MILWAUKEE (WHDH) – Delegates from New England and beyond made their way to Milwaukee this weekend just hours after the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump and mere hours before the beginning of this week’s Republican National Convention
Speaking with reporters, delegates said they were uniting around Trump.
“[It] makes me more excited to come and support President Trump,” said John O’Blenis, a delegate from Raymond, New Hampshire. “We need him now more than ever.”
Even Trump himself arrived on Sunday as scheduled.
Speaking in his first interview since the attack Saturday evening, he told the Washington Examiner he plans on tackling the convention much differently.
“This is a chance to bring the whole country, even the whole world, together,” Trump told the paper. “The speech will be a lot different, a lot different then it would’ve been two days ago.”
The shooting on Saturday left one person dead, in addition to the gunman. Beyond Trump, two other people were also injured.
While the Secret Service faces questions and criticism about the incident, President Biden in an Oval Office address Sunday night asked Americans to reject political violence.
In Milwaukee, delegates said the shooting left them on guard.
“I think people will be a little bit on edge, absolutely, for sure,” said Jim Pavlik from Marshfield. “I know I feel a little different.”
“Everyone is just in shock, just getting over the shock, sad,” Pavlik said. “It’s a horrible situation, not just for our party and obviously for President Trump, but for our country.”
Where some feel tension, others said the attempt on Trump’s life motivates them.
“I think people are more determined than ever,” said RNC attendee Maha Ahmed. “Now we know that we’re actually fighting for this country. It’s an actual fight.”
“Now we’re focused more on the Republican nomination and the seriousness of the business, why we’re here this week,” said Massachusetts Republican Party Chair Amy Carnevalle.
RNC events began Sunday and will continue through Thursday.
In addition to primetime speaking sessions and his highly-anticipated convention address, Trump announced Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance as his vice presidential running mate Monday afternoon.
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