Trump’s big appearance at the RNC, the election of a vice president and the new GOP: insights from day one

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Trump-Vance 2024.

The Republican presidential nomination came to fruition on Monday when Donald Trump named JD Vance as his running mate. By turning to the 39-year-old senator from Ohio, the Republican nominee injected new energy into a campaign that has focused on age issues in recent weeks following President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance.

The Republican National Convention began less than 48 hours after Trump was the victim of a shocking assassination attempt in Pennsylvania. The shooting, which left Trump injured and one man dead, cast a shadow over the convention, with speakers expressing gratitude for the former president’s survival and resolving to retake the White House in November.

Here are some insights from the first day of the conference.

Trump made a powerful appearance

Just two days after a gunman tried to kill him, Trump walked into the convention hall with a bandage over his injured right ear as singer Lee Greewood sang “God Bless the USA,” a staple of the former president’s rallies. Trump waved to the crowd and raised his fist in the air, a common gesture that took on new meaning after he made a similar move from the stage on Saturday as Secret Service agents escorted him to safety.

The crowd rose to their feet and cheered with joy when they saw their candidate. Trump, who is rarely at a loss for words, made no official comments. But the sight of him spoke volumes and was a tangible reminder of how the former president narrowly escaped tragedy.

He then greeted his family before taking a seat between Vance and commentator Tucker Carlson.

The development of the GOP in the Trump era was clearly visible

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell is arguably responsible for the Republicans’ greatest political successes, particularly the installation of conservative judges at every level of the judiciary. But that didn’t matter to the pro-Trump crowd at the RNC, who greeted the Kentucky Republican with boos – a firm repudiation of a man demonized as an establishment Republican who didn’t sufficiently support the former president.

Just a short time later, Vance received a very different reception. The second-youngest U.S. senator – and the first millennial on a major party’s ticket – received thunderous applause when he entered the party convention for the first time as Trump’s running mate.

The heated arguments offered a glimpse into the changes Republicans have undergone under Trump – and marked the end of an era in which McConnell went from one of his party’s most powerful leaders and astute tacticians to a man booed by his own party’s activists at the convention.

Stylistically, McConnell and Vance could hardly be more different. Vance, an outspoken MAGA campaigner, is one of Trump’s most important supporters. McConnell, on the other hand, has a more reserved demeanor, while his political sensibilities are rooted in Ronald Reagan’s GOP.

Without McConnell, however, the 39-year-old Vance’s political rise might not have been possible.

Two years ago, Vance struggled to raise money and faced a deep-pocketed Democratic opponent, with McConnell’s Super PAC raking in more than $30 million in advertising.

Vance won and began his rise into public prominence. McConnell, now in the autumn of his political career, will step down as Senate Republican leader in November.

Are the unions the Republicans’ new friends?

While the Democrats were the party of unions for decades, the Republicans were openly hostile to them.

But on the opening night of the RNC, Trump opened the doors of the convention to International Brotherhood of Teamsters President Sean O’Brien, who delivered the evening’s closing speech, accusing both major political parties of not doing enough for working people.

If it seems unusual for the president of a major union to address a large gathering of Republicans, that’s because it isn’t. For decades, the party has pushed anti-worker laws designed to limit unions’ ability to organize.

But in his speech, which was not always well received by Republicans in attendance, O’Brien said that workers were being taken for granted and sold out to big banks, big tech companies, the corporate elite and also to both parties in Washington.

His speech was tantamount to criticism of Biden, who likes to boast that he is “the most union-friendly president in history.”

As Trump continues to disrupt American politics and portray himself as an advocate for working people, O’Brien seemed to make clear that Democrats should not take working people for granted.

“We are not beholden to anyone or any party,” O’Brien said.

Republicans spoke of unity – but resorted to sensitive social issues

The first night of the RNC was supposed to be about the economy, with the goal of uniting voters of all ideological persuasions frustrated by high prices, but some of the loudest applause came for harsh criticism of transgender people.

It’s a reminder that cultural issues motivate the GOP base as much as financial ones. A trio of speakers blatantly attacked Democrats who support greater acceptance of transgender people. Republicans were particularly outraged this year by Biden’s announcement of Transgender Day of Visibility. It happened to coincide with Easter 2024, a side effect of the fact that the Christian holiday is based on the lunar calendar.

For many in the LGBTQ+ community, it was a coincidence. But for many Republicans, it was an insult.

“You promised normalcy and gave us Transgender Visibility Day on Easter Sunday,” said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. “And let me be clear: There are only two genders.”

Other Republicans tried to make the issue a question of fairness, arguing that it was wrong to ask “girls” to compete against transgender athletes. The Biden administration proposed a rule in April that would prevent schools and colleges from banning transgender athletes entirely, a rule that was quickly challenged in court.

Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin) said at the convention that this was all part of a “fringe agenda” that included “the competition of biological males against girls.”

Republican Rep. John James of Michigan tried to cast this as part of a broader criticism of Democrats, saying they promised to give the country hope and failed. “Our daughters were instilled with hope, and now they are being forced to play with biological men on the fields and in the locker rooms,” James said.

Republicans criticize Biden harshly over inflation

According to Republicans, inflation has ruined the US economy and Biden alone is to blame.

The argument is a key message for voters who doubt Trump’s ethics but still trust his economic judgment. None of the convention speeches offered a detailed explanation of why prices have risen. That would require acknowledging disrupted supply chains after the pandemic and the fact that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine drove up food and energy costs. But Biden pushed through $1.9 trillion in pandemic aid, and Republicans argued that Americans suffered because they paid more for food and gas.

The idea was to ignore the worrying inflation data and consider the positive aspects of the economy, such as a strong labor market and solid growth as the economic recovery progresses.

“So many American families are living on so much less,” said Senator Katie Britt (Republican of Alabama). “This is too high a price to pay for an administration that has brought us to such a low point.”

But how would the Republican Party get inflation under control?

However, the speakers did not present a real plan other than simply bringing Trump back to the White House.

— By Adriana Gomez Licon, Brian Slodysko and Josh Boak, Associated Press