This week’s Republican National Convention is set to go ahead as scheduled following the assassination attempt on President Donald Trump, but the fact that a former president was shot will cast a shadow over the convention and prompt important changes.
safety
The area around the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where the tournament is being held, was already scheduled to be heavily monitored by local police and the Secret Service.
But within hours of the shooting at President Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday night, security was stepped up further in the Milwaukee area and the perimeter where attendees must show passes was expanded.
Trump advisers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita also issued a memo warning campaign staff in Florida and Washington, D.C., to “stay away from their offices” while authorities monitor the situation. The memo did not mention any increased security for campaign staff at the Republican National Convention, but reiterated that the convention “will proceed as scheduled.”
The gunman who shot Trump, 20-year-old local man Thomas Matthew Crooks, was on a rooftop near the rally on Saturday night, shooting Trump in the upper right ear and killing a man at the rally before a Secret Service agent shot and killed him within seconds.
The bullet’s close proximity to Trump’s skull has led some experts to suggest that he may have saved his own life by turning his head to look at the big screen in his final moments.
Trump touched his face when he was shot and ducked before Secret Service agents came to his aid. He was escorted to an SUV in a motorcade and taken to a local hospital, where he was given a medical examination and released.
Sources familiar with the matter told The Washington Post that Trump’s Secret Service security is a fraction of Biden’s because he is not currently in office, and the Trump campaign often requests additional security for the president.
candidate
The 45th president will likely speak about the assassination attempt at the party convention, using it as a way to remind Americans about the importance of the election and the political climate.
President Trump has already released two statements on Truth Social about the shooting.
“I want to thank the United States Secret Service and all of law enforcement for their swift response to the shooting that occurred in Butler, Pennsylvania,” Trump said in his first statement since the shooting. “Most importantly, I want to extend my condolences to the family of the individual who died at the rally and the family of the other individual who was seriously injured.”
“I can’t believe something like this could happen in our country,” he added, revealing that he was “shot above the right ear.”
Trump also posted on Sunday morning, highlighting his attendance at the Republican National Convention while speaking about religion and the state of the country.
“Thanks to your thoughts and prayers yesterday, only God could have prevented the unthinkable,” he wrote.
“We are not afraid, but rather remain faithful in our faith and stand against evil. Our love goes out to the other victims and their families. We pray for the recovery of those injured and our hearts are with our civilians who were killed in such a horrific way.”
“Now more than ever, it is important that we come together, show our true character as Americans, and stand strong, resolute, and do not let evil win. I love this country with all my heart, and I love you, and I look forward to speaking to this great nation from Wisconsin this week.”
speech
The schedule of speakers for the convention has yet to be announced, but some high-profile names have already been confirmed, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Rep. Elise Stefanik of upstate New York and Donald Trump Jr.
Sources told The Post that some of the speakers had already submitted planned speeches but wanted to reframe what they said in light of Saturday’s events.
Vice Presidential Candidate
President Trump is expected to announce his running mate during the convention. He has not said when or how he will announce his running mate, but previous comments about the timing and the possibility of an announcement at that time make it likely that the announcement will be made at the convention this week.
Sources previously told The Post that the most likely candidates to be Trump’s running mate were North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and Ohio Republican Sen. J.D. Vance. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is also a possible contender, according to a person familiar with the matter.
But as of Friday, a source close to the Trump campaign told The Washington Post that Trump had not yet revealed his choice to anyone.
The former president could choose someone who wasn’t on the reported list at all, or choose another prominent supporter like Stefanik or former 2016 candidate Ben Carson, who both sat with the other front-runners in the first presidential debate.
The choice is entirely up to Trump, and he could change his mind at the last minute in light of the shooting.
A source close to the Trump campaign told The Washington Post that he didn’t think the shooting would change Trump’s mind.
