The Republican National Convention’s second day is in full swing — now with Donald Trump officially as its presidential nominee and U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio as his running mate.
Trump energized the crowd Monday night by entering the arena with a bandage on his right ear after being injured during an assassination attempt Saturday. Speakers Tuesday have mentioned what they described as the former president’s strength and resilience after the shooting at his rally in Pennsylvania.
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Mother of crime victim brings RNC focus to NY district attorney Alvin Bragg
Madeline Brame, whose veteran son was stabbed to death in Harlem in 2018, brought the crowd’s focus Tuesday night to one of right’s biggest boogeymen: New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Brame has publicly criticized Bragg for being soft on crime, including in the case of her son’s alleged killer. The crowd responded with roaring applause as Bragg is one of the officials involved in Trump’s various legal battles. “They betrayed us and stab us in the back,” Brame said about Democrats. “Trump was right when he said they’re after us, he’s just standing in the way.”
Family members of victims of fentanyl overdose make forceful case for Trump
As part of the convention’s ‘Make America Safe Again’ session, family members of those who have lost loved ones to fentanyl overdose appeared back-to-back on the RNC stage to make the forceful and at time emotional case for why Trump would fix the epidemic.
Michael Morin, the brother of a woman who was killed by a man who was allegedly in the country illegally, said that Trump would take more action on the drug crisis than Biden and Harris have in the past three and a half years. Another speaker, Anne Funder, lost her 15-year-old son Austin to an overdose two years ago. As she got choked up on stage, the crowd began to chat “Joe must go!” to which she responded, “Yes, he must.”
Pennsylvania delegate recalls speaking to Trump minutes before shooting
Tom King, a Pennsylvania delegate from Butler, Pennsylvania, said he spoke to Trump at the rally 10 minutes before the shooting erupted on Saturday. He says he sat about 20 feet in front of Corey Comperatore, the former fire chief who was killed.
“It was a great day to see the president,” said King, who is general counsel for the Pennsylvania Republican Party. “He was in a great mood. He was energetic, but he was very serious about what we need to do in Pennsylvania to win the election.” When an AP reporter asked him to specify what he said needed to be done in Pennsylvania, King said, “I won’t say what he said.”
“We pledged to do everything we could to help him,” he said. “He’s a great guy.”
Republicans make unfounded claims on illegal immigration central to their platform
The second night of the Republican National Convention has centered on issues of crime and immigration, with many speakers echoing unfounded claims that Democrats intentionally want to replace Americans through illegal immigration, a claim that has moved from the fringes of political conversation to a consistent fear among the GOP base.
“We stand for strong borders and believe that our nation must have a shared civic culture and we oppose any immigration that stands apart or in contrast to our American values,” Gov. DeSantis said during his speech.
“We are facing an invasion on our southern border. Not figuratively, a literal invasion,” Sen. Cruz contended during his remarks. “Every day Americans are dying. Murdered, assaulted, raped by illegal immigrants that the Democrats have released,” he continued.
And Rep. Steve Scalise, the GOP House majority leader, said that “Biden and Harris want illegals to vote now that they’ve opened up the border.”
DeSantis focuses on attacking Democrats’ policies
Tonight is the first time Florida Gov. DeSantis has spoken publicly in support of Trump following the GOP primary.
But he spent most of his speech criticizing Democrats’ policies on immigration, education and gender identity. DeSantis said the country needs to vote out President Biden saying he has failed as a leader. “I am alarmed that the current president of the United States lacks the capability to discharge the duties of his office,” he said.
“Donald Trump stands in their way and he stands up for America. Donald Trump has been demonized. He’s been sued. He’s been prosecuted and he nearly lost his life,” he said. “We cannot let him down.”
US Representative claims he was ‘assaulted’ at Milwaukee hotel
Rep. Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin said Tuesday that he was the victim of “political violence” after an altercation with an activist.
Van Orden posted on X that he was ‘assaulted’ while standing in line at a Milwaukee hotel by what appeared to be a member of what he called “the pro-Hamas group CODEPINK.”
CODEPINK describes itself as a feminist organization working to end U.S. warfare and imperialism. It posted a video claiming that Van Orden shoved one of its members as the group was trying to get into a Republican luncheon.
The Milwaukee Police Department said in a statement that a 24-year-old woman was arrested in the same block as the hotel for battering a victim around 11:07 a.m. Tuesday. The statement said the victim sustained minor injuries and refused medical attention at the scene. The statement did not identify the woman or the victim.
“This appears to be an incident of political violence and I will never tolerate this,” Van Orden said in his post. “Regardless of the severity of the violence, political violence is political violence.” He called for people “who choose the path of political violence” to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
“Nothing will change until these people are held accountable,” he said.
Van Orden, a first-term representative, has a history of public conflicts. He cursed at high school-aged Senate pages during a late-night tour of the U.S. Capitol in 2023 and threatened a staffer at a Wisconsin library in 2021 over a gay pride display.
Welcomed with cheers and boos, Haley throws ‘strong endorsement’ behind Trump
Trump’s last rival standing for the GOP nomination made clear where she stands now.
“Donald Trump has my strong endorsement, period,” former South Carolina governor and United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley said. Her words were greeted with an uproar of applause, a stark contrast to moments earlier when she took the stage to a mix of cheers and boos.
Explaining Trump’s “gracious invitation” that she speak, she said, “I haven’t always agreed with Trump but we agree more often than we disagree.”
Joking that she happens to know “a few people” who don’t agree with Trump and his campaign, Haley tried to appeal to the millions of Republicans who wanted her, not Trump, as the GOP nominee for president. “My message to them is simple: You don’t have to agree with Trump 100% of the time to vote for him,” Haley said.
Cruz’s appearance showcases the Republican effort to project unity
Sen. Ted Cruz started his speech by saying “God Bless Donald J. Trump” and then went on to talk about his assassination attempt at a rally on Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“Let me start by giving thanks to God almighty for protecting Donald Trump and for turning his head on Saturday as the shot was fired.”
The last time Cruz spoke at the Republican National Convention in 2016, he was booed while battling Trump for the GOP nomination for president. Since then, the two men have had a contentious and publicly tense relationship, exchanging personal insults. But Cruz’s appearance depicts an effort by Republicans to show a united front after Saturday’s rally shooting.
Trump enters to thunderous applause
The Republican presidential nominee made another grand entrance for the prime time hours at the Republican National Convention. He was preceded by his newly picked vice presidential candidate JD Vance.
Trump was introduced to roaring delegates who had just spent a few minutes dancing to the Village People’s “YMCA” along with a video montage of Trump dancing at his rallies.
Trump then walked in wearing a bandage over his right ear like he had the day before.
Surrounded by security, the candidate hugged the wall as he walked toward the family box, occasionally pumping his fist and applauding.
Speaker Johnson paints bleak picture of life under a Democrat government
House Speaker Mike Johnson has called for toning down political rhetoric after the attempted assassination attempt on Donald Trump.
In his RNC speech, Johnson perhaps veered from that standard a bit, framing the November elections as a stark, almost existential choice for voters.
After promising a “thorough” House investigation of the attempt on Trump’s life, Johnson said the nation has “come to a moment in America where the basic things that we once took for granted are being openly challenged like never before.”
He said the battle is not “just between two opposing political parties” but instead, “We’re now in the midst of a struggle between two completely different visions of who we are as Americans, and what our country will be.”
Some Republicans have since Saturday blamed President Joe and Democrats for characterizing Trump as a “threat to democracy” with authoritarian leanings.
Johnson suggested in his convention speech that Democratic victories in November were the real threat: “We have no guarantee that this grand experiment in self-governance can endure unless we respond to the call.”
Scalise lauds Trump as ‘courageous’ and ‘compassionate’
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise spent most of his RNC speech stirring delegates with an aggressive take down of President Biden’s record.
But the convention hall quieted when Scalise got to his concluding remarks recalling when he narrowly escaped an assassin’s bullets just as Donald Trump did Saturday in Wisconsin.
“Many of you know I was a survivor of a politically motivated shooting in 2017,” the Louisiana Republican said. “Not many know that while I was fighting for my life, Donald Trump was one of the first to come to console my family at the hospital. That’s the kind of leader he is.”
Trump is known for his bombastic, unapologetically aggressive approach to politics. But Scalise said his personal interactions with Trump showed a different version of the former president and Republican nominee: “Courageous under fire, compassionate toward others.”
New details emerge on police shooting near convention center
Five Ohio police officers in Wisconsin for the Republican National Convention shot at a man who was in a knife fight near the convention, killing him, Milwaukee’s police chief said.
The man who police shot had a knife in each hand and refused police commands, Milwaukee Chief Jeffrey Norman said at a news conference. Two knives were recovered from the scene, the chief said.
“Someone’s life was in danger,” Norman said. “These officers, who were not from this area, took it upon themselves to act and save someone’s life today.”
The shooting fueled anger from residents who questioned why out-of-state officers were in their neighborhood located about a mile from the convention site.
JD Vance wants to highlight ‘the contrast’ between himself and Harris
Vice presidential nominee JD Vance said he wants to debate Vice President Kamala Harris “because it’s important for the American people to see the contrast.”
He contrasted Democratic infighting over whether Biden should step aside with unity behind Trump at the Republican convention.
“This party out here is really united behind President Trump,” Vance said in an interview with NewsMax from inside the arena. “It’s a really good feeling. And I think that that momentum is something you can almost reach out to touch, it’s so powerful.”
Vance said his phone blew up with calls as soon as Trump offered him the job, and he missed a call from an unidentified number that turned out to be Harris. He said he spoke to Harris Tuesday and “she was very gracious, very cordial.” He said he did not save the voicemail message from Harris.
Police arrest man with AK-47 outside RNC
A man armed with an AK-47 pistol and wearing a ski mask was taken into custody Monday near the Fiserv Forum, where the Republican National Convention is being held.
A federal law enforcement official said the 21-year-old was arrested after encountering U.S. Capitol Police and Homeland Security Investigations agents.
The officers approached the man, who was carrying a tactical backpack and wearing a mask, because he appeared to be acting suspiciously, the official said. Police found the weapon in his backpack, the official said.
The official was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
DeSantis and Haley fundraise off of RNC speeches
He left the GOP primary race in January, but a political action group backing Ron DeSantis is dialing for dollars — for the Florida governor — ahead of his speech at the RNC.
RON PAC blasted out a text to a list formerly managed by DeSantis’ shuttered presidential bid, encouraging people to watch his speech and including a fundraising link. A landing page sends clickers to contribution levels, the proceeds of which are flagged as benefitting “Trump National Committee JFC and RONPAC.”
Nikki Haley blasted out her own fundraising text. With a link to watch her upcoming speech, Haley’s former campaign text list also sent recipients to a page where donations “will benefit Stand For America PAC,” the political action committee that supported her campaign. Haley’s message didn’t offer to split donations with Trump’s own fundraising apparatus.
Swing-state candidates take the stage
Their home areas will be critical to Republicans’ hopes of retaking the chamber this fall, but on Tuesday night, a slew of GOP Senate hopefuls are stumping both for themselves and the man at the top of their ticket, Trump.
Kari Lake of Arizona, Eric Hovde of Wisconsin and Bernie Moreno of Ohio are among those giving speeches in prime time at the RNC Tuesday night.
Other Republicans stumping for Senate seats in states critical to the presidential election are former Rep. Mike Rogers of Michigan and Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania.
Each hopeful is taking an opportunity to hit on issues key to their own candidacies at home, promote Trump and take swings at Biden.
Priebus, formerly fired by Trump via Twitter, stumps for his old boss
Reince Priebus was the Republican National Committee chairman whose campaign ground game helped elected Trump in 2016.
Then, while serving as White House chief of staff, Trump fired him via Twitter.
On Tuesday, Priebus was the Wisconsinite welcoming the party to his home state and lauding Trump.
“When Donald Trump tells you what he will do on the campaign trail, look out, because he will deliver,” Priebus said. “Let’s stand united … and let’s reelect Donald Trump president.”
Trump-Vance signage and T-shirts already on display
The official merchandise shops in the convention hall now offer Trump-Vance T-shirts reflecting the former president’s choice of running mate: Ohio Sen. JD Vance.
But rest assured that Trump merch still dominate the inventory — perhaps a reflection of the nominee delaying his decision on a vice presidential pick or Trump’s lifelong expertise in branding using his surname alone.
A day after Trump picked Vance as his running mate, Trump-Vance signs were already on display at the RNC.
Some stalls also were selling Trump-Vance T-shirts. But for attendees who want a button, those may be harder to find.
A volunteer at one shop said the $8 Trump-Vance buttons were already sold out Tuesday.
Harris-Vance debate comes into focus
Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican JD Vance have had their first chat since the Ohio senator became the GOP vice presidential nominee, but the two sides are still working on terms for participating in a debate, according to three people familiar with the matter.
The people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal conversations about the debate, said there had been no progress at bridging the disagreements on the network partner and format, but they expect discussions to begin now that Trump has selected Vance, a first-term senator from Ohio.
Harris, in her congratulatory voicemail to Vance regarding his VP selection, urged him to accept a debate hosted by CBS News on either July 23 or Aug. 13, according to one of the people familiar with the discussions. Vance returned Harris’ call on Tuesday and the pair exchanged pleasantries, that person said. A second person said they shared a desire to debate but didn’t discuss specifics.
Last month’s debate disaster for President Biden, Saturday’s attempted assassination of Trump, and the ages of both men atop their respective tickets could raise the stakes for the running mates’ potential faceoff.
Trump’s many rivals fall in line
It’s former Trump rivals night in Milwaukee as Republicans convene for the second prime-time session of the nominating convention.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Amb. Nikki Haley and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz are expected to take the stage. It will be perhaps the clearest indication yet of how much Trump has consolidated the party and remade the GOP brand in his image.
DeSantis was once expected to be a fierce 2024 rival. He dropped out after the initial votes were cast in Iowa.
Haley held on for months, but never threatened Trump and waited until a few weeks ago to explicitly say she would vote for him. She was a late addition to the convention lineup, announced only after the Saturday assassination attempt against Trump.
Cruz was the second-place finisher in the 2016 primaries, and at the convention that summer he delivered a tense, almost bitter speech that drew boos from Trump delegates.
No such divisions are expected tonight.
Milwaukee’s tradition of beer on display near RNC
Just a few blocks away from the RNC is a Milwaukee neighborhood that has a long tradition of beer and was home to one of the city’s most iconic breweries.
At the heart of this area is the former Pabst Blue Ribbon brewery.
Pabst, aka PBR, known for its signature blue-ribbon logo, was established in Milwaukee in 1844 and brewed in the city for generations. (It is no longer made in Wisconsin.)
The area is now home to restaurants, apartments and yes, several breweries, and the history of beer-making in Milwaukee are displayed throughout.
Kennedy apologizes after conversation with Trump leaks
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. apologized Tuesday after a video was posted online showing part of a private phone call between the independent presidential candidate and Republican former President Trump.
The video shows Kennedy listening on speakerphone as Trump shares disproven claims about childhood vaccines, an issue that has helped Kennedy amass a loyal following among people who reject the scientific consensus that the benefits of vaccines far outweigh the risk of rare complications. Trump also appears to pitch Kennedy on endorsing his campaign.
“I would love you to do so,” Trump tells Kennedy. “And I think it’ll be so good for you and so big for you. And we’re going to win.”
Police officers shoot and kill man near RNC
Officials said police officers shot and killed a person in Milwaukee on Tuesday about five blocks outside of the Republican National Convention’s outer security perimeter.
The Columbus, Ohio, Fraternal Order of Police issued a statement saying members of the Columbus department were involved in the shooting. Officers from multiple jurisdictions are in Milwaukee providing additional security for the convention.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson’s chief of staff, Jeff Fleming, said he didn’t know what led up to the shooting, though he and Alexi Worley, a spokesperson in the convention’s joint command center, said there was nothing to suggest the shooting was related to the convention itself. Worley referred additional questions to the Milwaukee Police Department.
That agency didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking more details. The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office said an adult male was shot and killed. An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday.
Company debuts ‘fight’ sneakers with Trump’s image emblazoned on them
A company is now selling sneakers showing an image of Donald Trump with streaks of blood on his cheek and pumping his fist in the air after he was the target of an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania.
The white high tops are being sold as “FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT High-Tops” for $299 on a website run by CIC Ventures LLC, a company that Trump reported owning in his 2023 financial disclosure.
The company says the new shoes are limited edition with only 5,000 pairs available and are estimated to ship in September or October. It also said 10 pairs will be randomly autographed.
“These limited edition high-tops, featuring Trump’s iconic image with his fist raised, honor his unwavering determination and bravery,” it says. “With only 5,000 pairs available, each one is a true collector’s item. Show your support and patriotic pride with these exclusive sneakers, capturing a defining moment in history.”
CIC Ventures is the same company that debuted “Never Surrender High-Tops,” shiny gold sneakers with an American flag detail on the back, for $399.
The sale is another sign the former president’s allies intend to capitalize on how Trump reacted after the shooting at a Saturday rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump got back to his feet and pumped his fist toward the crowd, mouthing “Fight, fight.”
Cooling political rhetoric could be a challenging feat
In the wake of Saturday’s assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, both sides have called for cooling down the nation’s divisive political rhetoric. But an event held by conservative group Moms for Liberty outside the RNC on Tuesday provided a glimpse of how hard that may be.
The group’s co-founders, Tiffany Justice and Tina Descovich, both spoke in stark terms about their mission, explaining that they see themselves in the midst of a struggle for their very identities and families’ health.
Justice recalled Trump raising his fist after the assassination attempt and calling “fight, fight, fight.”
“We fight at Mom’s For Liberty. There are some people who told us, don’t use that word, ‘Tiffany, you don’t want to be too volatile,’” Justice said.
Then she explained why she uses that word: “Radical Marxists are trying to steal our children’s future. We won’t let them do that.”
Descovich said the country was enmeshed in “the battle between good and evil.”
“The enemy wants to come between us and our children,” she said. “And once that happens, as you saw in the opening video, our families are lost.”
Moms For Liberty has backed conservative candidates in local school board races across the country and supports banning books from schools that they contend are inappropriate for children, including many with LGBTQ+ themes.
A visit with former British Prime Minister Johnson
Trump met with former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Milwaukee Tuesday on the second day of the Republican National Convention.
“Great to meet President Trump who is on top form after the shameful attempt on his life,” Johnson posted on the social platform X along with a photo of the pair — Trump’s right ear still bandaged after an assassination attempt on Saturday.
Johnson said the two discussed Ukraine and said he has “no doubt” that Trump “will be strong and decisive in supporting that country and defending democracy.”
Trump posted a similar photo on his own social media site and called Johnson “a very fine guy!”
Republicans that previously opposed Trump are now ‘reading the room,’ delegate says
Karen Wyld, a delegate from South Carolina, said Tuesday that Republicans like J.D. Vance and Nikki Haley who once opposed Donald Trump but now support him are “reading the room.”
“Reading the American people,” Wyld said. ”The American people love Trump. In the end, Trump loves this country and they know it.”
“She’s going to be conciliatory,” Wyld said of Haley speaking during the Republican National Convention Tuesday night. “She wants what’s best for the country and I think she’s doing what she has to do.”
Iran threat prompted more protection around Trump, but Saturday attack appears unrelated, officials say
A threat from Iran prompted moves by the U.S. Secret Service to boost protection around Donald Trump before Saturday’s attempted assassination of the former president, which appears unrelated to the original threat, according to two U.S. officials.
Upon learning of the threat, the Biden administration reached out to senior officials at the Secret Service to make them aware, the officials said, adding it was shared with the lead agent on Trump’s protection detail and the Trump campaign. That prompted the agency to surge resources and assets to protect Trump.
The officials spoke with The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence matters.
The additional resources did not prevent Saturday’s attack at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania that left Trump injured to the ear, killed one rallygoer and severely injured two more.
An anti-Trump bookseller sees a bump in sales of JD Vance’s memoir
The owners of Downtown Books, a second-hand bookstore just outside the Fiserv Forum’s footprint, aren’t shy about their disdain for Trump.
Their window display features a collection of anti-Trump texts, including memoirs by Michael Cohen and copies of the Mueller Report, along with a life-size cardboard cutout of Ronald Reagan, labeled: “A Republican ex-president we can respect!”
Still, after Donald Trump announced U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio as his running mate Monday, the owners quickly gave the vice presidential candidate’s memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” prominent placement in the front of the shop.
They said they’d sold several copies in the last 24 hours — more than in the past year combined.
“I’ve got tons of these lying in the basement,” said Rebecca Pajot, who co-owns the store with her father. “I’m glad we can finally sell them.”
Vance’s memoir, describing his blue-collar childhood in Appalachia and the region’s transformation, propelled him to celebrity in 2016. It surged to number one on Amazon’s bestseller within hours of Trump’s VP announcement.
While Downtown Books previously listed used copies of the book for $8, Pajot said she was now considering raising the price, given the uptick in interest.
Georgia governor stops short of saying he’d consider Trump cabinet role if offered one
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp stopped well short Tuesday of saying he would consider a job in a Trump cabinet, should the outspoken Republican critic of the former president be asked to serve in one.
“That would have to be a powerful conversation,” Kemp said, during an interview with Politico during an event near the Fiserv Forum during the Republican Committee in Milwaukee.
The comments came after Kemp was candid in his disagreement with Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance’s suggestion Saturday that the assassination attempt on Trump was the result of Biden campaign rhetoric.
“I personally wouldn’t have made that comment,” Kemp said.
Kemp might not be at the top of a second Trump administration’s list of prospective cabinet members. After the 2020 presidential election, Kemp dismissed Trump’s effort to change the outcome in his state, where Democrat Joe Biden won.
Kemp went on to beat Trump’s endorsed candidate in the 2022 primary against him.
Kemp also testified under subpoena for the Fulton County, Georgia, special grand jury that investigated attempts to alter the 2020 election results.
Florida delegate: ‘Thank God he’s still here’
Cindy Spray, a delegate from Florida, has been a supporter of Donald Trump from the start and says her feelings haven’t changed.
“I saw a movement about to take place,” Spray said Tuesday outside the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. “There were candidates there that some of my friends supported in that cycle of 2016, but I always felt something was different about President Trump. He’s just an incredible person.”
Spray said there was momentum behind Trump’s campaign this year even before the assassination attempt on Saturday. But seeing a wounded Trump speak Monday night at the Republican National Convention only added to the momentum and emotions.
“I did see the bandage and I think the whole center kind of looked to see that,” Spray said. “You didn’t have to cry. You could feel the tears falling. You could feel them fall to the ground. Some of my colleagues in my delegation, I looked around and I could see them tearing up. And there was a huge emotional rush of, ‘Thank God he’s still here.’ God saw over him.”
Scenes from a park near the RNC
A city park designated for protesters at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee was almost empty Tuesday afternoon.
Police officers on bicycles and event staff in orange shirts were present at Zeidler Union Square, but no speakers had shown up by early afternoon.
The park is less than a mile from where the convention is being held and one of two set aside for protesters by the city.
The quiet scene came a day after protesters marched through downtown streets advocating for reproductive rights, solidarity with Palestinians and immigrant rights.
Trump and Vance to speak at a rally in Michigan on Saturday
Donald Trump has announced that he and his chosen running mate, U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, will speak at a rally on Saturday in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The event will be the first rally since both accepted their nominations at the convention.
The scheduled rally comes just a week after the attempted assassination of Trump at a campaign rally last Saturday, where Trump was injured, an attendee died and two others were seriously wounded.
Trump’s speech on Thursday ‘could be very important,’ Pennsylvania GOP chair says
Pennsylvania Republican Party Chairman Lawrence Tabas said he hoped Saturday’s assassination attempt on former President Trump would reset the tone nationally, beginning with the former president’s speech to the Republican National Convention on Thursday.
“I think his speech could be very important. Notice during his appearance (Monday), he was more subdued than normal, almost humbled,” Tabas said in an Associated Press interview after the Pennsylvania GOP’s delegation breakfast in suburban Milwaukee. “After a brush with death, I do believe — going through that — that his message will be better, and I think will appeal to our better emotions.”
“He has an enormous amount of compassion and empathy that doesn’t always come through,” he said.
Milwaukee pastor hopes convention speakers acknowledge what the Black community represents
The economic impact of having the convention in Milwaukee is obvious and important to the majority Black city, according to Richard Brown, pastor of The Captive Project Church and Ministries in Milwaukee.
Brown, 57, sat outside the Fiserv Forum Tuesday morning as delegates arrived and volunteers and workers prepared the venue for the day’s events.
“When money comes in like this, it’s always interesting because I serve the disenfranchised in the urban, high crime areas of the city,” said Brown, who is Black.
Brown says he hopes to hear respect for what the Black community represents from speakers during the convention.
“There’s a huge economic base. There’s a huge political base,” he said. “When Trump went into to Brooklyn that was huge. That was absolutely huge.”
‘My father will always be a fighter’
Speaking to Axios’ co-founder Mike Allen on Tuesday, Donald Trump Jr. said he felt the “gravity of the moment” — referring to Saturday’s shooting — when his father walked on the stage Monday night at the RNC with a bandage on his ear.
Donald Trump Jr. told Allen that he spent three or four hours going through his father’s convention speech with him, “trying to de-escalate some of that rhetoric.”
When asked if the change in Trump’s rhetoric would last, he said: “I think it lasts. There are events that change you for a couple minutes and there are events that change you permanently.”
“My father will always be a fighter,” he added. “That’s never going to change. But I think he’s going to do his best to moderate that with where it needs to be.”
Don Jr. describes first call with Trump after shooting
Donald Trump Jr. on Tuesday described the 90 minutes when he didn’t know whether his father was alive after Saturday’s assassination attempt.
Donald Trump Jr. spoke with Axios’ co-founder Mike Allen at an event outside the RNC at Central Waters Brewing Company in downtown Milwaukee. The event was fully packed, reaching capacity with a few dozen attendees having to watch the conversation on a TV outside.
Donald Trump Jr., who was fishing in Florida with his daughter at the time, said it was about 90 minutes after the shooting before he knew his father was OK. When he saw images of the former president with his fist in the air, Donald Trump Jr. said he felt pride.
“To be shot and to stand up with that kind of resolve, I just told him, ‘Hey man, you’re the biggest bad-ass I know,’” the ex-president’s eldest son said.
After the initial happiness of knowing he was OK, Donald Trump Jr. said there was some levity when he asked his father about his hair and Trump responded by saying it was fine even though it had a little blood in it.
Protesters have a stage to speak from, but no audience
A stage set up by the city of Milwaukee for protesters near the Republican National Convention has no audience beyond a few journalists and staff organizing the event.
It opened at 11 a.m. as the closest approved location for speakers near the Fiserv Forum.
But on Tuesday morning there were only two speakers including an 82-year-old Trump supporter who has been sitting outside the convention for three days.
Robert Kunest, wearing a blue baseball cap that says “Israel,” says he’s been interviewed by more than 100 journalists during the convention. He walks around the convention pushing a cart that holds a well-worn chair patched together with tape and signs that include ones reading, “America Advances with Trump & Vance.”
The Florida man spoke for about 20 minutes into a microphone about Trump, the war in Gaza and the economy.
“Where is everybody?” he said.
Ahead of the convention, more than 100 people signed up to speak on the stage. But city officials say the no-show rate has been more than 80%. On Monday there were only a handful of speakers.
City leaders say they might have opted to join Monday’s large march that started at a nearby park.
DeSantis scheduled to address RNC on Tuesday night, AP sources say
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is scheduled to address the RNC Tuesday night, according to a person familiar with the schedule who was not authorized to speak publicly.
DeSantis was seen as Trump’s strongest challenger for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination until he dropped out right before the New Hampshire primary.
His remarks Tuesday will come the same night that former presidential candidate Nikki Haley is scheduled to speak, putting two of Trump’s most visible rivals turned supporters on stage in a show of party unity.
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Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price contributed to this report.
Group of House Dems are circulating letter with concerns about nominating Biden
A contingent of House Democrats is circulating a letter with “serious concerns” about nominating President Joe Biden as the party’s pick in a virtual roll call as soon as July 21, ahead of the Democratic National Convention in August.
The letter to the Democratic National Committee, which has not yet been sent, says it would be a “terrible idea” to stifle debate about the party’s nominee with the early roll call vote.
The party had planned the early roll call to ensure Biden would qualify for the ballot in Ohio, but the state has since changed its rules, making the issue no longer relevant, the letter says.
Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., who asked pointed questions of Biden on a call with progressive lawmakers over the weekend, is among those raising concerns.
Homeland Security Committee chair demands that leaders of Secret Service, FBI and more appear
The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee is demanding top leaders from the Secret Service, FBI and Homeland Security appear to discuss the assassination attempt against Donald Trump.
U.S. Rep. Mark Green, the Republican from Tennessee who chairs the committee, said in a statement that he wants Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, FBI Director Christopher Wray and Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to testify July 23.
Green wrote that the “American people want answers” on Saturday’s shooting.
Green has already reached out to the secretary demanding information about the shooting including plans to secure the perimeter where the rally was held.
Trump and Vance to appear at RNC every night, AP sources say
Trump and Vance are scheduled to appear in the hall every night, according to two people familiar with the schedule who were not authorized to speak publicly.
The nominee and his newly minted running mate sat together on Monday night in what was Trump’s first public appearance following the assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania.
Vance is expected to give his own speech Wednesday night, with Trump to headline Thursday night’s closing evening.
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Associated Press writers Meg Kinnard and Michelle L. Price contributed to this report.
Hutchison: ‘Security is an important theme of this convention’
Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchison zeroed in on security at the RNC in an on-the-street interview Tuesday morning near Fiserv Forum.
“Security is an important theme of this convention,” Hutchinson, who in January suspended his campaign for the Republican nomination for president, said. “It’s important to Americans, and with the assassination attempt last week security becomes more important for public officials, but it’s also important as former President Trump said to diminish the harshness of the rhetoric and hopefully can bring people together.”
Hutchinson acknowledged that Saturday’s assassination attempt was a galvanizing moment.
“Whenever you look at the strength of Donald Trump as he rose from that attack it signaled ‘I’m here’ and we’re going to continue and not let democracy be defeated,” Hutchinson said. “That’s America. That’s iconic for America and you can’t help but contrast that with the debate performance of incumbent Joe Biden.”
Pennsylvania delegate to immigration speakers: ‘Close the border’
Pennsylvania delegate John Fredericks had a simple bar for Tuesday’s immigration speakers at the RNC, “Close the border. If they’re here illegally, get them out — now. That’s all I’m interested in. Get them out.”
Fredericks, who is from Pittsburgh and was attending the Pennsylvania GOP delegation breakfast at a hotel in Milwaukee’s western suburbs, said the problem has worsened since 2016 when his concerns were more about Mexican immigrants crossing the border.
Today, Fredericks says he is worried more about would-be terrorists from non-Central American countries using the U.S.-Mexico border as an entry point, as a matter of national security. He said he supported “the largest mass deportation in history.”
Secret Service director shed more light on rally shooting during ABC News interview
The director of the Secret Service shed more light on the shooting at Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania, telling ABC News Monday night that reports that the shooter had been noticed by people in the area and local authorities before climbing on the roof where he took the shots took place in a “very short period of time.”
“Seeking that person out, finding them, identifying them, and eventually neutralizing them took place in a very short period of time, and it makes it very difficult,” Kim Cheatle said during an interview Monday with ABC News.
Cheatle described the role local law enforcement played in securing the event, saying that the “Secret Service was responsible for the inner perimeter.”
And, she said, the service had assistance from local authorities “for the outer perimeter.”
“There was local police in that building — there was local police in the area that were responsible for the outer perimeter of the building,” she said.
Protest groups
end their RNC demonstrations in Milwaukee
One day after its march in downtown Milwaukee, a coalition of protest groups says its activity in the city is “coming to a close.”
In a statement Tuesday, the Coalition to March on the RNC said it has no further plans to organize demonstrations around the Republican National Convention.
“Our endorsing organizations will continue their work to stand with Palestine, defend and expand immigrants’ rights, defend women’s, LGBTQ, and reproductive rights, and demand peace, justice, and equity for all,” the coalition said.
The coalition said that in the coming weeks, many of its groups will be looking ahead to demonstrating in August outside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Secret Service director says shooting at a rally for former president Donald Trump was ‘unacceptable’
“It’s something that shouldn’t happen again,” Kim Cheatle said in an interview Monday night with ABC News. “It was obviously a situation that as a Secret Service agent, no one ever wants to occur in their career.”
Cheatle described her reaction after hearing about the shooting, saying she was shocked and concerned for Trump.
“This is an event that should have never happened,” she said.
Cheatle was asked who bears the most responsibility for the shooting happening.
“What I would say is the Secret Service is responsible for the protection of the former president,” she said. “The buck stops with me.
Dems hold event to counter Teamsters union president’s RNC appearance
Democrats are seeking to counter the appearance of Teamsters Union President Sean O’Brien Monday night at the Republican National Convention.
They held an event in Milwaukee Tuesday morning to claim that they have the backs of workers, not Republicans. It’s an attempt to strip away political rhetoric and instead focus on track records in office. O’Brien made the case Monday that the political system is broken and needs bipartisanship, while the union and party officials tied to the Democrats said that Republicans are behind the breakdowns.
AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler said, “When people have the facts and they see the stark choices” they’ll back the Biden-Harris ticket.
Quentin Fulks, the Biden-Harris deputy campaign manager, said that Republicans will “always choose big, greedy, anti-union” interests over workers.
Lara Trump encourages Pennsylvania delegation to vote early
In a flip from Donald Trump’s past two campaigns, Lara Trump encouraged the Pennsylvania delegation to vote early — a contrast from the former president’s long-held, public doubts about early and absentee voting.
“We’re taking nothing for granted,” she said, suggesting that banking early votes will help the campaign spend the final stage of the campaign focusing on late deciders.
She also suggested that the map of battleground states was expanding beyond the half dozen or so states that have been the campaign’s focus so far. She said Minnesota and Virginia had been added to their battleground plans. Biden lost the two states in 2020, though they were competitive in 2016.
“Get ready to see a lot of red on that map,” she said. “We have to make it too big to rig.”
Lara Trump: ‘The show goes on’
“This is incredible to be here right now and I think we all know why. We may have been looking at a very different situation, but for the grace of God,” Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump told more than 200 Pennsylvania delegates and guests Tuesday morning in a hotel ballroom in Waukesha, Wisconsin, west of Milwaukee. “God bless, Donald J. Trump.”
“Here we are. The show goes on,” she said.
Lara Trump was making her first public appearance at the Republican National Convention speaking to the Pennsylvania delegation — a nod to the assassination attempt against the former president on Saturday and Pennsylvania’s pivotal place on the battleground map.
“What a time to be a member of the Republican Party,” she said. “We will be the party through Donald J. Trump saves the United States of America.”
Jack Black ends Tenacious D tour following bandmate’s comments on Trump shooting
The comedy rock duo Tenacious D — made up of Jack Black and Kyle Gass — has canceled the rest of their tour after Gass’ remarks about the assassination attempt on Donald Trump over the weekend.
While onstage at a concert in Sydney on Sunday, Gass was presented with a birthday cake and asked to “make a wish” by Black. Gass responded, “Don’t miss Trump next time,” an apparent reference to the rally shooting a day before that left the former president with an injured ear. The video of Gass was widely circulated on social media.
“I was blindsided by what was said at the show on Sunday. I would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form,” Black said in a Tuesday statement on Instagram. “After much reflection, I no longer feel it is appropriate to continue the Tenacious D tour, and all future creative plans are on hold. I am grateful to the fans for their support and understanding.”
Following Black’s statement, Gass apologized on Instagram.
First day of the RNC was ‘calm’ overall, Milwaukee’s mayor says
“The demonstrations that occurred yesterday — they proceeded without any major problem,” Mayor Cavalier Johnson said during a Tuesday morning briefing.
Johnson said two arrests were made — one when someone tried to climb a fence into a restricted area and a second arrest when a demonstrator was blocking traffic and did not move when officers repeatedly asked her to do so.
“No one was hurt and there was no significant property damage that was reported as a result of these demonstrations,” Johnson said.
Trump’s economic plans include proposed tariffs, tax cuts and no taxes on tips
The first night of the Republican National Convention kept its official focus on the economy Monday even after Saturday’s shooting at a rally in Pennsylvania in which former President Donald Trump was injured.
Speakers argued that Trump would fix inflation and bring back prosperity simply by returning to the White House as president. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin lamented, “Tonight, America, the land of opportunity, just doesn’t feel like that anymore.”
But Trump has released few hard numbers and no real policy language or legislative blueprints, and most of the speakers Monday didn’t get into details either. Instead, his campaign is betting that voters care more about attitude than policy specifics. Trump says he wants tariffs on trade partners and no taxes on tips. He would like to knock the corporate tax rate down a tick. The Republican platform also promises to “defeat” inflation and “quickly bring down all prices,” in addition to pumping out more oil, natural gas and coal.
The platform would address illegal immigration in part with the “largest deportation program in American history.” And Trump would also scrap President Joe Biden’s policies to develop the market for electric vehicles and renewable energy.
Democrats and several leading economists say the math shows that Trump’s ideas would cause an explosive bout of inflation, wallop the middle class and — by his extending his soon-to-expire tax cuts — heap another $5 trillion-plus onto the national debt.
▶ Read more about Trump’s economic agenda
On the campaign trail, Biden is trying to sharpen the choice voters face in November
President Joe Biden will speak at the NAACP convention in Las Vegas on Tuesday, aiming to showcase his administration’s support for Black voters who are a tentpole of the Democratic coalition and his personal political support.
He’ll also participate in an interview with BET. Tomorrow, he’ll address UnidosUS, looking to bolster his appeal to Latino voters, another crucial Democratic-leaning bloc.
What to know about JD Vance, Trump’s VP pick
Trump chose U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio to be his running mate as he looks to return to the White House. Here are some things to know about the 39-year-old Republican now in his first term in the Senate:
▶Read more about JD Vance
Nikki Haley expected to speak later Tuesday
Nikki Haley, Trump’s former primary rival, was a last-minute addition to the schedule.
The former United Nations ambassador and South Carolina governor waited two months after dropping out in March to say she would vote for him. Then last week, she announced she would instruct her convention delegates to vote for Trump but wasn’t planning to attend the convention.
It wasn’t until Sunday — hours after the shooting — that her office reversed itself and said she would speak.
The Trump-era evolution of the GOP was on full display during first night of RNC
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell is arguably responsible for the GOP’s biggest policy accomplishments, 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, which greeted the Kentucky Republican with boos — a tangible rejection of someone demonized as an establishment Republican who has insufficiently supported the former president.
Just a short while later, JD Vance enjoyed a much different reception. The second-youngest U.S. senator — and the first millennial to appear on a major party ticket — received raucous applause when he walked onto the convention floor for the first time as Trump’s running mate.
The dueling moments offered a window into the changes that have swept the GOP under Trump — bookending an era in which McConnell has gone from one of his party’s most powerful leaders and incisive tacticians to getting jeered on the convention floor by his own party’s activists.
▶Read more key takeaways from day 1 of the RNC
What to watch as the RNC enters its second day
The Republican National Convention heads into its second day — now with Donald Trump officially as its presidential nominee.
Trump energized the crowd Monday night by entering the arena with a bandage on his right ear after being injured during an assassination attempt Saturday. Expect more speakers Tuesday to mention what they described as the former president’s strength and resilience after the shooting at his rally in Pennsylvania.
Day 1 of the RNC comes to a close
The Republican National Convention opened less than 48 hours after Trump was the subject of a shocking assassination attempt in Pennsylvania. The shooting, which left Trump injured and one man dead, loomed over the convention with speakers expressing gratitude for the former president’s survival and resolved to win back the White House in November.
Trump greeted supporters as he exited the arena. He was being protected by a noticeably larger security contingent of U.S. Secret Service agents.
Teamsters president says union group is ‘not beholden to anyone or any party’
Just a week after the AFL-CIO reaffirmed its backing of President Biden, another union leader came and spoke at the Republican National Convention.
Teamsters Union President Sean O’Brien said workers are being taken for granted and sold out to big banks, big tech and the corporate elite. O’Brien said the Teamsters “are not beholden to anyone or any party” and will work with a bipartisan coalition.
“I don’t care about getting criticized,” O’Brien said as he defied organized long-standing support of Democrats.
Trump gets emotional as he enters the stadium
With a large white bandage on his right ear following the assassination attempt against him, President Trump entered a convention floor where delegates stood and cheered, many holding up signs or their phones to take photos and video.
He was heralded by musician Lee Greenwood, who sang his signature song, “God Bless the USA.”
“Is there any doubt who’s going to be the next president of the United States? Prayer works,” Greenwood said when the former president took the stage.
JD Vance recalls the moment Trump called with VP news
JD Vance said his 7-year-old son was being noisy in the background when Trump called to offer him the vice president spot on the Republican ticket.
Vance knew Trump was calling with big news, but he didn’t know if it was good or bad news for him, the first-term Ohio senator told Fox News host Sean Hannity in his first interview since Trump announced his pick.
He said Trump also asked to speak to his son.
“The guy just got shot a couple of days ago, and he takes the time to talk to my seven-year-old,” Vance said.
“It’s a moment I’ll never forget.”
He said he and Trump have been close since Trump endorsed him in his 2022 Senate race, which he said he would not have won without Trump’s support.
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