MILWAUKEE (NBC26) — The first day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee brought an official presidential nomination, a vice presidential nominee choice, and an appearance from the wounded former president.
- Former president Donald Trump appeared at Fiserv Forum shorty before 9 p.m. to raucous applause — a bandage over his right ear, which was injured in Saturday's assassination attempt
- Trump did not take the stage — he is expected to accept the nomination with a speech Thursday
- Hours earlier, Trump announced his choice of running mate: Ohio Senator JD Vance
- Protests and demonstrations took place without incident outside the convention's security perimeter
- Video shows local RNC delegates and a political analyst responding to the Vance choice
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
The first day of the Republican National Convention was about getting the official business out of the way — the delegates cast their votes to formally nominate Donald Trump for president. And earlier in the day, Trump announced his running mate: Senator JD Vance of Ohio will be on the ticket. We spoke with delegates from northeast Wisconsin as they reacted to the choice.
Barbara Bittner says she is Calumet County's first-ever RNC delegate, and casting her vote for former president Trump was an honor.
"I think it has more meaning than it did maybe two, two-and-half days ago," Bittner said "With the assassination attempt on President Trump's life, it was very emotional."
Bittner and Fond du Lac County district attorney Eric Toney are two of five northeast Wisconsin representatives on the floor — both supported the vice presidential nominee, Senator JD Vance from Ohio.
"I think Senator Vance is going to complement President Trump very well," Toney said "He's young, he's energetic, he's got military experience and he's got a background that I think will resonate with families across America."
"I think he's a great choice," Bittner said. "He's from Ohio, which is a swing state."
We spoke with NBC News political analyst Chuck Todd, and he said the running mate choices generally can't win a candidate an election — they're either neutral or a distraction.
"There's so much evidence that even if people don't like the running mate, they still vote on the top of the ticket," Todd said. "So, at best, it's a tiebreaker."
For the delegates and guests on day one, a major theme was toning down the political rhetoric — after an assassination attempt on Trump during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
"If I sit down and talk to my Democratic friends, we can talk civilly," Bittner said. "And we have to get to that point in our politics, as well, where we can sit down and have discussions about 'How can we sit down and come up with solutions that benefit everyone, not just a few?'"
Bittner also says one of the major things she’s thinking about going into the election in November is the economy. The theme of the first day of the convention was wealth and the economy, so clearly her party is thinking along the same lines.
Tuesday's theme is safety in America — and NBC 26 will be right back with more coverage Tuesday.
