In the wake of Saturday’s assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, the Republican Party is descending on Wisconsin’s largest city Monday for the first full-scale presidential nominating convention since 2016. (In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced both parties to go largely remote.)
For the GOP, the return to in-person ceremonies comes at a pivotal time. Democrats are fighting over whether President Biden is fit to be their nominee. Meanwhile, a bloodied but unbowed Trump will be celebrated by Republicans as the ultimate political survivor.
The convention offers Trump — who had been expanding his lead in the polls — a prime opportunity to command the national spotlight, highlight Democratic disarray and contrast himself with Biden before voters cast their ballots this fall.
Here’s what you need to know about the convention:
🗓 📍The venue and dates
The RNC is Monday, July 15, through Thursday, July 18, at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.
📺 Watch on broadcast, cable, or streaming
According to the RNC, you can stream the convention on YouTube, X, Facebook Live, Rumble, Amazon Prime, Twitch and Direct TV. Broadcast and cable TV news networks will also be airing live coverage from the convention.
Yahoo News will be live-blogging primetime speeches and providing analysis and key takeaways afterward. Our extensive partner network will also provide breaking news and analysis. You can find those updates here. You can also click here to sign up for our breaking news emails and to subscribe to The Yodel – Yahoo News’ morning newsletter, which will provide convention highlights.
👮 Security is now a big issue
Given the attack on Trump, security at the RNC is now under scrutiny.
Security at conventions is typically led by the Secret Service, but consists of a collaboration between national and local agencies. U.S. Secret Service RNC Coordinator Audrey Gibson-Cicchino said planning for the event had been underway for 18 months.
The Secret Service and Milwaukee police department said Sunday that they did not anticipate any changes to security plans. The RNC is a national security event, and was already being treated with the “highest level” of security prior to the shooting, officials said.
Guns will be banned in the “hard zone” of the convention, which consists of the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee and the area immediately around it, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
However, guns will be allowed in the “soft zone,” or the area within the security perimeter but outside the credential-only zone, where demonstrations are planned. Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers called Sunday for guns to be banned in the “soft zone,” as well.
Still, officials expressed confidence in the current security measures.
“We got this,” Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey B. Norman said at a news conference Sunday.
➡️ What to expect: The nomination, a VP pick, Trump’s return
These days, the actual business of a presidential nominating convention is almost always a formality. Across a series of state primaries and caucuses earlier this year, Trump easily dispatched a wide field of GOP challengers, including his former United Nations ambassador, Nikki Haley (who is set to appear Tuesday as a speaker at the convention), and amassed more than enough delegates to mathematically clinch the nomination. All that’s left for those delegates to do in Wisconsin is vote and make it official.
But that doesn’t mean the event will be without drama.
The event will mark Trump’s first public appearance since he was rushed offstage Saturday in Butler, Pa., with blood streaming down the side of his face and his fist raised in defiance.
Trump’s initial statements on the shooting have been apolitical, focusing on themes of patriotism and unity —and he said in an interview Sunday that he rewrote his convention speech to follow suit. But, with speculation swirling about the suspect’s motives, other Republicans have been quick to blame Democrats — and even President Biden — for the attack.
It remains to be seen if other convention speakers will amplify those accusations in Milwaukee, or if they will try to “lower the temperature,” as President Joe Biden asked of all Americans in an address condemning political violence delivered from the Oval Office Sunday.
Another big splash will likely come when Trump reveals his running mate, which usually happens before the convention but has been delayed this year.
The veep finalists reportedly include Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum. Trump’s choice will speak at the convention, and the runners-up — all of whom have become top Trump surrogates — will address the delegates as well.
Saturday’s shooting is fostering sympathy across the political spectrum, with Democrats publicly condemning the attack and wishing Trump a swift recovery.
However Trump has generally been a deeply unpopular figure with voters, with a favorable rating hovering around 41%, so it remains to be seen whether the current goodwill lasts through the convention and beyond.
🗣️ GOP leaders, celebrities slated to speak
The RNC has released lists of dozens of speakers who will be featured at the event. Some of the big names include:
Read the full list of RNC speakers.
📌 Republicans to vote on a 2024 platform
The convention isn’t just speeches. Republicans will also vote to adopt the 2024 platform, a list of goals and values that each party typically maintains.
The draft of what they’ll vote on contains core Trump values like: “Begin Largest Deportation Program in American History”; “Make Trump Tax Cuts Permanent”; and “keep foreign Christian-hating Communists, Marxists, and Socialists out of America.”
At Trump’s behest, previous GOP language in favor of free-trade policies, a federal abortion ban and laws that codify marriage “between one man and one woman” is gone. Abortion has been “given to the States” to decide. Opposition to “Left-wing Gender Insanity” has taken the place of attacks on gay marriage. And Republicans, like Trump, suddenly “support baseline Tariffs on Foreign-made goods.”
This will be the first new Republican platform in eight years. In 2020, Republicans didn’t release a platform. They re-used the 2016 edition while attaching a note about how they “continue to enthusiastically support the President’s America-first agenda.”
The actual text of the 2024 draft platform — minus a preamble — spans roughly 10 pages. The 2016 platform was nearly 60 pages long.
➕ Read more
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4 takeaways from the new Republican Party platform — or Trump’s playbook. “The platform even mirrors Trump’s typical language and formatting in social media posts, with many capitalized letters, slogans such as ‘DRILL, BABY, DRILL’ and broad promises.” [Los Angeles Times]
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Nikki Haley releases her delegates so they can back Donald Trump at the RNC next week. “Haley on Tuesday opted to release her 97 delegates won across a dozen primaries and caucuses earlier this year, according to her former campaign.” [AP]
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Republicans seek to swing Wisconsin back to their side. “Wisconsin was one of the critical battleground states to deliver the former president’s win in 2016 by roughly 22,000 votes.” [The Hill]
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Milwaukee’s convention opportunity was lost in 2020. RNC may offer a better chance to shine. “The Milwaukee of 2024 is in many ways different than the one audiences would have seen four years ago, had the convention not withered to a mostly virtual event in the coronavirus pandemic.” [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
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Can anyone go to the RNC in Milwaukee, and how close can you get to the convention? “The event isn’t open to the public. But other public events will likely be announced soon, if you want to get closer to the action.” [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
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RNC in Milwaukee: Everything you need to know. “The city of Milwaukee has created an extensive safety plan for the area surrounding Fiserv Forum and the rest of the convention site.” [WJZY]
