MILWAUKEE — The second day of the Republican National Convention is about to begin, with more high-profile speakers taking to the stage as Republicans try to project a sense of unity ahead of November.
There are three notable takeaways from Tuesday’s deliberations.
What kind of reaction will Nikki Haley get??
One of the most high-profile speakers on Tuesday’s schedule is former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.
There has been very little love between President Trump and Secretary of State Haley over the past few months.
Haley has emerged as Trump’s toughest rival in the 2024 Republican primary, winning the second-most delegates despite struggling in key contests outside Vermont and Washington, D.C.
Trump has been particularly upset with the former U.N. ambassador, who launched a campaign against him after she said she wouldn’t challenge him for the nomination. He has mocked her as a “dumbass” and complained that she was overly optimistic after coming in second in New Hampshire.
Haley, meanwhile, did not endorse Trump after she suspended her campaign but repeatedly argued it was time for a new generation of leadership and announced her delegate list just days before the convention.
One of the most intriguing questions of the second day is whether Trump supporters at the Fiserv Forum will embrace Haley as a show of solidarity or reject her outreach.
Will Melania Trump make an appearance?
Former first lady Melania Trump did not attend the opening night of the convention, nor was she present when Trump made his triumphant entrance on Monday in his first public appearance since surviving an assassination attempt.
Campaign officials said Melania Trump is expected to appear this week, but it’s not yet clear when. Tuesday is typically the night for the candidate’s spouse to speak, as she did in 2016 and 2020.
But she was not on the speaker list released by the campaign ahead of the convention, and has been a regular absentee from campaign appearances since Trump launched his third presidential bid in 2022.
First Lady Melania Trump issued a statement after her husband was wounded by an assassin over the weekend, calling the suspected shooter a “monster” and accusing him of failing to understand the former president’s apolitical side.
Immigration issues in the spotlight
The theme of the second day of the conference is “Make America Safe Again,” focusing on border security and peace efforts overseas.
Border security has been a top priority for Trump since he first ran for president in 2016 and is again a major focus in the 2024 election. Trump and his campaign have cited record numbers of people being detained at the border as a flaw in Biden’s policies.
His campaign has highlighted the stories of average Americans who have died of drug overdoses or had their families killed by immigrants who entered the country illegally, and they will likely do the same on Tuesday night.
Trump has often made extreme statements about immigration and violent crime, and in the past has said immigrants entering the country illegally are “staining the blood of the nation.” It was unclear whether that tone would change on Tuesday as the party seeks to shift course in the wake of Saturday’s shootings.
