Delegates, elected officials and media are gathering in Milwaukee ahead of the Monday start of the Republican National Convention, against the backdrop of the first attempted assassination of a presidential candidate in decades.
Former President Donald Trump, who was injured when shots were fired at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday night, is expected to attend the convention. A Trump campaign spokesperson said the former president was “fine” and was released from a medical facility late Saturday night.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he will appear at the convention. “I truly love our Country, and love you all, and look forward to speaking to our Great Nation this week from Wisconsin,” Trump wrote.
Presidential nominees often do not appear until the Thursday night of the convention, when they formally accept the nomination. But the convention’s schedule — and Trump’s whereabouts — are likely in flux in the wake of Saturday’s incident.
Security will be strengthened and protests tamped down
In April, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson told the Deseret News political violence “would not be tolerated” surrounding the convention.
“It is never OK for someone to use violence against another person because they have a disagreement with them, especially a political disagreement,” Johnson, a Democrat, said. “The way that you fight that out is at the ballot box.”
Local law enforcement agencies and the U.S. Secret Service released an extensive security plan last month, which includes a screening area for blocks around Fiserv Forum accessible only to credentialed individuals. There is planning underway to “expand the perimeter at the RNC and create buffer zones around the events,” CBS News reported Saturday.
Firearms will not be permitted within any of the credentialed-access areas, though Wisconsin law prevents the city of Milwaukee from prohibiting firearm possession in the area just outside the security perimeter, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. The gunman at Saturday’s rally was reportedly on a roof outside of the security perimeter. Two people were killed, including the gunman and a rally attendee, and several others were injured.
The city is expecting some 5,000 protesters during the weeklong events, but they will be restricted to an area several blocks from the main convention site, Politico reported.
When will Trump announce his vice president?
Trump is expected to name his running mate early in the convention. During an appearance on “The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show” on Thursday, Trump said he would reveal his pick in the coming days: “I’d love to do it during the convention, or just slightly before the convention, like Monday,” Trump said.
It is unclear how Saturday’s shooting will affect the timeline. Less than 24 hours before the assassination attempt, Trump held private meetings with three of the finalists, ABC News reported. The meetings included Sen. J.D. Vance, Sen. Marco Rubio and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum.
Aides have mulled an “Apprentice”-style reveal on Monday evening, during the convention’s opening night, when Trump would announce his running mate onstage.
In the aftermath of Saturday’s shooting, the leading vice presidential candidates were quick to express their support for Trump. Rubio, who spoke at a rally in Florida alongside Trump on Tuesday, posted to X the image of Trump being dragged offstage, his fist in the air, with the caption: “God protected President Trump.” Rubio also criticized the early media coverage of the incident.
Burgum asked his X followers to pray for “President Trump, his family and everyone attending the rally today.”
“We all know President Trump is stronger than his enemies,” Burgum continued. “Today he showed it.”
Vance blamed rhetoric from the political left for the assassination attempt. “The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs,” Vance wrote on X. “That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.”
Biden steps out of the spotlight
In the two weeks since the June 27 debate, questions about Biden’s fitness for office and his cognitive ability have consumed the news cycle. Saturday’s assassination attempt — combined with the convention, the key Republican event of the campaign cycle — will likely turn media attention away from the president.
Will that lessen the pressure on Biden to drop out, even from within his own base? To date, 19 sitting House Democrats and one Senator have called on Biden to exit the race, and dozens more have expressed concerns about his ability to lead and to defeat Trump in November. As the spotlight turns to Milwaukee, those conversations may move to the side.