Three takeaways from day one of the RNC

MILWAUKEE — Day one of the Republican National Convention (RNC) has wrapped up. Here are three key takeaways from Monday.

Trump, Vance are officially the Republican ticket

Former President Donald Trump and running mate Ohio Sen. JD Vance were officially nominated as the Republican ticket for the 2024 presidential election in Fiserv Forum.

The vice presidential announcement, made on Trump’s Truth Social platform, came in the middle of the roll call of states vote results to formally nominate the former president. The roll call marked the end of the GOP presidential primary, despite the party knowing for months that Trump would be its nominee to take on President Joe Biden in November. 

Trump’s vice presidential pick, freshman senator Vance, was born and raised in Middletown, Ohio. Prior to embarking on a career in politics, Vance joined the Marines and served in Iraq. He then earned degrees from Ohio State University and Yale Law School and worked as a venture capitalist in Silicon Valley. 

Vance rose to fame in 2016 when he published his memoir “Hillbilly Elegy.” While Vance wasn’t a fan of Trump at the time — openly criticizing the former president, suggesting he could be “America’s Hitler” — has since become a fierce supporter of Trump since his successful bid for U.S. Senate in 2022. 

Republicans hope the 39-year-old will help the party appeal to young voters and Midwestern voters. Vance also brings some youth to the ticket, being only half Trump’s age.  

In a statement Monday, U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, who represents Wisconsin’s third congressional district, celebrated Trump’s vice presidential pick, stating Vance’s “humble beginning” means he will understand “the plight of rural Americans.”

Trump makes first public appearance since assassination attempt

Trump made his first public appearance Monday night in Milwaukee alongside Vance just 48 hours after he was rushed off stage at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania following an assassination attempt. 

The former president made his first appearance at the RNC when he arrived at Fiserv Forum with a bandaged right ear around 9 p.m. Trump appeared to be holding back tears while the crowd applauded and cheered. “USA,” “we love Trump” and “fight” — what the former president said moments after being shot at on Saturday — chants could be heard.  

RNC day one: ‘Make America Wealthy Again’ 

The first night of the RNC kept its original focus on the economy, featuring a lineup of speakers that argued Trump would fight inflation upon his return to the White House. 

“Tonight, America, the land of opportunity, just doesn’t feel like that anymore,” Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said on the RNC’s main stage Monday night. 

Despite the economy being the theme for day one, Trump has yet to release key details about his economic policies if he were elected. The Republican platform promises to “defeat” inflation and bring down prices, though it is unclear how this will be achieved. 

Most of the speakers didn’t get too into the details either, instead harking messages of unity and voicing support for the former president in the wake of Saturday’s assassination attempt. 

“The devil came to Pennsylvania holding a rifle, the American lion got back up on his feet,” South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott said in an energetic speech. 

While the Trump campaign wanted to focus on the message of unity, Sen. Ron Johnson blasted Democratic policies, calling them “a clear and present danger to America, to our institutions, our values and our people.”

A spokesperson for Johnson later said the remarks the senator intended to deliver calling for unity did not appear on the teleprompter and that the line read wasn’t in the final version of his speech. 

The theme for the second day of the convention is “Make America Safe Once Again,” with the focus expected to be on immigration and border security. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy are slated to speak Tuesday night.

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