Wisconsin is perhaps the most important battleground state in the 2024 presidential election, with both campaigns saying the other can’t win if they don’t win there. That put even more emphasis on the city of Milwaukee hosting the Republican National Convention.

The culmination of every convention is Thursday night, when the nominee takes the stage and basks in the adoration of the party faithful.

“Thank you very much. Thank you very, very much,” said former president and 2024 Republican nominee Donald Trump, delivering his acceptance speech.

But in some ways, the defining moment of the 2024 Republican National Convention didn’t come in the host city of Milwaukee. It occurred in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, when a 20-year-old with a gun nearly took Trump’s life.

By the time Trump took the stage on the night of July 18, his supporters had already declared the near miss as a sign of divine intervention.

“We just thank you for sparing the voice of our president Donald J. Trump. We thank you that we know that it was your heart that saved and spared his life,” prayed former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker at the state Republican delegation’s breakfast on July 15, the first day of the convention.

Valerie Mack attends a prayer vigil on July 14, 2024, in Milwaukee before the start of the Republican National Convention. “I know the police and security, and Homeland Security and everything, will probably even step up even more,” Mack said about concerns over potential violence at the RNC. (Credit: PBS Wisconsin)

Trump agreed.

“I felt very safe because I had God on my side. I felt that,” he said.

The first question of the week was whether it was even safe to come to the convention.

Several ladies from Eagle River had to decide if the violence would continue in Milwaukee.

“For a split second? I mean, you have to, you need to be prudent to reflect. But it’s really more about now. I know the police and security, and Homeland Security and everything, will probably even step up even more,” said Valerie Mack at a prayer vigil in Milwaukee, hosted by a conservative group on July 14, the night before the convention started.

UW-La Crosse political science professor Kristina LaPlant saw the shooting on TV and canceled a trip with her students who planned to survey delegates for a class on political parties.

Kristina LaPlant, a UW-La Crosse political science professor, was going to attend the 2024 RNC in Milwaukee with students but canceled those plans after the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. “Immediately my mind starts thinking about what on earth is going to happen at the convention now. And I’m immediately thinking about my safety, my students’ safety,” LaPlant said. (Credit: PBS Wisconsin)

“Immediately my mind starts thinking about what on earth is going to happen at the convention now,” she said. “And I’m immediately thinking about my safety, my students’ safety. Is the political violence going to escalate at the RNC?”

On the first morning, the message from Republicans was one of unity.

“This is a moment to rise above their behavior and realize it is our task to save and preserve this nation. The only way we do that is by unifying,” said U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson while speaking to the Wisconsin delegation breakfast on July 15.

U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson speaks to the Wisconsin delegation on July 15, 2024 at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. “This is a moment to rise above their behavior and realize it is our task to save and preserve this nation. The only way we do that is by unifying,” Johnson said. (Credit: PBS Wisconsin)

But later that evening, on the main stage, Johnson was back to calling Democrats a threat to the nation.

Meanwhile, the unity referred to the Republican Party unifying around Trump.

“We have the greatest opportunity I have ever seen for a Republican victory from the presidency down to the house of legislature,” said former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson at the state delegation’s breakfast on July 16, the second day of the convention.

Democrats hoped to tie Donald Trump to a policy plan called Project 2025, a 900-page document created by the Heritage Foundation that creates a plan to give Trump unprecedented executive powers to remake the federal government.

Vivek Ramaswamy speaks about Donald Trump’s assassination attempt on July 15, 2024 at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. “I think the nation came within a hair’s breadth of, God forbid, a second kind of civil war in this country. And we missed it,” Ramaswamy said. (Credit: PBS Wisconsin)

But there was no mention of the plan at the Heritage Policy Fest in Milwaukee, and Trump surrogate Vivek Ramaswamy refused to talk about Project 2025, instead hinting that if Trump had been killed, it would have led to a second civil war.

“I think the nation came within a hair’s breadth of, God forbid, a second kind of civil war in this country. And we missed it,” Ramasawmy said on the convention’s first day.

He wasn’t the only one talking civil war.

Newt Gingrich, former U.S. house speaker, speaks to the Wisconsin delegation on July 15, 2024 at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. “We were right at the brink of falling apart as a country and potentially drifting towards a civil war,” Gingrich said. (Credit: PBS Wisconsin)

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich told the Wisconsin delegation the same thing.

“We were right at the brink of falling apart as a country and potentially drifting towards a civil war,” said Gingrich at the delegation’s first-day breakfast.

Other Republicans tried to turn down the rhetoric.

“But I don’t see our country on a pathway to a civil war. And we need to just continue to have that dialogue, to listen and exercise our voice at the ballot box,” said Fond du Lac District Attorney Eric Toney on July 17, the convention’s third day. Toney was the Republican candidate in Wisconsin’s 2022 race for attorney general.

Fond du Lac District Attorney, Eric Toney, speaks about partisan rancor in a July 16, 2024 interview at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. “We need to just continue to have that dialogue, to listen and exercise our voice at the ballot box,” Toney said. (Credit: PBS Wisconsin)

Trump’s speech was supposed to focus on unity.

“Despite such a heinous attack, we unite this evening, more determined than ever,” Trump said in his acceptance speech.

But there were times when the teleprompter didn’t move, as Trump went off script and returned to his favorite topics.

“Crazy Nancy Pelosi, the whole thing — just boom, boom, boom!” exclaimed the former president.

Trump found time to pander to the home state.

Donald Trump, the Republican candidate for U.S. president, delivers his nomination acceptance speech on July 18, 2024, at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. “And, by the way, Wisconsin, we are spending over $250 million here, creating jobs and other economic development all over the place,” Trump said during his speech. (Credit: PBS Wisconsin)

“And by the way, Wisconsin, we are spending over $250 million here, creating jobs and other economic development all over the place,” he said. “So I hope you will remember this in November and give us your vote. I am trying to buy your vote.”

As the speech stretched out to the longest in convention history, those who started off shouting “Fight!” were later sitting quietly, looking at their phones.

Eventually the speech wrapped up.

“And quite simply put, we will very quickly make America great again,” declared Trump.

The balloons dropped — and the 2024 Republican National Convention came to an end.

“Thank you very much,” Trump said. “Thank you very much, Wisconsin.”