The Republican National Convention kicked off in the battleground state of Milwaukee on Monday, with Donald Trump formally and unanimously nominated as the party’s nominee, just two days after he was nearly assassinated on the campaign trail.
In Wisconsin’s Brew City, about 2,500 Republican delegates gathered at the Fiserv Forum to take part in roll call votes on presidential and vice presidential candidates and debate Republican policy, creating a buzz among attendees.
The crowd erupted in cheers as a video announcement was made that Trump had won a “landslide victory” and secured Florida’s nomination.
Trump needed the support of at least 1,215 of the 2,325 delegates to clinch his bid for president in 2024. He received the support of all 2,325.
Trump, 78, had been considering postponing a visit to Wisconsin after he was nearly killed by a gunman during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, another battleground state, on Saturday.
However, he flew to Milwaukee the next day and was forced to “attack potential assassins… [a] Schedule changes and other things.”
This isn’t the first time Wisconsin’s largest city has witnessed the death of a former Republican president.
In 1912, Teddy Roosevelt was shot by a crazed gunman and finished a speech before he could receive medical attention.
After the shooting, Trump pumped his fist in the air in defiance of the bullets that nearly took his life and urged his supporters to “Fight! Fight! Fight!” before being carried off the stage by Secret Service agents.
During Monday’s first session, a large crowd of lawmakers gathered at the Republican convention chanted Trump slogans and raised their fists as House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, and others took to the stage to cheer on party leaders.
Hours before formally accepting the Republican nomination, Mr. Trump, in his usual dramatic fashion, announced that Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio would be his running mate.
Speaking about Trump’s election, insiders noted the Ohio native’s strong “loyalty” to the former president.
President Trump’s decision to appoint Vance as vice president was greeted with cheers inside the convention center, after which Senator Vance’s official web page crashed.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, who were at the top of the former president’s list of potential candidates in the final week of the vice presidential race, were informed earlier in the day that they were not finalists for president.
Delegates remained largely unanimous throughout the first day’s session, with some “no” voices emerging when they voted to adopt a Republican platform that contained no reference to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and whose language on abortion was somewhat softer than last year’s.
Outside a security area stretching for several blocks that included the convention center, a crowd of left-wing demonstrators protested against the Republican Party, waving flags supporting anti-Israel, abortion rights and an end to the blockade of Cuba.
The first day of the Republican National Convention also featured musical performances by Chris Janson and speeches from party dignitaries, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), North Carolina Lt. Governor Mark Robinson, Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX), Rep. John James (R-MI), Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL), Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, Goya Foods CEO Bob Unanu, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, and Rep. Byron Donald (R-FL).
Other notable speakers included former Yammer CEO David Sachs, Turning Point USA CEO Charlie Kirk, entrepreneur and model Amber Rose, and International Brotherhood of Teamsters President Sean O’Brien, in a historic first appearance for a union leader.
