'Here & Now' from the 2024 RNC in Milwaukee: Day four
"Here & Now" senior political reporter Zac Schultz checks in from the 2024 Republican National Convention to discuss Wisconsin Republicans touting Milwaukee, the state and the Trump-Vance ticket.
By Frederica Freyberg, Zac Schultz | Here & Now
July 18, 2024 • Southeast Region
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
Frederica Freyberg:
You are watching Republican National Convention coverage from Milwaukee. I'm Frederica Freyberg. We'll stay with News Hour coverage, but we want to check in now with Here & Now's senior political reporter Zac Schultz, who comes to us from Milwaukee. Hi, Zac. So tonight is the culmination, of course, of the Republican National Convention with Donald Trump speaking for an hour and a half, I understand, starting at 9 p.m. Final day also, of course, for everyone else there. What did the Wisconsin delegation have to say about kind of their final day?
Zac Schultz:
Well, there's a lot of energy here. They've been saying this has been a pretty exciting week. Obviously it's the home state. They get to show off their state to the rest of the delegates from around the country and brag a little bit about Wisconsin and Milwaukee. They've got a long day planned for them even after tonight, they have a special concert available with the local casino. There's some people that were told, "Hey, you leave your hotel room at nine this morning, you may not get back in there until 2 a.m." But the impression seems to be pretty positive. We also heard from Congressman Scott Fitzgerald, who represents the the area just west of here in Waukesha County. He said he's been doing a lot of outreach with other delegates from around the country, and that the response from them has been overwhelmingly positive about their experience here.
U.S. Rep. Scott Fitzgerald:
What an opportunity to show the rest of the country the city of Milwaukee. And as Milwaukee goes, so goes the state of Wisconsin, right? I have had more comments about what a wonderful convention this has been.
Frederica Freyberg:
What about local businesses? Did they meet expectations?
Zac Schultz:
I think that depends on which businesses you're talking about. It's completely hit or miss. When we leave the secure perimeter each night we walk by some places that are packed, all the tables are full, it's clear that they're doing really well, and you go a little further, a couple blocks out and it's empty. And we've heard that from around the city that some places that normally would have good business with just the local population are really struggling this week. So it just depends on who has them and who doesn't.
Frederica Freyberg:
We took note of the schedule for scheduled speakers and Diane Hendricks is listed as an "everyday American" and she spoke tonight. What about her being an everyday American?
Zac Schultz:
Well, that's kind of an odd label. Diane Hendricks is a Republican megadonor from Beloit. She's also an extraordinarily successful entrepreneur and business owner. She and her late husband owned ABC Supply. She's Wisconsin's wealthiest woman, worth more than $21 billion. She's heavily involved in state politics, so to say that she's everyday really doesn't compute except in the sense that she's not a politician.
Frederica Freyberg:
All right, Zac Schultz, thanks so much and thanks for all of your work this week. Tomorrow, join Here & Now at seven for a one-hour special with full coverage of the convention and what it means for Wisconsin.
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