MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Republican National Convention begins Monday in Milwaukee, two days after Donald Trump was injured in an assassination attempt. Violent scenes at his campaign rally horrified the country and exacerbated already deep political divisions.
Trump and his advisers assure that they will resist the attack. There are plans to present the former president and his program at the event, while his party officially selects him as its candidate.
It was not immediately clear if and how Saturday’s attack would alter the four-day event, which is usually marked by a celebratory atmosphere. Republican officials have said they want to defy the threat Trump faced and stick to their plans and schedule. But at the very least, the event is expected to feature a heightened focus on security and a painful recognition of how frighteningly close the presumptive Republican nominee came to losing his life.
Here’s what to watch for on the first day of the Republican National Convention:
How the attack affects the tone of speeches
The shooting drew bipartisan condemnation and calls for unity from both parties. Some Republicans blamed President Joe Biden, pointing to his words portraying Trump as a threat to democracy. Some called for prosecutors to now drop the four criminal cases pending against Trump, including one in which he was convicted.
As elected officials, politicians and some ordinary Americans deliver speeches at the conference, the question is what tone will prevail in the aftermath of the attack: Will the speeches become even more heated, or will calls for peaceful prevail?
A sign of Republican unity
Even before Trump’s assassination attempt on Saturday, Republicans were largely standing firmly behind him and looking to show their unity at the convention. But that message is expected to become even clearer as the former president and GOP officials look to project resolve. Trump said Sunday: “It is more important than ever that we stand united and show our true character as Americans, stand strong and resolute and not allow evil to win.”
This show of unity is a departure from the party’s recent history. When Republicans first officially nominated Trump as their nominee in 2016, the opening day of their convention was marked by irate protests from anti-Trump delegates on the floor. After his turbulent presidency ended with an insurrection by his supporters at the U.S. Capitol, his political standing seemed weaker than ever as he launched his third campaign for the White House in 2022. But Trump prevailed against a field of Republican challengers, and his legal troubles have bolstered his supporters.
Running buddy
Trump has not yet named a running mate, but an announcement could come as soon as Monday. His top three candidates, Ohio Senator JD Vance, Florida Senator Marco Rubio and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, are scheduled to speak to Republican delegates sometime this week, according to event organizers. And in keeping with tradition, the person Trump chooses as his running mate is expected to deliver a speech Wednesday night.
Trump has compared his search for a recent vice president to his former reality TV show, “The Apprentice,” leading to speculation that the showman might choose to announce his nominee on the convention stage. He could also make the announcement via social media, as he did in 2016 when he named Mike Pence as his running mate.
Greater focus on Harris as questions surround Biden
Even before the shooting, the race for the 2024 presidential nomination had been rocked by insurgency among Democrats after Biden’s shaky performance at last month’s debate led members of his party to launch a public intervention calling on him to step down as their nominee, raising the real possibility that Trump might run against someone else.
Republicans have long tried to portray Biden as incompetent, but since Biden’s campaign has come under grave questioning, Trump and Republicans have stepped up their criticism of Vice President Kamala Harris. That attitude is expected to continue as the convention begins, with more references to “the Biden-Harris administration.”
Economic policy moves into the spotlight
The theme of Monday’s program, according to Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee, is “Make America Prosperous Again.” The focus on the economy makes sense not only because it can be a key issue for swing voters, but also because Trump could have an edge over Biden in this area when it comes to voters’ views on job creation and the cost of living.
Republicans will likely focus on Trump’s proposals to impose higher tariffs on foreign-made goods and extend the tax cuts he signed in 2017 that expire next year. Biden wants to extend tax cuts for the middle class while raising taxes on highly profitable corporations and the wealthiest Americans.
Republicans are also expected to focus on inflation, even though the worst price augment in four decades is slowly easing, according to a recent report from the U.S. Labor Department. Biden claims Trump’s tariffs will only exacerbate the problem.
Appeal to moderate citizens beyond the grassroots
As Trump seeks to win over undecided and moderate voters, one of the key questions is the extent to which he will foreground some of the far-right characters in his orbit, his lies about his defeat in the 2020 election, his calls for retribution against his opponents, and his support for those who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Among the key messages of Trump’s third run for the White House have been venting his anger at the last election and denouncing his legal troubles. He has said that if elected president, he will pardon many of those arrested or convicted for their roles in the violent siege of the Capitol, and he has even played a song he recorded with some of the jailed defendants at his rallies.
Although candidates typically try to moderate their messaging ahead of the general election, Trump has rarely been typical—or moderate—and some of his campaign messages may be surprising to the voters he is trying to influence.
Biden returns to counter-programming
Biden will get his own share of the spotlight in prime time on Monday when he continues to try to convince members of his party of his candidacy in an interview with Lester Holt on NBC.
He canceled a trip to Texas planned for Monday and his campaign temporarily suspended its television advertising after Saturday’s shooting. But the pause in Democratic counter-programming to the Republican convention will not last.
After the NBC interview, he will fly to Nevada later Monday, 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 denouncing Trump as a threat to democracy and the nation’s core values ​​a central theme of his campaign. He had to tone down that message in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, but plans to apply the trip to highlight what his campaign describes as the stark contrasts between him and Trump.
The campaign hopes not only to defuse Republican criticism coming from Milwaukee, but also that the trip could lend a hand Biden restore his standing among some Democrats who are still skeptical about his ability to handle the rigors of the campaign.
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Associated Press writer Will Weissert contributed to this report.
