Illinois Republicans ready to ‘shake up this party’ as Trump assassination attempt unites GOP

MILWAUKEE — A day after the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, authorities stepped up efforts to secure the Republican National Convention, while supporters redoubled their commitment to their presumptive presidential nominee.

Illinois Republicans arrived in Milwaukee on Sunday with a renewed sense of enthusiasm behind Trump, whose defiant response to the shooting provided “a shot of adrenaline in our arm” to his already fervent supporters, Illinois Delegate-at-Large Aaron Del Mar said.

“There’s a lot of frustration, a lot of anger. But we’re staying positive and disciplined, and as a conservative Republican community, we’re coming together and uniting,” said Del Mar, a former chairman of the Cook County Republican Party.

“It was absolutely the last thing the Democratic Party needed. It really gave us a boost. We are 100 percent united,” he said, adding that he felt “totally safe” heading into the convention on Monday.

“We’re going to lead the nation over the next five days and we’re going to rock this party,” Del Mar said.

Despite questions about the U.S. Secret Service’s handling of the Pennsylvania rally that allowed a shooter to approach Trump, authorities said they did not need to make “any changes to our operational security plans” in Milwaukee.

“We are confident in the current plan that we have,” Audrey Gibson-Cicchino, the Secret Service’s RNC coordinator, said at a news conference. “It’s based on technical assessments and classified intelligence, and we’re constantly monitoring information related to events.”

The security perimeter around Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum, where the RNC’s marquee events will take place, has turned the downtown area into a maze of checkpoints and barricaded alleys for many pedestrians. Credentials are required to get within three blocks of the arena and other buildings where thousands of delegates, reporters and Republican officials will gather during the week.

Although weapons and many other items are prohibited within the security perimeter, Wisconsin law allows people to carry firearms, meaning people can carry weapons – concealed or not – outside the immediate vicinity of the convention.

“This is a problem that we have to address, and I will say this and I have said this many times: Because it is your right, please exercise it responsibly,” Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said.

Robin Hans, alternate delegate for Illinois’ 10th Congressional District, said she felt safe in the city for the party’s biggest event — and the assassination attempt wouldn’t put a damper on that.

“We want someone who leads, who takes charge and is not afraid, who gets shot, who stands up and says, ‘I’m fighting for you,’” Hans said. “He’s behind us and we want to support him too. It’s kind of like a love fest.”