Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley said Sunday that “politics takes a back seat” in the wake of the assassination attempt on former President Trump.
Appearing on “Fox News Sunday,” Whatley said he still expects Trump to attend the upcoming presidential nominating convention, which begins Monday in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Moderator Shannon Bream asked Whatley about a Wall Street Journal editorial in its Sunday edition that suggested the assassination attempt at the Butler, Pennsylvania, rally would be an opportunity for Trump and his party to appeal for political unity at the Republican National Convention. The Journal’s editors argued that Trump “is wrong to blame the Democrats for the assassination attempt” on Saturday, and that “if the Trump campaign is wise and is thinking about the country and not just the election, the theme in Milwaukee will be political unity and a call to good angels on American soil.”
“What the country wants is civil dissent and dialogue, not civil war,” the committee added.
“I think unity is obviously very important. I think strength is obviously very important. But I think politics take a back seat this morning,” Whatley responded.
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Republican National Committee co-chair Michael Whatley left the Fiserv Forum, the site of the Republican National Convention, shortly after former President Donald Trump was shot in Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024. (Andrew Harnick/Getty Images)
“Right now, I think we need to pray for the families that were affected,” he added. “I think we need to be thankful that President Trump is alive and that he can actually be here. Of course, we look forward to him coming to Milwaukee. I think it’s going to be very important for him to be here and deliver that message to America.”
Bream also asked the committee members whether they thought the shooting was “kind of a wake-up call about the rhetoric getting too heated,” given that Democrats have argued that Trump’s reelection would end democracy as we know it. Trump’s former Attorney General, Bill Barr, told Fox News on Saturday night that Democrats must stop making “highly irresponsible statements” about Trump being an “existential threat to democracy.”
Former President Trump raises his fist as he is hurriedly escorted off the stage during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
“Where do we leave the political dialogue? I mean, this country is founded on an environment where people can have passionate disagreements? Where do we go with that?” Bream asked Whatley.
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“Yes, that’s true, but there’s no place in politics for this kind of violence or behavior in any form,” Whatley said. “This is a horrific act, and I don’t know all the details, and we need time to investigate, but I think right now we all need to pause, we need to pause, we need to reflect on what actually matters to us in the political process going forward.”
“And, you know, fortunately, we’re here in Milwaukee and the show is going to go on,” he added. “I think it’s really important for us as a country that the Republican Party moves forward. We’re going to be strong. We’re going to be resilient. And, of course, President Trump is going to be strong and resilient.”
The Fiserv Forum will be held ahead of the Republican National Convention on Thursday, July 11, 2024 in Milwaukee. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Regarding security for the Games, which has been more than 18 months in the planning, Whatley said, “We feel at ease knowing the arena is prepared, security is in place and we are working with the Secret Service.”
He said he is working with 40 law enforcement agencies on security for the Republican National Convention.
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“This facility will be able to safely accommodate 50,000 delegates, alternate delegates, guests and members of the media, and that’s very important to us,” he said. “Our work is critical to this process. We’re going to nominate President Trump for president, we’re going to nominate his running mate, they’re going to give their acceptance speeches, and then we’re going to be back on the ground, and we’re going to roll up our sleeves and get to work.”
