There was a palpable sense of unease in Milwaukee on Sunday, the eve of the Republican National Convention. The event was sure to be a chaotic chapter in our ugly national political drama. But the drama suddenly took a darker turn this week, when Donald Trumpwho will ultimately accept the GOP nomination here, narrowly survive an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania the day before.
In some ways, it’s business as usual: Journalists are flocking to town; party officials are meeting; and the former president’s supporters are merrily milling about in MAGA gear. But the mood has clearly changed: Trump supporters held a vigil for him in a park near the Fiserv Center, home of the Milwaukee Bucks; and Daily programhas been scheduled to air here all week, canceled his reality show.. Who is in the mood to joke anyway?
On Sunday, law enforcement officers stood around the convention’s perimeter, sweating and complaining about the humidity. The event area was so empty you could hear the seagulls screeching across Lake Michigan. At a nearby bar, politicians chatted over pinot noir and vintage wine. “Trump’s speech is going to be epic,” one predicted. “I feel like we’re living in the 1960s right now,” said another.
“For America,” they raised their glasses.
Until Saturday, questions surrounded the President’s viability. Joe BidenTrump’s reelection bid—as well as Trump’s vice presidential pick and far-right agenda for a second term—will likely be a major topic of discussion at the RNC. But much of that is likely to be overshadowed by the assassination attempt on Trump. Biden condemn the shooting—which killed one person at the protest and injured two others—and shared his thoughts with Trump. “There is no place for this kind of violence in America,” the president said. “Unity is the most elusive goal. But nothing is more important than that right now.”
Meanwhile, Trump flew to Milwaukee on Sunday, undeterred. “I cannot allow a ‘shooter,’ or a potential assassin, to force a change in schedule, or anything else,” he said. Written online, as the political world turns its attention to this city of 500,000, located in a key state that helped decide the election for Trump in 2016 and Biden in 2020.
On the eve of this year’s Republican convention, America remains a deeply troubled country—culturally and politically polarized, its democracy faltering, and its center struggling to hold together. It’s going to be a sweltering week in Milwaukee; across the country, the temperature is already boiling.
