MILWAUKEE — Republicans gathered for the first day of their party’s convention just days after a would-be assassin’s bullet grazed former President Trump’s ear.
But the mood here was far from somber. Instead it was jovial and brimming with confidence, a sharp contrast to the last time there was an in-person GOP convention eight years ago.
“The party’s never been more unified,” Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), who will speak Tuesday night with other Senate candidates, told The Hill in an interview. “The Republican Party was unified before Saturday, but now the Republican Party is not just unified but fired up in an even bigger way to win in November.
“I remember back to 2016 when there was still a movement or a try to boot Donald Trump from the nomination even at the convention,” he said. “This convention is rock solid, and there’s unanimous support of Donald J. Trump to not just be the nominee, but to win in November.”
Monday marked the first day of this week’s Republican National Convention (RNC). Trump is leading President Biden in multiple national and battleground polls, and while the race remains close in places like Michigan and Wisconsin, Republicans feel they are in a strong position to take back the White House and perhaps control of both chambers of Congress.
Trump himself received a hero’s welcome, prompting thunderous applause at Fiserv Forum when he made his first public appearance since he survived an assassination attempt at a rally over the weekend.
He waved and fist pumped at the crowd and shook hands with Tucker Carlson, Rep. Byron Donalds and his family members before taking his seat in the arena.
The former president wore a bandage over his ear, where he was struck by a bullet just minutes into a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. Secret Service stormed the stage, covering Trump. When the former president rose to his feet, his face was streaked with blood. He raised a fist and mouthed the word “fight” to the crowd.
Attendees broke into occasional chants of “fight!” during Monday’s proceedings, a nod to Trump’s own words.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), a top Trump ally in the House, said the convention was both “a celebration” and “a somber moment for our nation.”
At one point early Monday evening, the speakers blared “YMCA” and the video board showed footage of Trump dancing to the song at his rallies. The entire crowd of delegates rose to their feet to dance along.
Republicans formally nominated Trump as their presidential nominee in unanimous fashion after primary rival Nikki Haley released her delegates. Haley will speak here on Tuesday.
Trump on Monday announced Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) as his running mate, a move that was received rapturously at the convention. The crowd broke into chants of “JD!” as the senator walked onto the convention floor with his wife, Usha, and was formally nominated as the party’s vice presidential candidate.
The final address of the evening was given by Sean O’Brien, president of the Teamsters. It was a bit of an unusual choice, but one that reflected GOP outreach to union workers during this election cycle to try and peel away a core part of President Biden’s coalition.
“We have a big tent that is the Republican Party, and we are filling it up,” Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), who kept his distance from Trump during his 2021 campaign but has backed the former president this year, said on the convention floor.
“This is our chance to not just bring together the Republican Party, which you see all over here, but bring together America,” he added.
Speakers on Monday night included Youngkin, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R), Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Rep. John James (R-Mich.) and North Carolina gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson (R).
Taylor Greene railed against illegal immigrants and declared, “there are only two genders.”
Britt, who delivered a mostly panned State of the Union rebuttal, argued Biden’s economic policies were hurting American families with higher prices.
Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) said President Biden was “asleep at the wheel” and rejected the idea that America is a “racist country.”
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said Democrats’ policies posed a “clear and present danger to the country,” a notable remark given calls on both sides of the aisle to dial down the rhetoric. Johnson later said he read the old version of his remarks.
Some of the sharpest criticism came from tech entrepreneur David Sacks, who ripped Biden as “sleepy and senile,” and mocked Vice President Harris as “clueless and embarrassing.”
The former president has suggested his primetime address on Thursday, when he formally accepts the party’s nomination, may also take a different tone.
“This is a chance to bring the whole country, even the whole world, together,” Trump told The Washington Examiner. “The speech will be a lot different, a lot different than it would’ve been two days ago.”