Former President Donald Trump was cheered and celebrated as he arrived on the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee Monday, his first public appearance because the assassination attempt on him at his rally in Pennsylvania.
The former president wore a bandage over his right ear but otherwise appeared in good spirits.
As he entered the sector, the group erupted in cheers and chants, including repeated chants of “Fight! Fight! Fight!” as the previous president waved to the audience.
Sitting within the VIP box next to Trump was his latest running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, together with a few of his close allies, including conservative talk show host Tucker Carlson, Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana), and Silicon Valley enterprise capitalist David Sacks.
Former First Lady Melania Trump and Trump's daughter and former White House adviser Ivanka Trump weren’t with the remaining of the family. Both women have been conspicuously absent from the campaign trail this election cycle.
The previous Monday, Trump officially secured the 1,215 delegate votes he must grow to be the official Republican presidential candidate.
The convention begins just two days after Trump's attempted assassination of a rally on Saturday that left one attendee dead and two others seriously injured. The suspected gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was shot and killed shortly after opening fire.
The RNC schedule is anticipated to stay relatively unchanged, although the assassination attempt has further increased the emotional energy of a convention where Trump fanfare was already expected.
The first day of the convention featured quite a few speakers, including Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, rapper Amber Rose, Sacks and former vice presidential candidates reminiscent of South Carolina Senator Tim Scott and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem.
Teamsters union president Sean O'Brien gave the ultimate speech of the evening, noting that he was the primary Teamster to ever speak at a Republican convention and saying he knew his attendance was a controversial move.
“Anti-union groups demanded that the president withdraw his invitation. The left called me a traitor,” O'Brien said. “I don't care about criticism.”
More than 80 of Trump's closest allies, major donors and other politicians will speak on the party convention this week. The city of Milwaukee expects around 50,000 participants.
Here is the total list of speakers headlining Monday night.
- Amber Rose
- David Sacks
- Charlie Kirk (Founder, Turning Point USA)
- Bob Unanue (Managing Director, Goya Foods)
- Sean O'Brien (President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters)
- Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson of North Carolina
- Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin
- Representative from Georgia, Marjorie Taylor Greene
- Texas Representative Wesley Hunt
- Michigan Representative John James
- Alabama Sen. Katie Britt
- Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina
- Governor of Virginia, Glenn Youngkin
- Governor of South Dakota, Kristi Noem
- Florida Representative Byron Donalds
- Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee
- Sara Workman
- Vanessa Faura
- Mark Laws
- Benjamin Joseph
- Linda Ovens
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