Trump, Vance arrive for start of Republican National Convention

MILWAUKEE—The former president made his first public appearance since being grazed with a bullet in an apparent assassination attempt on Saturday. Trump, with a bandage over his right ear, pumped his fist as thousands of Republican delegates chanted, “fight” and “we love Trump.” He sat with his newly announced running mate Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, but did not address the convention. House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, and media personality Tucker Carlson joined Trump while members of his family sat in the row immediately behind him. Singer-songwriter Lee Greenwood performed the former president’s traditional entrance song “God Bless the USA.”

What else happened on the first day? The delegation formally chose Trump as the Republican candidate for President, awarding him 2,387 votes out of the 2,429. The convention also officially adopted its new and trimmed platform. Throughout the day, Trump campaign surrogates and Republican leaders gave brief speeches around the theme “Make America Wealthy Again.” They argued that Trump’s policies could reverse high inflation and boost the economy. In the second session on Monday evening, Teamsters Union President Sean O’Brien gave the final speech of the night, arguing that “the Teamsters are not beholden to anyone.” Critics have attacked him for reversing the longstanding tradition of unions supporting Democrats. 

Dig deeper: Read my report on what the addition of J.D. Vance does for Trump’s reelection bid.