Republican presidential nominee and former US President Donald Trump and Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance shake hands during Day 1 of the Republican National Convention (RNC), at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US, July 15, 2024
Credit: Reuters Photo
Former President Donald Trump made an appearance during the first night of the Republican National Convention on Monday with a bandage on his right ear, two days after he survived an attempt on his life at a rally in Pennsylvania.
Trump drew cheers as he stood alongside his newly-named running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, just hours after Republicans formally nominated them to oppose President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Republicans pitched themselves as the party of economic opportunity and sought to court Black voters on the first day of their convention, which opened with the delegates taking a moment of silence dedicated to reflecting on the attempted assassination of Trump on Saturday, which killed one person and left two others seriously wounded. In keeping with recent calls to dial back hostile political rhetoric, Monday’s speakers struck more subdued tones.
Here is what to know on Day 1 of the convention.
Onstage Monday night
Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, a former primary rival of Trump’s and one of several Black lawmakers who spoke Monday, revved up the crowd. “On Saturday, the devil came to Pennsylvania holding a rifle,” he said, referring to the attempted assassination of Trump.
“But an American lion got back up on his feet, and he roared! Oh, yeah! He roared!” Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson of North Carolina, the Republican nominee for governor there, avoided the vitriol he more commonly delivers and spoke about his impoverished upbringing.
Trump on Vance
Trump, announcing his vice-presidential selection on Truth Social, said he picked Vance “after lengthy deliberation and thought,” pointing to his service in the Marines and the fact that his memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” had become a bestselling book.
“As Vice President, J.D. will continue to fight for our Constitution, stand with our troops, and will do everything he can to help me make America great again,” he said, writing his campaign slogan in all caps.
A break with tradition
Presidents and presidential candidates usually wait for the third night of the convention, when they are typically nominated, to appear before the crowd. But Trump opted to make his first appearance on the opening night, just as he did in 2016, when he showed up on all four nights. The former president appeared as Lee Greenwood sang “God Bless the U.S.A.,” a fixture of his rallies, and was greeted by chants of “Fight, fight!”
A legal victory
Judge Aileen Cannon, whom Trump appointed in 2020, dismissed in its entirety the federal criminal case accusing Trump of illegally keeping classified documents after he left office, then obstructing the government’s efforts to retrieve them. Trump responded by calling for “the dismissal of ALL the Witch Hunts,” falsely claiming they had all been orchestrated by “the Democrat Justice Department.”
Biden’s counter programming
In the latest effort to counter the damage from his debate last month, Biden struck a defiant tone when asked about efforts by some Democrats to urge him to step aside. He defended his descriptions of his rival as a threat to the foundations of the nation’s democracy, although he acknowledged it had been a mistake to talk about putting Trump back in “a bull’s-eye.” But he also underscored the hostile rhetoric employed by Trump.
Assassination attempt fallout
Convention officials said there was no need to tighten security, but the Secret Service said it had “reviewed and strengthened” its security plan for the event.
Milwaukee city and county officials agreed to move a so-called free speech zone for protesters far from the 2,400 delegates and other attendees filing into Fiserv Forum, the main convention hall. In an interview with The New York Post published Monday, Trump joined calls for national unity, saying he had planned to attack the “corrupt, horrible” Biden administration in his remarks for the convention, but ditched the speech.