As the Republican National Convention enters its third day, Republicans continue to appeal to voters about their priorities for President Trump’s reelection.
On the second day of the convention, former rivals Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswami took to the stage as part of the Trump campaign, running under the slogan “Make America Safe Again,” and immigration was the main policy theme on the second day.
The convention is being held in the shadow of an assassination attempt at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, over the weekend, in which a man was shot in the right ear.
Trump said Sunday that the attack had changed the focus of his convention speech, explaining in an interview with the Washington Examiner that he now saw it as “an opportunity to bring the country and even the world together.”
Follow the live updates:
Trump pollster says New Jersey, Virginia, Minnesota are hot spots
Trump campaign pollster John McLaughlin said in an interview with CNN on Wednesday that he believes there is a “very real possibility” that traditionally Democratic states such as New Jersey, Minnesota and Virginia will vote for Trump in this election.
In Virginia, for example, McLaughlin noted that internal polling has shown Trump performing well among African-American voters and military personnel.
“We’re leading in battleground states. We’re leading in national polls. We didn’t have that in 2016,” McLaughlin said.
According to a recent tally of national polls released by the Cook Political Report, Trump is leading Joe Biden 47% to 45%.
— Carissa Waddick
J.D. Vance’s speech emphasized childhood and upbringing
Ohio Senator J.D. Vance is set to tell his story of how he rose from poverty to the vice presidential nomination in a primetime speech at tonight’s Republican National Convention.
Vance is expected to talk about growing up with a drug-addicted mother and not having a father figure, sources familiar with his remarks said, stories compiled in the memoir “Hillbilly Elegy,” which thrust him into the national spotlight during the 2016 election.
Sources said Vance will talk about how his upbringing has influenced his views on key campaign issues, including trade, immigration and the fentanyl crisis.
In announcing his running mate, Donald Trump said the senator would help his campaign reach voters in the Rust Belt, particularly in the battleground states of Pennsylvania and Michigan.
— Haley Bemiller
Who’s speaking at the Republican National Convention tonight? Day 3 speaker list
Speakers at Wednesday night’s Republican National Convention include longtime Trump allies, members of the U.S. House of Representatives, unsuccessful vice presidential candidates and ordinary Americans. The most anticipated speech of the night will be from Trump’s running mate, J.D. Vance.
Here are some of the top speakers:
- Senator J.D. Vance, Ohio, Republican vice presidential candidate
- Donald Trump Jr.
- Kellyanne Conway, former adviser to President Trump
- Texas Governor Greg Abbott
- North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum
- Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
Click here for a detailed look at Wednesday’s lineup.
Carisa Waddick
Peter Navarro to speak hours after being released from prison
Peter Navarro, a former adviser to President Donald Trump, is scheduled to speak at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday, just hours after completing his federal prison sentence. Navarro was convicted of two counts of contempt of Congress for failing to comply with subpoenas from House committees investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
Trump’s newly announced running mate, J.D. Vance, is also scheduled to take the stage on Wednesday. The former president’s 17-year-old granddaughter, Kai Trump, announced on Instagram that she will also be speaking tonight.
— Carissa Waddick
Trump’s new vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance visits the Republican National Convention
Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio, like previous vice presidential candidates, is making the customary visit to the Republican National Convention, including interviews and meetings with prominent figures.
One of those meetings will take place on Thursday, when Vance is scheduled to meet with Republican senators in a closed-door meeting hosted by the Senate Opportunity Fund.
Vance also has an important appointment tonight: giving an acceptance speech.
David Jackson
Is J.D. Vance now the Republican front-runner for 2028?
Senator J.D. Vance, who was selected as President Donald Trump’s running mate in the 2024 presidential election, has catapulted himself into the role of heir to the MAGA movement, instantly making him a leading contender in the 2028 presidential election.
Donald Trump Jr. said the nomination means there is a “highly likely” chance that Vance will become president in 2028 if he and Trump win in November.
“[Vance]is the only active politician in this movement that actually speaks to the ‘America First’ people,” he said at an event hosted by Axios on Tuesday. “We’re not going back to the establishment anytime soon. … That’s where our base is, that’s where the Republican Party is.”
Brianne Pfannenstiel
Redefined Republicanism, Populism, and New Coalitions
It’s his party.
Donald Trump’s takeover of the Republican Party was on full display at the Republican National Convention. — It’s a more complete transformation than the two previous conventions that nominated him and led him to a four-year term in the White House.
After a landslide victory in 2016 and a shaky defeat in 2020, Trump has succeeded in replacing Ronald Reagan as the party’s touchstone, removing the Bush dynasty that had held political power and led him to two presidential elections, and crushing moderate Republicans into fleeing or silencing them.
Read more about Trump’s takeover of the Republican Party.
Susan Page
Who is Lara Trump? Republican National Committee co-chair speaks out as day 2 closes
Lara Trump, co-chair of the Republican National Committee and daughter-in-law of Donald Trump, called Trump “exactly the person this country needs right now” in her final speech on the second day of the Republican National Convention on Tuesday.
She served as a campaign adviser to Trump’s 2020 presidential election before becoming co-chair of the Republican National Committee in March. Lara Trump is married to Trump’s third son, Eric.
— Carissa Waddick
Haley, DeSantis promote Republican unity
In the past, Republicans Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley went all out to warn primary voters that Donald Trump could not win the 2024 presidential election.
But millions of votes and an assassination attempt changed all that.
The pair’s comments confirmed Trump’s status as the party’s top brass, further solidifying announcements this week that conservatives are uniting as Democrats remain divided over President Joe Biden’s nomination.
“President Trump has asked me to address this convention in the name of unity,” Haley told delegates. “It is a generous invitation and I am happy to accept.”
Don’t miss the big takeaways from Day 2 of the RNC.
Philip M. Bailey
Kamala Harris calls JD Vance an ‘approver of Trump’s policies’
Vice President Kamala Harris slammed former President Donald Trump’s new running mate, J.D. Vance, in a video released Wednesday, describing him as an “approver” of Trump’s “extreme policies.”
“Make no mistake: J.D. Vance is loyal only to Trump, not to our country,” Harris said in a 45-second address to the cameras, in which she criticized Vance for his support of Trump’s efforts to undermine the 2020 election, nationwide abortion restrictions and voting against IVF protections in the Senate.
Ms Harris and Mr Vance spoke by phone on Tuesday. The two are widely expected to face off in a debate later this year, but have yet to agree on a moderator or a date.
— Carissa Waddick
Why Republicans see a chance to flip the rhetoric script against Biden
Following the shooting at a Donald Trump rally on Saturday, Republicans have accused Democrats and President Joe Biden of embracing dangerous rhetoric.
Republicans, tired of being called dictators by Democrats, dismissing their policies as a threat to democracy and blaming them for violent political rhetoric, see an opportunity to upend the narrative of Biden and his core campaign message.
Sarah D. Wyer
What happened on the second day of the Republican National Convention
The second day of the Republican National Convention focused on immigration and border security, but another theme was unity.
Nikki Haley, who ran against Trump in the 2024 Republican primary and received mixed reviews when she took the stage, voiced her support for the former president. Haley had not previously planned to speak at the convention and was a frequent critic of Trump during the campaign.
“I strongly support Donald Trump. That’s all,” she said.
Florida Governors Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswami also spoke on Tuesday night, making the case for President Trump’s inauguration.
Rebecca Morin
Make America Strong Again: What does Wednesday’s Republican National Convention theme mean?
The third day of the Republican National Convention will be themed “Making America Strong Again” and will focus on foreign policy, border security and America’s position on the world stage.
USA TODAY and the USA TODAY Network have about 60 journalists in Milwaukee and will be live blogging with updates throughout the day.
Rebecca Morin
Who is President Trump’s running mate, JD Vance?
J.D. Vance, 39, was a first-term senator from Ohio who rose to fame with the publication of his autobiography, “Hillbilly Elegy.”
Vance was first elected to the Senate in 2022 with no prior political experience, but he was widely known thanks to his best-selling book, “Hillbilly Elegy,” which was later made into a Netflix feature film and detailed his journey from an abusive childhood to earning a Yale Law School degree that opened the door to Silicon Valley.
Vance had previously criticized Trump, likening him to an opioid drug user and saying he could become “the American Hitler,” but changed his tune ahead of the 2022 Senate elections. Since then, he has become a staunch supporter of Trump, and is also close to one of Trump’s sons, Donald Trump Jr.
— Haley Bemiller and Riley Begin
