Takeaways from the first day of the Republican National Convention
(CNN) — With a white bandage over the ear clipped just two days earlier by an attempted assassin’s bullet, Donald Trump stole the show when he made his first public appearance since the shooting on the opening night of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
Trump joined the man he’d chosen hours earlier as his vice presidential running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, in a box in the 10 p.m. Eastern time hour for Monday night’s final speeches.
The crowd chanted “fight” — the word a bloody-faced Trump had shouted several times, while pumping his fist in the air, as the Secret Service rushed him off the stage in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.
It was a memorable moment on a day that Republican delegates officially nominated Trump for the third consecutive presidential election, confirmed Vance as his running mate and opened a four-day convention aimed at making the case for another Trump term and against reelecting President Joe Biden.
Here are six takeaways from the RNC’s first night:
Trump picks Vance
Rather than choose his running mate before Republicans gathered in Milwaukee, Trump wanted an element of surprise at this year’s convention — and he got it, keeping the veepstakes guessing game alive until Monday afternoon.
Trump called Vance 20 minutes before he announced he’d chosen the Ohio senator on Truth Social, a source familiar with the process told CNN. The two had met at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club on Saturday, before the rally at which Trump was shot in the ear.
The choice reflects Trump’s belief that Vance is an effective communicator who can sell Trump’s populist agenda — particularly to working-class voters in states like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, where presidential elections can be decided by thousands of votes.
“He is consistent with Trump’s appeal to working men and women,” Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said of Vance. “Also, someone who shares his desire to expand the base of the Republican Party.”
Vance now vs. Vance then
Vance is something of a double-edged sword for Republicans, who are betting on his ability to communicate Trump’s message but will have to contend with the senator’s own history.
Prior to running for his Senate seat in 2022, Vance was a venture capitalist, political commentator and the author of the best-selling memoir “Hillbilly Elegy.” Publicly and privately, he was a strident critic of Trump — material Democrats are certain to replay for the duration of the campaign.
Trump is betting that Vance articulating his evolution from Trump critic to supporter will prove much more potent than those older comments.
After all, he convinced Trump of his change of heart. The former president’s endorsement is what propelled Vance to victory in a crowded Republican primary in Ohio’s 2022 Senate race.
VP also-rans get their moments
The Vance pick was Monday’s big news, but delegates and convention-watchers heard from several other Republicans who Trump considered for the vice presidential nod, as well.
They praised Trump — and some seemed to do so with one eye on 2028.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem bragged that she’d implemented virtually no business restrictions during the height of the coronavirus pandemic.
“President Trump honored the Constitution. He let me do my job. And he let me keep my people free,” she said.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin drew implicit parallels between his own background as the head of a private equity firm and Trump’s business background — as well as Trump’s first-term record and his own economic achievements.
Rep. Elise Stefanik spoke for New York’s delegation during the roll call to nominate Trump, claiming he will win New York in November — an unlikely prospect, given its Democratic leanings.
Florida Rep. Byron Donalds got a primetime slot, telling the story of how his single mother got him into a private school. “My mom fought for me,” he said.
“Donald Trump believes that every parent deserves a choice and every child deserves a chance,” he said.
The most memorable might have been South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, who drew a religious connection to Saturday’s assassination attempt.
“Our God still saves. He still delivers. And he still sets free. Because on Saturday, the devil came to Pennsylvania holding a rifle. But an American lion got back up on his feet and he roared,” Scott said.
Teamsters president pushes worker-friendly agenda
The strangest thing about the speech delivered in prime time by Sean O’Brien, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters president, was that it happened at a Republican convention.
Labor unions have long overwhelmingly supported Democrats — and have fought anti-union policies backed by Republicans, particularly in Wisconsin.
But O’Brien, the head of a 1.3 million member union that has not endorsed in the 2024 presidential race, said he refuses “to keep doing the same thing my predecessors did.”
“Today, the Teamsters are here to say, we are not beholden to anyone or any party,” he said.
O’Brien said Trump is not afraid of “new, loud and often critical voices.” What he didn’t say is that Trump took policy positions while in the White House, and appointed a number of officials, that labor unions opposed.
“The American people aren’t stupid. They know the system is broken. We all know how Washington is run. Working people have no chance of winning this fight,” O’Brien said.
O’Brien used his speech to urge Republicans to take populist, worker-friendly positions that are at odds with much of the party’s conservative orthodoxy. Much of it received a lukewarm response from the crowd. However, Trump and those in his VIP box stood and watched closely — an illustration of how Trump has turned much of that orthodoxy on its head.
The speech was a blaring red alarm for Biden, whose route to a second term is dependent on strong support from union workers in the “blue wall” states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Also concerning for Biden, who is attempting to beat back concerns from fellow Democrats over his age, is the boost that O’Brien gave Trump’s image.
“Whether people like him or they don’t like him, in light of what happened to him on Saturday, he has proven to be one tough S.O.B.,” O’Brien said.
Trump eyes Democratic coalition
The Teamsters president’s speech was one of several ways Republicans attempted to chip away at the coalition that helped Biden win the White House in 2020.
Donalds, the Florida congressman, was one of several Black Republicans who spoke — reflecting the Trump campaign’s attempt to make inroads with Black men, in particular.
Amber Rose, a media personality and influencer, said Monday that American families were “safer, wealthier and stronger” under Trump. She was there to appeal to a younger and more diverse audience, and explained how she became a Trump supporter.
“I’m here tonight to tell you, no matter your political background, the best chance we have to give our babies a better life is to elect Donald Trump president of the United States,” Rose said.
The attempts to make inroads with union workers, Black voters and younger voters — even if only minimally successful — could prove critical in November, if the election is once again decided by tens of thousands of votes in a handful of key states.
Ron Johnson’s Ron Burgundy moment
Two days after Trump was shot in Pennsylvania, many Republican speakers Monday night delivered cooler-than-usual rhetoric.
However, a notable exception came in Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson’s speech, when he called Democratic policies a “clear and present danger to the country.”
Johnson’s spokesperson said it was a mistake, and that the senator delivered an old version of his remarks that had been erroneously loaded into the teleprompter, instead of a new version calling for unity.
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