MILWAUKEE– Trump-Vance 2024.
The Republican presidential ticket was assembled on Monday, when donald trump named JD Vance With your running mate. Addressing the 39-year-old Ohio senator, the Republican candidate injected new energy into a campaign that has focused in recent weeks on age issues following President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance.
The Republican National Convention opened less than 48 hours after Trump was the target of a shocking assassination attempt in Pennsylvania. The shooting, which left Trump injured and one man dead, hung over the convention with speakers expressing gratitude for the former president’s survival and resolve to win back the White House in November.
Here are some conclusions from the first day of the convention.
Just two days after a gunman tried to kill him, Trump entered the convention hall with a bandage on his bruised right ear as singer Lee Greewood sang “God Bless the USA,” a regular feature at the former president’s rallies. Trump waved to the crowd and raised his fist in the air, a regular gesture that took on new meaning after he made a similar move on stage as Secret Service agents carried him to safety on Saturday.
The crowd stood up and applauded with joy upon seeing their nominee. Trump, who is rarely at a loss for words, made no formal comments. But seeing it spoke volumes, offering a palpable reminder of the tragedy the former president narrowly missed.
He then greeted his family before taking a seat between Vance and commentator Tucker Carlson.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell is arguably responsible for the Republican Party’s greatest political achievements, particularly in installing conservative judges at all levels of the judiciary. But that didn’t matter much to the Trump-friendly crowd at the RNC, who greeted the Kentucky Republican with boos — a tangible rejection of someone demonized as an establishment Republican who didn’t sufficiently support the former president.
Shortly thereafter, Vance received a very different reception. The second-youngest U.S. senator — and the first millennial to appear on a major party ticket — received raucous applause when he entered the convention for the first time as Trump’s running mate.
The dueling moments offered a window into the changes that have swept the Republican Party under Trump — ending an era in which McConnell went from being one of his party’s most powerful leaders and incisive strategists to being booed at the convention by his own party’s activists.
Stylistically, McConnell and Vance couldn’t be much more different. Vance, an outspoken MAGA warrior, is one of Trump’s top acolytes. McConnell, for his part, has a low-key demeanor, while his political sensibilities are rooted in Ronald Reagan’s Republican Party.
Without McConnell, however, 39-year-old Vance’s political rise might not have been possible.
Two years ago, Vance was struggling to raise money and face a well-funded Democratic opponent. McConnell’s super PAC has raised more than $30 million in advertising spending.
Vance won and began his rise to prominence. McConnell, now in the twilight of his political career, will step down as Senate GOP leader in November.
For decades, Democrats were the party of unions, while Republicans were outwardly hostile to them.
But on opening night of the RNC, Trump opened the doors of the convention to International Brotherhood of Teamsters President Sean O’Brien, who gave the final speech of the night and singled out both major political parties for not doing enough for workers. .
If it seems unusual for the president of a major union to speak to a large gathering of Republicans, that’s because it is. For decades, the party has promoted anti-labor laws designed to restrict unions’ ability to organize.
But in his speech, which was not always warmly received by Republicans in attendance, O’Brien said workers are being taken for granted and sold out to big banks, big tech companies, the corporate elite, as well as both parties. in Washington.
His speech amounted to criticism of Biden, who often likes to boast that he is “the most pro-union president in history”.
As Trump continues to shake up American politics and position himself as a defender of workers, O’Brien appeared to be making it clear that Democrats should not take labor for granted.
“We are not beholden to anyone or any party,” O’Brien said.
The first night of the RNC was supposed to be about the economy, aiming to unite voters of all ideological persuasions who are frustrated with high prices. But some of the biggest applause came from harsh criticism of trans people.
It’s a reminder that cultural issues motivate the Republican Party’s base as much as financial ones. A trio of speakers brazenly attacked Democrats seeking greater acceptance for trans people. Of particular outrage for Republicans this year was Biden marking Transgender Day of Visibility. It happened to coincide with Easter in 2024, a byproduct of the Christian holiday based on the lunar calendar.
For many in the LGBTQ+ community, it was a coincidence. But for many Republicans it was an insult.
“They promised normality and gave us Transgender Day of Visibility on Easter Sunday,” the congressman said. Marjorie Taylor Greene. “And let me say this clearly: there are only two genders.”
Other Republicans sought to make the issue a justice issue. Their argument was that it was wrong to ask “girls” to compete against transgender athletes. The Biden administration in April proposed a rule that would prevent schools and colleges from banning transgender athletes entirely, a rule that was quickly challenged in court.
Sen. Ron JohnsonR-Wis., told the convention that it was all part of a “fringe agenda” that “includes biological men competing against girls.”
Rep. John James, R-Michigan, tried to equate it as part of a broader critique of Democrats, saying they promised to offer hope to the country and failed. “Our daughters were sold on hope and are now being forced onto playing fields and locker rooms with biological men,” James said.
According to Republicans, inflation has crushed the US economy and it is all Biden’s fault.
The argument is a key message for voters who may have doubts about Trump’s ethics but still trust his economic judgment. None of the speeches at the convention offered a detailed explanation of why prices rose. This would require acknowledging the broken supply chains in the wake of the pandemic, as well as how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has increased food and energy costs. But Biden has invested $1.9 billion in pandemic aid and the Republican Party has argued that Americans have suffered as a result by paying more for groceries and gasoline.
It was about taking the worrying inflation data and ignoring the positive aspects of the economy, such as a strong job market and solid growth as the economy recovered.
“So many American families have to live on so much less,” said Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala. “This is too high a price to pay for an administration that has brought us to such low levels.”
But how would the Republican Party solve inflation?
The speakers never really presented a plan other than simply returning Trump to the White House.
This story originally appeared on ABCNews.go.com read the full story
