Jubilant Republican delegates nominate Trump for president as he announces Vance as running mate

Jubilant Republican delegates officially nominated Donald Trump for president at the Republican National Convention kickoff Monday, less than two days after an assassination attempt on the former president and shortly after he announced Ohio Sen. James David (“JD”) Vance as his vice presidential running mate.

Published on: 07/16/2024 – 00:45

3 minutes

Their vote makes it official that Trump, who had long been the presumptive nominee, will lead the GOP in a third consecutive election.

Trump won the presidency in 2016, but lost to current President Joe Biden in 2020. In November, he will face Biden again.

As delegates were still voting, Trump announced that he had selected Vance, 39, as his running mate. The junior senator from Ohio rose to national prominence with his bestselling memoir “Hillbilly Elegy,” which was adapted into a Netflix film in 2020.

In an initial response, Biden called Vance a Trump “clone” on important issues: Vance opposes no-fault divorce, supports a national abortion ban and voted against access to IVF.

According to PolicyVance underwent a “political transformation: from a working-class bard and self-described ‘Never Trump’ conservative to a MAGA loyalist and staunch defender of the former president.” Trump ultimately chose him as his running mate over Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum.

Screens showing Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump on the first day of the Republican National Convention (RNC) at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S., July 15, 2024. REUTERS – Brian Snyder

The Republican National Convention (RNC) comes just days after a failed assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, the Republican Party’s nominee.

The RNC has been held every four years since 1856 and is administered by the Republican National Committee.

The goal: In addition to officially nominating and confirming a presidential and vice presidential candidate, the meeting is also to adopt a comprehensive policy platform and unify the party. The RNC marks the official launch of the presidential campaign.

Woodcut depicting the crowd outside the Musical Fund Hall during the first-ever Republican National Convention in Philadelphia, 1856. © Wikimedia Commons

The Republican National Committee meeting will continue through Thursday, with more than 100 speakers on the agenda who will address everyday issues and Trump’s plans to help working Americans.

“We have to be able to develop a vision of where we want to take this country,” Republican Party Chairman Michael Whatley said.

He said the central message would have little to do with Biden’s political struggles, Trump’s grievances about the 2020 election or the former president’s promises to retaliate against his political enemies.

Political platform

“We’re going to have the convention that we’ve been planning for 18 months,” he said. “We’re both relieved and grateful that the president is here and accepting his nomination.”

In addition to officially nominating Trump as the nominee, delegates across the country will weigh in on updating the GOP’s policy platform for the first time since 2016.

The pared-down platform proposal, just 16 pages long with limited details on key issues, including abortion, reflects the Trump campaign’s desire to avoid giving Democrats more material on campaign issues.

The platform approved by a committee last week does not include an explicit call for a national abortion ban, two years after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and ended a federally guaranteed right to abortion.

“Further divisions would not be healthy,” said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council.

(With dispatches)