The stage was filmed at the Fiserv Forum on the eve of the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee on Sunday, which runs from July 15-18 in Wisconsin.
Joe Raedl/Getty Images
Hide caption
Toggle caption
Joe Raedl/Getty Images
The Republican National Convention will officially open as scheduled on Monday in Milwaukee. The convention will be the first national gathering of party members to support former President Donald Trump, who survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pa. By the end of the convention on Thursday, Trump will be the party’s nominee, with a running mate yet to be announced.
Trump, who arrived in Milwaukee on Sunday, said in a post on Truth Social that the show would go on.
“In light of yesterday’s horrific events, I had intended to postpone my trip to Wisconsin and the Republican National Convention for two days but have decided I cannot allow a ‘shooter’ or potential assassin to force me to reschedule or otherwise change my plans,” Trump wrote on Sunday. In a later post, he wrote, “Unite America!”
Party members have taken that message to heart and rallied together in support of Trump. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who wasn’t originally invited to the Republican National Convention, is scheduled to speak at the convention on Tuesday, a further sign that some of Trump’s critics within the Republican Party are now voicing their support for him.
Party officials see the convention as a chance to show how united party members are, in contrast to the Democratic Party, which is deeply divided over Biden’s candidacy. According to the Milwaukee 2024 Organizing Committee, a total of about 50,000 people will attend the Republican National Convention. 2,429 delegates from all 56 states and territories will be participating, and as of July 12, Trump has won 2,268 delegates.
What to expect
In terms of messaging, Trump will likely make similar claims: that the country is weak and in decline (which he blames entirely on the Biden administration), that the justice system is unfairly going after him and his supporters, and that he and his party members will also fight “Bidenflation” and discuss ways to strengthen the military and secure the border.
Preparations take place outside the Fiserv Forum ahead of the 2024 Republican National Convention, Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Milwaukee.
Alex Brandon/AP
Hide caption
Toggle caption
Alex Brandon/AP
So what actually happens each day?
A big item on the to-do list is for the Republican National Committee to formally vote on the party platform — essentially the party’s mission statement — early on. The vice presidential nominee is expected to speak on Wednesday, followed by a major speech by Trump on Thursday in which he will formally accept the nomination.
In a statement released on July 8, the Trump campaign said the convention would feature Republican leaders and conservative supporters, but that “the real stars of this convention are ordinary Americans.”
Each day of the convention will have four themes, each based on President Trump’s iconic catchphrase, “Make America Great Again.”
The convention hall and stage ahead of the 2024 Republican National Convention (RNC) at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Sunday. The theme for the first day is “Make America Prosperous Again.”
Andrew Caballero Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
Hide caption
Toggle caption
Andrew Caballero Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
Monday’s theme, “Make America Prosperous Again,” will highlight what the campaign claims are Biden’s economic policies that have lowered worker wages and “put everyday life out of reach for working-class Americans.” The Republican National Committee will focus on Trump’s “America First” economic policies, which emphasize trade deals and tax cuts.
Tuesday’s theme will be “Make America Safe Again,” portraying American cities and communities as declining due to Biden’s “soft on crime and open border policies.” Republicans will bring order to the border and curb drug trafficking in the U.S., according to the memo.
Wednesday’s theme will be “Making America Strong Again,” and the talks will discuss foreign policy on issues such as the Israel-Hamas war, Iran and China, aiming to strengthen America’s standing in the world.
The final day of the convention will culminate with “Make America Great Again,” the day Trump is expected to accept the nomination, and will center on his promise to “bring about a new golden age for America,” a “revitalization” of cities and communities and “optimism for the future of our country.”
The RNC has not shown any indication that those themes will change in the wake of Saturday’s shooting.
What about the RNC platform?
The document is short, just 16 pages, and reads a bit like a Trump speech. It includes a variety of campaign promises, including initiating the largest deportations in history. While such party platforms are typically written collaboratively, Cathy Dolan, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, said this one was written top-down by Trump’s team and was an attempt to deflect attention from the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 policy agenda, which was created by several of Trump’s former advisers.
Project 2025 has been controversial among voters — in a recent NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll, 15% of respondents rated it favorably and 41% unfavorably — so Dolan sees the RNC platform as a way to push Project 2025 aside.
“I think this is an attempt to create a document that they can point to and say, ‘No, we’re not fully aligned with Project 2025,'” Dolan suggested.
Who will be speaking?
The list of headliners and keynote speakers announced by the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee on Saturday includes several members of the Trump family, including Donald Trump Jr. and co-chair Lara Trump. Celebrities and industry leaders are also scheduled to attend, including TV host and political commentator Tucker Carlson, senior campaign adviser Alina Hubba and Turning Point USA CEO Charlie Kirk.
The speaker list also includes many of the people speculated to be Trump’s running mate, including Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, Governor Doug Burgum of North Dakota and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina.
How do I participate in the competition?
For live video, analysis and fact-checks, visit NPR.org. You can also catch special NPR coverage on many public radio stations. Subscribe to the NPR Politics Podcast for nightly post-convention summaries. And for this week’s analysis, subscribe to the NPR Politics Newsletter.
