Milwaukee − Donald Trump is expected to announce his 2024 presidential candidacy on Monday, a decision that comes after an assassination attempt on the presumptive 2024 Republican nominee just two days ago and months of speculation about who he might nominate for the GOP nomination.
The timetable calls for the vice presidential nomination to be made just after 3:30 p.m. local time, and Trump could make the announcement before then, according to sources. Monday marks the first day of the Republican Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, when the GOP begins pitching its conservative wing to voters across the country. But the convention, which was expected to focus on divisive issues like immigration and election fraud, is likely to have a different tone when it begins today in the shadow of this weekend’s chaotic assassination attempt.
Former President Donald Trump got a political gift as the convention got underway: A federal judge in Florida dismissed a criminal case against Trump over his handling of classified documents, meaning one of the four criminal cases against him may no longer be valid.
Trump arrived in Milwaukee on Sunday night and said he would change the focus of his convention speech, saying in an interview with the Washington Examiner that the assassination attempt on him presented “an opportunity to bring the whole country, even the whole world, together.”
“This speech … was going to be incredible,” Trump said. “It’s going to be a very different speech now, honestly.”
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How to watch the RNC
The RNC is closed to the public, but you can stream the event on YouTube, X, Facebook Live, Rumble, Amazon Prime, Twitch, and Direct TV.
USA TODAY will also be broadcasting the tournament starting at 1pm ET. Viewers can watch the live stream here: https://www.youtube.com/embed/WUV7qDi82uk?si=cPJqDliOCEGDftif
-Elizabeth Bayer
When does the RNC start?
The RNC is scheduled to officially begin at 12:35 pm Central time. The first convention session will last until 4:45 pm, while the second official session will begin at 5:45 pm and continue until 10 pm.
-Elizabeth Bayer
President Trump will seek dismissal of all lawsuits, but that may not happen.
Donald Trump is celebrating a major legal victory by having a criminal case against him for possessing classified documents after he left office dismissed, and he is also seeking to have two other pending lawsuits involving an assassination attempt thrown out.
“As we move forward toward national unity after Saturday’s horrific events, the dropping of this lawless indictment in Florida is only the first step, which should be quickly followed by the dropping of the entire witch hunt,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.
The government is likely to appeal a federal court’s dismissal of a lawsuit alleging that Trump mishandled classified documents.
There are no plans to dismiss pending lawsuits in Washington, D.C. and Georgia accusing President Trump of rigging the 2020 election.
Trump has already been convicted in a New York hush-money case and is awaiting sentencing.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump claimed all the cases against him were politically motivated. He said, “Let’s come together to end the weaponization of our justice system and Make America Great Again!”
-David Jackson
Trump is expected to announce his running mate today
Trump’s vice presidential nominee is likely to be decided today.
The nomination is scheduled to take place just after 3:30 p.m. local time, but Trump could make the announcement earlier, according to sources.
Fox News host Bret Baier said Trump told him he would announce the selection today.
stay tuned.
-David Jackson
What will security be like at the RNC?
Kimberly Cheatle, director of the U.S. Secret Service, said Monday that security measures for the Republican National Convention have been “reviewed and enhanced” in the wake of Saturday’s assassination attempt.
Cheatle said the department is “continuously adjusting its operations to ensure the highest level of safety and security for convention attendees, volunteers and the City of Milwaukee” during the Republican National Convention.
She said that since Saturday’s incident, the Secret Service has also made changes to Trump’s security to keep him safe through the end of the campaign.
-Rebecca Morin and Carissa Waddick
Trump classified documents lawsuit dismissed for now
Republicans opened their convention on Monday with the extraordinary legal news of the dismissal of a classified documents lawsuit against Trump, a decision that is likely to be appealed.
U.S. District Judge Eileen Cannon ruled that the appointment of Special Counsel Jack Smith was unconstitutional.
The government will almost certainly appeal the ruling, but the entire case could be dismissed if Trump returns to office.
–David Jackson
Trump is set to announce his running mate on Monday
Donald Trump has yet to announce his running mate, but the announcement could come as early as Monday.
The former president hinted at his plans to nominate a vice president in an interview last week, saying he would “like to make an announcement during the convention” or “a little bit before the convention, say on Monday.”
Trump’s list of potential running mates includes Republican Senators J.D. Vance of Ohio, Marco Rubio of Florida and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum.
–Carissa Waddick
When will Donald Trump speak at the Republican National Convention?
Presidential candidates traditionally speak on the final night of their conventions, and vice presidential candidates on the penultimate night.
Trump will attend and may speak on the opening day on Monday. Holly Rosencrantz
President Trump says he will refrain from giving acceptance speech after shootings
President Trump, who survived an assassination attempt, and his top aides have signaled they plan to take a softer tone in his acceptance speech on Thursday night.
“If this hadn’t happened, we would have had a pretty tough, well-crafted speech,” Trump told the Washington Examiner. “Now we’re having a speech that’s more unifying.”
“My speech was incredibly loud. It was brutal. It was really good. It was really tough,” Trump said before Saturday’s shooting.
But Trump denied that version, telling the Examiner: “Even if it was true, I think it would be very wrong for me to stand up and start yelling about how awful everybody is and how corrupt and crooked they are.”
Who will speak at the Republican National Convention?
The speaker list, released Saturday afternoon, illustrates how Donald Trump has completely remade the Republican Party into the “Trump Make America Great Again” MAGA Party.
The speaker list includes Tucker Carlson, Donald Trump Jr., Amber Rose, the fellow fraternity members at the University of North Carolina who held up the American flag during the Gaza protests, and UFC’s Dana White. No Republican veterans like Mitt Romney, George W. Bush, or John Thawne are on the list. Of course, new speakers could be added as the convention format changes in the wake of the weekend’s assassination attempt. Nikki Haley, for example, who was at odds with the Trump campaign after the fierce GOP primary, is now speaking.
— David Jackson and Holly Rosencrantz
When is the 2024 Republican National Convention? How to watch it
The RNC is scheduled to take place from July 15th to 18th.
Trump will be formally nominated as the presidential candidate and will announce his running mate at the convention, and is currently scheduled to address delegates on Thursday night, the final day of the convention.
The four-day Republican National Convention began just days after a gunman opened fire on Trump at a rally for the president in Butler, Pennsylvania, killing one protester and wounding two others. The gunman, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Crooks, was shot and killed by a Secret Service agent shortly thereafter.
— Gabe Hauri
