Trump wins delegate vote to officially become Republican nominee

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jubilant and emboldened after Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt, Republicans on Monday nominated the former president to lead their ticket for a third time and hailed Ohio Senator JD Vance as Running Mate.

“We must come together as a party and as a nation,” Republican Party Chairman Michael Whatley, Trump’s pick for party leader, said at the opening of Monday’s national convention session. “We must demonstrate the same strength and resilience that President Trump has and lead this nation into a brighter future.”

But Whatley and other Republican leaders have made clear that their calls for harmony do not extend to President Joe Biden and Democrats.

“Their policies pose a clear and present danger to America, to our institutions, our values ​​and our people,” Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson said, welcoming the party to his key swing state, which Trump won in 2016 but lost to Biden four years ago.

Saturdays Shooting at Pennsylvania rallywhere Trump was wounded and one man died, was not far from the minds of delegates as they celebrated their victory — a stark contrast to the anger and anxiety that had marked the days before. Some delegates chanted “fight, fight, fight” — the same words Trump shouted at the crowd as the Secret Service marched him off stage, fist raised and face bloodied.

“We should all be grateful now that we can vote for President Donald J. Trump after what happened on Saturday,” New Jersey state Sen. Michael Testa said as he announced his state’s 12 delegates for Trump.

The scene following Trump’s official nomination reflected the depth of his popularity among Republican activists. As he passed the required number of delegates, video screens in the arena flashed “OVER THE TOP” as the song “Celebration” played and delegates danced and waved Trump signs. Throughout the vote, delegates flanked by “Make America Great Again” signs cheered as state after state voted in favor of a second Trump term.

Several speakers invoked religious imagery to discuss Trump and the assassination attempt.

“The devil came to Pennsylvania with a gun in his hand,” said Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina. “But an American lion rose up!”

Wyoming delegate Sheryl Foland was among those who adopted the “Fight” chant after seeing Trump survive Saturday in what she called “monumental photos and videos.”

“We knew then that we were going to embrace this song,” added Foland, a mental health counselor who specializes in childhood trauma. “Not just because we wanted him to fight, but because God was fighting for him. We thought, ‘Isn’t it our duty to accept this challenge and fight for our country?’”

“This is bigger than Trump,” Foland said. “This is a mantra for our country.”

Another timely development brightened the mood at the convention on Monday: the federal judge presiding over the Trump classified documents case. dismissed the proceedings due to concerns over the appointment of the prosecutor who brought the case, handing the former president a major legal victory.

The convention is designed to reach people outside the GOP base

Trump’s campaign leaders designed the convention to deliver a softer, more optimistic message, focusing on themes that would help a divisive leader expand his appeal among the masses. moderate voters And people of color.

Monday’s prime-time session featured several black Republicans who have been at the forefront of the Trump campaign’s efforts to win more votes among a base of Democratic voters.

At an evening event devoted to the economy, U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt of Texas said rising food and energy prices were hurting Americans’ wallets and quoted Ronald Reagan, who called inflation “the cruelest tax on the poor.” Hunt argued that Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris don’t seem to understand the problem.

“We can solve this disaster,” Hunt said, by electing Trump and “sending him right back where he belongs, the White House.”

Scott, perhaps the party’s best-known black lawmaker, said: “America is not a racist country.”

Republicans hailed Vance’s selection as a key step toward a winning coalition in November.

Trump announced his running mate choice Monday as delegates voted on the former president’s nomination. The junior senator from Ohio first rose to national prominence with his Best-selling memoirs“Hillbilly Elegy,” which chronicled his upbringing in Appalachia and was hailed as a window into the parts of working-class America that helped propel Trump.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who had been considered a potential vice presidential pick, said in a message on X that Vance’s “small-town roots and service to his country make him a powerful voice for the America First agenda.”

Yet despite the calls for harmony, two of the first speakers in Monday night’s session — Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and North Carolina gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson — are known as some of the party’s most incendiary figures.

In a recent speech at a church service in North Carolina, Robinson spoke of the “bad guys” he said threaten American Christianity. “Some people deserve to be killed,” he said, though he avoided making such remarks at the convention.

Protesters marched outside

Hundreds of protesters converged on downtown Milwaukee to protest around the RNC, saying the assassination attempt would not affect their long-standing plans to demonstrate outside the venue.

The activists drew attention to issues such as abortion rights, economic justice and the war in Gaza. The atmosphere at their march was festive, with music playing over loudspeakers, a man playing a guitar and people selling T-shirts and buttons supporting both Republicans and Democrats.

The activists carried signs reading: “Support Palestine,” “We can no longer afford the rich” and “Defend and expand immigrant rights.”

The protesters’ movements were restricted as part of tight security measures put in place by the secret services.

Security officials had previously announced that people near the Secret Service perimeter would be allowed to carry weapons openly or concealed, in accordance with state law. Wisconsin law prohibits only machine guns, short-barreled shotguns and silencers.

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Associated Press reporters Christine Fernando in Chicago, Ali Swenson in Minneapolis, Jonathan J. Cooper in Phoenix, and Farnoush Amiri, Thomas Beaumont, Michelle L. Price and Sophia Tareen in Milwaukee contributed to this report.