MILWAUKEE (WHDH) – Teamsters president and Medford native Sean O’Brien took the stage at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee Monday, delivering the keynote address on day one of this year’s convention.
O’Brien, with his remarks, became the first Teamsters president to speak at an RNC. He also gave a shout out to Massachusetts from the convention stage.
“I’d like to give my peeps from the greatest state in the nation from Massachusetts some props,” he said. “What’s up?”
O’Brien, whose union bills itself as the nation’s “largest, most diverse union,” went on to criticize President Joe Biden and argue workers are being taken for granted.
“We are not beholden to anyone or any party,” O’Brien said.
Hours before his speech, O’Brien met with Massachusetts’ Republican delegation at the RNC to preview his remarks.
O’Brien said he asked to speak at both the Republican and Democratic national conventions. As of Monday, he said only the Republicans had offered him a speaking slot.
Though the prospect of the Teamsters endorsing a Republican candidate in 2024 may be a long shot, O’Brien soon spoke about the state of the presidential race.
“I think any candidate that’s focused on solving problems regardless of party affiliation [and] any candidate that is focused on collaborating with people of different opinions to actually come up with solutions is actually very attractive,” he told 7NEWS.
Former President Donald Trump walked proudly into the RNC Monday sporting a bandage over his right ear, just days after a gunman opened fire at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday.
The shooting killed one person in the crowd, badly injured two other people, and left Trump bloodied after a bullet grazed his ear. Secret Service personnel shot and killed the accused gunman.
Federal authorities soon said they are investigating the shooting as an attempted assassination.
Nominated as the Republican pick for president for the third time in eight years, Trump will appear on this year’s ballot with a different running mate after he tapped Ohio Sen. JD Vance on Monday as his vice presidential pick.
New England delegates in the crowd said they were enthusiastic about the choice of Vance.
“I think it’s an exciting pick,” said Massachusetts GOP Chairman Amy Carnevale. “I think the pick of JD Vance will reach to a younger generation which is really important in this election to bring in younger voters into the Republican party.”
7NEWS pollster Spencer Kimball also shared his thoughts, saying the Trump campaign may be hoping to recapture a youth vote that has been drifting to third party candidates in this election cycle.
“Potentially, that youth vote might be attracted to a younger vice presidential candidate in JD Vance and instead of going to a third party candidate, they’ll come over the Trump campaign,” he said.
Though neither Vance nor Trump addressed the crowd Monday, they are scheduled to speak on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.
O’Brien, in the meantime, weighed in on Saturday’s assassination attempt and the now widely-circulated photos of Trump pumping his fist with blood streaked across his face.
“I think we all can agree, whether people like him or they don’t like him, in light of what happened to him on Saturday, he has proven to be one tough SOB,” O’Brien said.
The RNC is scheduled to continue Tuesday around the theme of immigration. Former South Carolina Gov. and Trump’s Republican primary foe Nikki Haley is anticipated to be one of the day’s key speakers.
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