BREAKING: In his first public appearance since the assassination attempt against him, Donald Trump — now officially the Republican Presidential Nominee in the November election — has joined the crowd on night one of the RNC in Milwaukee. Wearing a bandage on his injured ear, Trump is seated next to his new running mate, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance.
MILWAUKEE — The 2024 Republican National Convention has kicked off across Downtown Milwaukee, and the 620 WTMJ news team is reporting from across the region and inside the security zone with the latest RNC developments, breaking news, exclusive interviews and updates on the presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump’s plans for his time in Wisconsin.
WTMJ’s Decision Wisconsin coverage of the 2024 RNC is presented by Pasternak & Zirgibel.
YESTERDAY’S DECISION WISCONSIN LIVE BLOG & ANALYSIS: RNC security won’t change after shooting, Trump lands in MKE & The Daily Show cancels
Donald Trump announces J.D. Vance as running mate on Day 1 of Milwaukee RNC.
UPDATE at 2:15 p.m. CST on July 15, 2024: Donald Trump announced via Truth Social that Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) will be his running mate in the 2024 Presidential Election. He made the announcement via Truth Social.
11:45 a.m. CST on July 15, 2024: Presumptive Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump is expected to announce a running mate, the potential next Vice President of the United States, on the first day of the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee, according to Reuters.
On an unrelated note, Trump had another big win on Monday morning. According to The Associated Press: “The federal judge presiding over the classified documents case of former President Donald Trump in Florida dismissed the prosecution on Monday, siding with defense lawyers who said the special counsel who filed the charges was illegally appointed.” Click here for full details on that announcement.
UPDATE at 1:05 p.m. on July 15, 2024: CNN is reporting that Sen. Marco Rubio has been told he is not Donald Trump’s running mate. Other potential Vice Presidential candidates include J. D. Vance, Gov. Doug Burgum, or Sen. Tim Scott.
Conflicting protestors meet without conflict at Milwaukee’s Red Arrow Park.
12:15 p.m. CST on July 15, 2024: Protestors of all political and social ideologies are gathered at Red Arrow Park on Water St. in Downtown Milwaukee to make their voices heard, support the political ideology that fits their background and contest that which is opposed.
A contingency of pro-Trump, anti-abortion and anti-Black Lives Matter (BLM) protestors are on site. All the while, left-leaning protestors with The Coalition to March on the RNC have also arrived.
At the time of this publishing, there is no indication from WTMJ’s news team at the scene or law enforcement in the area to suggest that foul play is involved. To this point, it has been a peaceful demonstration with inspired individuals from both sides of the political aisle sharing space and exerting their First Amendment rights.
Traffic causes headaches for Milwaukee’s own & visitors for RNC 2024.
Traffic congestion through Downtown Milwaukee and the surrounding area has been harsh on the first day of the Republican National Convention with entrants squeezing into one of five different security checkpoints, as outlined by 620 WTMJ’s Debbie Lazaga below.
As for the RNC Security Checkpoints themselves, 620 WTMJ’s Dylan Hunter Carter offers a first-person perspective of what it’s like going through a checkpoint:
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