What to watch on the second day of the 2024 RNC in Milwaukee
The Republican National Convention heads into its second day in Milwaukee — now with Donald Trump as its official presidential nominee — as the party wades through how to message around the assassination attempt and with immigration and crime expected to be featured topics.
Associated Press
July 16, 2024
![A four-sided stadium screen shows participants filling temporary seating on the floor and permanent seating in the stands of an arena, with a large stage with steps and a backdrop on one side of the space. A four-sided stadium screen shows participants filling temporary seating on the floor and permanent seating in the stands of an arena, with a large stage with steps and a backdrop on one side of the space.](https://wisconsinpublictv.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/politics-election-2024-rnc-fiserv-floor-20240715-1536x864.jpg)
Delegates gather on the floor and in the stands of the Fiserv Forum for the first night of the Republican National Convention on July 15, 2024, in Milwaukee. (Credit: Zac Schultz / PBS Wisconsin)
MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Republican National Convention heads into its second day on July 16 in Milwaukee — now with Donald Trump officially as its presidential nominee.
Trump energized the crowd on the night of July 15 by entering the arena with a bandage on his right ear after being injured during an assassination attempt on July 13. More speakers are expected to mention what they described as the former president’s strength and resilience after the shooting at his rally in Pennsylvania.
That will likely include Nikki Haley, a onetime primary rival who was a last-minute addition to the schedule.
Here’s what to watch for on the second day of the RNC.
Nikki Haley will speak on Tuesday
The former United Nations ambassador and South Carolina governor was the last major rival against Trump in the 2024 primary contest. She waited two months after dropping out in March to say she would vote for him. Then on July 9, she announced she would instruct her convention delegates to vote for Trump but wasn’t planning to attend the convention.
It wasn’t until July 14 — hours after the shooting — that her office reversed itself and said she would speak.
It’s likely that she will call on her party to show cohesion in the face of the 2024 general election battle against President Joe Biden.
So will Ron DeSantis
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is scheduled to address the RNC on July 16, according to a person familiar with the schedule who was not authorized to speak publicly.
DeSantis was seen as Trump’s strongest challenger for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination until he dropped out right before the New Hampshire primary.
His remarks along with Haley’s will put two of Trump’s most visible rivals turned supporters on stage in a show of party unity.
Immigration will be in the spotlight
Many of the speeches on the first day focused on economic policies and claims that Biden had mishandled the economy.
On the second day, the overview shifts to immigration and crime, according to Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee, with the theme of “Make America Safe Once Again.”
Be on the lookout for speakers to argue that they have been damaged by Biden-era immigration policies. Trump and Republicans believe the border debate is among their strongest issues.
As part of a broader attempt to blame crime on border policies, expect speeches from family members of slain people in cases where immigrants in the U.S. illegally face criminal charges. Trump has repeatedly brought up the issue at rallies this year.
Earlier in July, the Trump campaign and the RNC announced that the brother of Rachel Morin — a Maryland woman whom prosecutors say was killed and raped by a fugitive from El Salvador — would be one of the speakers at the convention. Officials say the suspect, Victor Antonio Martinez Hernandez, entered the U.S. illegally after allegedly killing a woman in his home country.
He was arrested last month in Oklahoma and charged with first-degree murder and rape in Morin’s death.
Biden goes back on the trail
The Democratic president gets back on the campaign trail on July 16 with events in Nevada, as he continues to try to reassure members of his party about his candidacy after his disastrous debate in June. He had canceled a planned July 15 trip to Texas and his reelection campaign temporarily suspended its television ads after the shooting.
Biden will address the NAACP convention in Las Vegas on July 16, conduct an interview with the BET network and participate in an economic summit with Rep. Steven Horsford, chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus.
As the RNC got underway, Biden had his own slice of the prime-time spotlight. In an interview with Lester Holt on NBC, Biden called it a “mistake” to say he wanted to put a “bull’s-eye” on Trump, but argued that the rhetoric from his opponent was more incendiary, while warning that Trump remained a threat to democratic institutions.
Those remarks from Biden came during a private call with donors last week as the Democrat had been scrambling to shore up his imperiled candidacy with key party constituencies. During that conversation, Biden declared that he was “done” talking about his poor debate performance and that it was “time to put Trump in the bull’s-eye,” saying Trump has gotten far too little scrutiny on his stances, rhetoric and lack of campaigning.
Associated Press writers Adriana Gomez Licon and Michelle L. Price in Milwaukee contributed to this report.
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