The Republican National Convention is set to kick off Monday in Milwaukee amid apprehension over the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump this weekend.
Long a formality, the four-day convention will be a subject of intense interest this year and has already been changed in light of the shooting at the Trump campaign rally in western Pennsylvania on Saturday that injured the presumptive GOP nominee and left one attendee dead and two injured.
Trump told the New York Post on Sunday that he is rewriting what was set to be “an extremely tough speech” about “the corrupt, horrible administration” of President Joe Biden in favor of a speech aimed at unifying the country.
The schedule for Monday remains the same, however, with speakers who will argue that Trump’s plans for broad tariffs and lower taxes will kickstart the economy. The official theme of the day is “Make America Wealthy Again.”
Trump is also expected to announce his running mate sometime this week, possibly as early as today. The shortlist of contenders reportedly includes Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Ohio Sen. JD Vance and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum. The pick will receive extra scrutiny due to the unsuccessful attempt on Trump’s life.
In an interview with “The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show” in mid-May, Trump said that the pick would be “somebody that can ideally help you get the votes” but that they also needed to be able to step in as commander in chief.
“You need somebody that can be good just in case — that horrible ‘just in case,’” he said.
Trump is set to be formally nominated by the Republican delegates on Thursday, the last day of the convention. He is expected to deliver a speech that evening. In a statement Monday, U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle noted that the shooting had raised questions about security at the Republican convention and said that the agency had already “implemented changes to his security detail since Saturday” to provide additional protection. “I am confident in the security plan our Secret Service RNC coordinator and our partners have put in place, which we have reviewed and strengthened in the wake of Saturday’s shooting,” she said. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Ryan Teague Beckwith is a newsletter editor for MS NOW.
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