played a song he recorded with some of the arrested defendants at his rallies.
While candidates typically try to moderate their message as they head into the general election, Trump has rarely been typical — or moderate — and some of the messages he presents in his campaign can be shocking to the voters he aims to influence.
BIDEN RETURN TO COUNTERPROGRAMMING
Biden is gaining prime-time prominence on Monday when he appears in an NBC interview with Lester Holt as he continues to try to reassure members of his party about his candidacy.
He canceled a planned Monday trip to Texas and his re-election campaign temporarily suspended its television ads following Saturday’s shooting. But the pause in Democratic counterprogramming to the Republican convention will not last.
After the NBC interview, he will fly Monday to Nevada, where he will speak at the NAACP convention in Las Vegas on Tuesday and give an interview to the BET network.
The president has made condemning Trump as a threat to democracy and the nation’s founding values a centerpiece of his campaign. He had to soften that message in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, but plans to use the trip to highlight what his campaign calls the stark contrasts between himself and Trump.
In addition to hoping to defuse some of the GOP criticism coming out of Milwaukee, the campaign hopes the trip can help Biden regain standing with some Democrats who are still skeptical that he is up to the rigors of the campaign.
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Associated Press writer Will Weissert contributed to this report.
