Welcome to Day 3 of the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
Wednesday has been another busy day at the RNC, with a lengthy night of speeches planned at Fiserv Forum. Former President Donald Trump, the GOP’s presidential nominee, isn’t expected to speak.
The Journal Sentinel is providing live coverage, so you can follow along here for updates throughout the day. Be sure to refresh your browser often for the latest info.
Democrats launch 9 billboards highlighting JD Vance’s abortion comments
Democrats launched nine new billboards in both English and Spanish criticizing JD Vance’s comments on a national abortion ban.
According to reporting from CNN, Vance in 2022 said he wanted to see abortion banned nationally, because people seeking abortions would travel from states where its banned to those with liberal abortion laws. Without federal action, he said, abortion couldn’t be completely stopped.
Vance earlier this week said he planned to adhere to Trump’s view on abortion as a state issue, though.
“Alabama’s going to make a different decision from California. That is a reasonable thing,” he said in an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity Monday. “And that’s how I think we build some bridges and have some respect for one another.”
The new ads, which feature a photo of Vance, will appear along I-94 and I-43.
~~Laura Schulte
Scene outside security checkpoint on King Drive
A pedestrian entry point into the hard zone at North King Drive and West Highland Avenue is serving as a point of confluence of a variety of protesters, activists and RNC attendees.
One woman is holding a painted sign calling Trump a racist and felon. One man with a bullhorn who has been present at several RNC protesters this week is repeating inflammatory chants.
There are also activists from the Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising, and amateur social media videographers, and a man singing songs with Christian messages.
All those people are standing in front of the barricades that delegates are using to enter the secure perimeter. Among those who exited vehicles into the chaotic mix Wednesday before 5 p.m. was Wisconsin Senate candidate Eric Hovde.
— Sophie Carson and Vanessa Swales
UNC fraternity students who protected American flag enter RNC
The frat boys are here.
Specifically, the group of students and fraternity members at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill whose video went viral for holding up the American flag during a pro-Palestinian protest this spring have arrived at the RNC.
The Trump campaign had announced it was inviting the group last week. The group is among the “Everyday American Convention speakers” joining the various sessions throughout the week.
The students gained national attention when they held up the American flag during the campus protests opposing the United States’ role in funding Israel throughout the Israel-Hamas War. Many conservative leaders applauded the students’ actions, calling the young men patriots.
~~Natalie Eilbert
(4:33 p.m.)
Wisconsin U.S. Senate candidate Eric Hovde chugs a beer outside Fiserv Forum
U.S. Senate candidate Eric Hovde won a beer-chugging challenge during a live taping of the Ruthless Podcast outside Fiserv Forum. A video posted to X, formerly Twitter, showed Hovde finished his beer in about five seconds.
Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson is also known for a beer-chugging video from 2022, in which he thanked the Tavern League of Wisconsin for endorsing him. He chugged a slightly larger beer than Hovde did Wednesday, finishing in 3.79 seconds.
Hovde is running against Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin and gave a speech at the RNC Tuesday night.
(4:15 p.m.)
— Hope Karnopp
Business has been ‘amazing’ for one RNC vendor
Sequined hats. Stickers. T-shirts with a muscular version of Trump.
Vendors have popped up inside and around the RNC security perimeter, selling all kinds of merchandise.
One seller, Leeann Joyner, said she’s “been doing amazing” during the convention. Her top seller has been cowboy Trump hats, which cost $60 each.
She’s also selling hats with fake hair made to look like the hair of the former president.
Joyner lives in Orlando, Florida, and travels across the country, selling Trump merchandise at events. She started her business during the COVID-19 pandemic to supplement her income.
“I was a marketing director but I’m making more money here,” Joyner said.
(4:10 p.m.)
— Alex Groth
Voces de la Frontera condemns death of Samuel Sharpe, man shot by Columbus, Ohio, police
A day after Columbus, Ohio, police shot and killed Samuel Sharpe, an unhoused man living at a tent encampment in King Park, Voces de la Frontera released a press release condemning the shooting.
Sharpe was killed by five nearby officers from Columbus when they saw he was wielding a knife and lunged at another individual. The officers had ordered Sharpe to drop his weapon before shooting him.
Voces de la Frontera, a grassroots nonprofit that advocates for immigrants and the Latino and Hispanic community in Wisconsin, had warned about the possible dangers of bringing out-of-town law enforcement to Milwaukee. It’s a mindset shared by the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression and other Milwaukee organizations.
Christine Neumann-Ortiz, Voces de la Frontera executive director, said in the Wednesday press release that she feared the 4,000 additional police officers in the area would bring “deadly encounters, particularly involving out-of-state officers who do not know our community.”
Neumann-Ortiz’s statement joins ongoing community outcry from friends, neighbors and homeless and housing advocates, who knew Sharpe in the King Park area as Jehovah.
“Safer communities that build trust with local law enforcement depend on de-escalation tactics and the redirection of community tax dollars from more militaristic police operations, jails, and repression to providing necessary resources for housing, healthcare, mental health services, and other essential needs,” Neumann-Ortiz said.
(4:05 p.m.)
— Natalie Eilbert
Scenes from outside the RNC on Wednesday
Vivek Ramaswamy: ‘We are in the middle of a war … but our enemy is an ideology’
At a lunch event at the Harley-Davidson Museum on Wednesday, Ohio businessman and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy told the California delegation the country is in “a war.”
“We are in the middle of a war in this country — a war for the survival of the United States of America,” Ramaswamy said. “But our enemy is an ideology, a toxic ideology, but an ideology, nonetheless. Not our fellow citizens.”
Ramaswamy put Republicans in the role of rescuers of people whose views align more with Democrats.
“I view our job as Republicans almost as the job of a liberator,” Ramaswamy said, then comparing Trump to President Abraham Lincoln. “Donald Trump, I believe, has been given the (second) chance that Abraham Lincoln … didn’t get.”
Ramaswamy isn’t the first high-profile speaker to make a inflammatory statement since Trump was shot.
At an earlier RNC speech, Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson said Democratic policies were “a clear and present danger to America, to our institutions, our values and our people.”
But that was blamed on the wrong version of a speech being loaded in a teleprompter.
(4 p.m.)
— Ricardo Torres
Wisconsin delegate’s dog, Lambeau, is taking hundreds of selfies, did not meet Babydog
Dogs have stolen the show at the Republican National Convention — including Lambeau, a 7-year-old purebred English Labrador retriever service dog.
“I had no expectations of anything,” Lambeau’s human, Wisconsin delegate Terrence Wall, said.
“I didn’t know what to expect. It’s the first time to be at a convention, and I am stunned. I was worried about, ‘How do I keep a low profile?’ And everyone wants to talk to him and meet him.”
Lambeau has gotten his photo taken at least 250 to 300 times a day, Wall said. He met someone from California at Convention Fest whose daughter saw Lambeau on TV and said, “You gotta track him down and get a selfie.”
“I’m just his agent,” joked Wall, a real estate developer and former U.S. Senate candidate.
So, did Lambeau meet Babydog, who appeared on stage with her owner, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, during his speech Tuesday night?
“By total coincidence, I stepped out with him to go to the bathroom” when Babydog came out, Wall said. “Which is probably good, because if he saw (her), he would probably want to go greet her and lick her and say hi.”
(3:50 p.m.)
— Hope Karnopp
Wisconsin delegates united in concerns about border, economy
For Wisconsin State Treasurer John Leiber, economic growth and stability are always top of mind. As a Wisconsin RNC delegate, he said he feels the Republican Party’s approach to tackling inflation is ideal compared to the “Bidenomics” of the past four years.
Leiber and fellow Wisconsin delegate Matthew Russ walked through Wisconsin Media Row on Wednesday to share about their convention experience and issues important to them.
“The other side doesn’t seem to think there was an issue, but everyone can see, you go to the gas station, go to the grocery store, it’s there, and it’s real,” Leiber said of inflation. “We need a party that’s willing to address it and acknowledge it exists.”
Leiber and Russ said border security remains an issue that they hope to see addressed if Trump wins in November.
“We’re letting in millions and millions of people who haven’t gone through the process we have in our immigration system. We have it set up for a reason,” Russ said. “If too many people come in, we can’t care for them, so it’s really not a loving thing.”
The pair said that they were happy to see Trump select JD Vance as his running mate, because it demonstrated that the party is focused on selecting a candidate who’ll wholeheartedly support Trump in his legislative agenda and not waver from campaign promises.
For Russ and Leiber, the party feels more united in its mission than it ever has.
(3:45 p.m.)
— Tamia Fowlkes
Marjorie Taylor Greene applauded as she enters Baird Center for book signing
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia walked into the Baird Center during Convention Fest and was met from applause from RNC attendees.
Greene was escorted to a private room a little before 3 p.m. and returned to a crowd of media and RNC attendees around 3:10 p.m. for an official book signing of her book, “MTG.”
A line of about 40 people cheered as Greene walked out. Then, they waited for their chance to get their book signed and get a photo op with her.
(3:35 p.m.)
— Jordyn Noennig and Alex Groth
Donald Trump conducts walkthrough at the RNC
Trump is conducting a walkthrough Wednesday afternoon at Fiserv Forum ahead of his acceptance speech Thursday.
The Fiserv Forum floor was cleared for the former president’s rehearsal around 2:30 p.m.
Trump, who was officially named the Republican nominee for president Monday, has been in attendance during the RNC speeches Monday and Tuesday nights.
Trump’s speech will come just days after he survived an assassination attempt during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The wounds of that attack have been visible on Trump, who has had a white bandage over his right ear. A bullet grazed his ear when a 20-year-old opened fire at Trump on stage at the rally.
Trump will likely be in attendance again Wednesday night as he hears from his son, Donald Trump Jr., and Vance, among others. Tonight’s theme is “Make America Strong Once Again.”
(3:15 p.m.)
— Christopher Kuhagen
King Drive slow but steady for lunch as convention-goers spread around the city for RNC events
Bars and restaurants along North Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive had a slow but steady crowd for lunch.
Tables of officers, RNC guests and media were found around the Milwaukee Brat House, Who’s on Third and Copper on King.
Three RNC guests were sitting at a table outside Copper, enjoying lunch and drinks, one sipping on a Lakefront IPA.
Johnny Shae of Memphis said that it was his second time at Copper. A sign advertising brunch caught his eye.
“The staff are great. They’re extremely friendly,” Shae said.
Peter Marshall, owner of Copper, said business has been steady.
“It’s been going really well for us, but I mean it’s not 50,000 people,” Marshall said. “It’s just nice and consistent all day long, but not overwhelming, but good. We’re happy.”
Marshall, an England native, said he was most excited to see Liz Truss, the former prime minister of the United Kingdom, who served only 50 days in 2022.
Copper had booked three private parties. Marshall also special ordered to-go coffee cups for officers patrolling the area, given the block doesn’t have a dedicated coffee shop. He said he’s gone through hundreds of cups in three days.
Many convention-goers were heading to events around Milwaukee before going to the entertainment district, where RNC speeches will start at 5:45 p.m. inside Fiserv Forum.
Many RNC guests were invited to an event at American Family Field and a concert at the Harley-Davidson Museum.
“I block off my morning because I’m still working, and then in the afternoon, we’re going to events and whatnot,” said Mike Andrews of Virginia. He was a guest of the RNC and staying at Saint Kate — The Arts Hotel.
“Today, we’re going to an event at the ballpark and then we’re heading to the Milwaukee Public Museum for an event there,” he said.
He still made time to break away from scheduled events to check out the lakefront and take a Miller Brewery tour.
“We’ve enjoyed it here,” he said.
(2:30 p.m.)
— Jordyn Noennig
Wyoming couple talk about RNC obstacles to exploring Milwaukee
Under a patio umbrella outside the Milwaukee Brat House, 1013 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., Wyoming couple Bill and Roxie Hensley ate lunch — an Italian sausage for Bill and a brat for Roxie.
It was the first time the Hensleys had gone much beyond the security perimeter during their week in Milwaukee for the RNC, they said.
“I feel like we’ve done everything we can do inside,” said Bill Hensley, an alternate delegate for Wyoming.
He said the trek from the Wyoming delegation’s hotel in Racine has been part of the challenge, plus the delegates from their state are almost entirely first-time RNC attendees. There hasn’t been anyone to explain how the convention schedule works, or if there’s time to explore, Hensley said.
Lots of people stayed in the convention hall for hours Monday and Tuesday, he said.
“If we had someone who had been here before, they could have said, ‘Hey, here’s what it’s gonna look like,’” Hensley said. “We just had to figure it out on our own.”
But convention security could also be a concern, Roxie Hensley said. Ohio police shot and killed an armed man outside of the RNC perimeter Tuesday. Roxie Hensley said she originally heard that it happened inside the security perimeter until someone explained otherwise.
“It’s possible since last Saturday that people have been cautious,” she said.
Other convention delegates agreed that back-to-back events, meetings and evening speeches have made it difficult to explore Milwaukee beyond the convention area.
“It’s been a packed schedule,” said Duke Lowrie, a Louisiana delegate, as he tried to find a security entrance on the east side of the convention Wednesday morning. “We just haven’t had time yet.”
(2 p.m.)
— Brittany Carloni, Indy Star
One Uber driver is trying to avoid RNC
Curtis Boyd, 77, is doing his best to keep his Uber away from the RNC. But he said he has little choice when the algorithm directs him to pick up a suburban passenger heading into downtown Milwaukee, even if he’s no fan of the road closures that have helped to make it something of a ghost town for local businesses.
“I just work for a bit, wherever it takes me,” Boyd told USA TODAY as he navigated his Toyota Sienna onto an interstate ramp into the city Wednesday. While recognizing he could end up doing loop after loop, driving passengers to the convention site, he said he hoped to be far from the Republican confab “as fast as possible.”
Boyd is a Mississippi native who has been in Wisconsin for most of his life. He’s also a retired cab driver who, a few years ago, sold his business and moved to Uber part-time, about four to five hours a day.
“It’s good money,” he said, adding that he doesn’t typically do an itemized look at the fares he’s making and wasn’t familiar with the specific surge pricing differences that are adding a few more dollars to his wallet, thanks to the RNC.
(1:20 p.m.)
— Sam Woodward and Darren Samuelsohn, USA TODAY
3rd Street Market Hall business picking up but still below normal
A walk through 3rd Street Market Hall during Wednesday’s lunch hour found increased activity over Monday and Tuesday, but business still below the typical noon rush.
“It’s been a little bit busier,” said Joannah Connors, manager at Mid-Way Bakery.
Also, the food hall, 275 W. Wisconsin Ave., hosted a private event Tuesday night which boosted business, said Edgar Aispuro, owner of Criollo, a Latin American food vendor, and Johnathan Dye, founder of Mr. Dye’s Pies.
“That was good,” Dye said.
(1:10 p.m.)
— Tom Daykin
Major Goolsby’s slow during the day but cops, parties keep it going
The noon crowd at Major Goolsby’s, 340 W. Kilbourn Ave., on Wednesday was about 10 people. That’s been the case the last several days with the convention in town.
“Unfortunately, it’s been a bit slower than we like during the day, than we would prefer,” manager Jessica Mullins said. “But we’ve been really lucky because we booked parties.”
Mullins said if Goolsby’s didn’t have any parties in the evenings, it would have been “a little bit of a letdown.”
Mullins said being right up against the hard security perimeter and road closures have made it difficult for pedestrians to get there.
However, it hasn’t been difficult for the thousands of law enforcement and first responders in Milwaukee.
“We have kind of become the cop bar,” Mullins said, adding the restaurant gives uniformed first responders and military 50% off discounts.
“So we have had almost all the police, all day, every day, coming in, so that has helped tremendously.”
(1 p.m.)
— Ricardo Torres
Kristin Brey, JR Radcliffe talk about RNC Day 2: Police shooting, taking Trump’s photo, slow downtown business
Former Republican congressman Scott Klug on trusting Wisconsin elections
Former Republican congressman Scott Klug stopped by Wisconsin Media Row Wednesday morning to talk about his involvement in the bipartisan Democracy Defense Project, which works to build trust in elections in multiple battleground states, including Wisconsin.
“We think there’s been a lot of stories told about the 2020 election that have nothing to do with reality,” Klug said. The RNC itself isn’t the target of that message, he said.
“Let me speak bluntly as a former Republican congressman: I think there’s a lot of people in here who are rabid Republicans, who believe there was election fraud in 2020. I don’t think there’s any evidence of it in Wisconsin, whatsoever,” Klug said.
Klug leads the project in Wisconsin with former Democratic Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, former Republican Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen and former state Democratic party chair Mike Tate.
Klug said Wisconsin would be smart to look at reforms that have worked in other states, such as Nebraska’s system of drafting poll workers like jurors.
Making that a requirement could stem conspiracies, he said, if “half the people don’t even want to be in the room. They’re just there so they don’t get arrested.”
Klug expressed support for voting early, and said it’s important to find a way to start processing early votes faster. A bill to allow processing absentee ballots a day early, and prevent perceptions of “ballot dumps,” failed in the state Legislature this session.
“You wouldn’t have the mysterious trucks in the night at the Milwaukee counting center, which exists only because the folks in the Legislature can’t get it done,” Klug said.
(12:30 p.m.)
— Hope Karnopp and Tamia Fowlkes
Wednesday night speaker schedule released, includes JD Vance, Donald Trump Jr. and Milwaukee veteran
The RNC has released its Wednesday night schedule and list of speakers.
The list includes Vance and his wife, Usha Chilukuri Vance, as well as Donald Trump Jr.
It also includes Peter Navarro, the former director of U.S. Office of Trade & Manufacturing, who just got out of jail Wednesday morning after serving four months for refusing to comply with a subpoena from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Also speaking will be Gold Star families and several decorated veterans, in keeping with the night’s theme, “Make America Strong Once Again.” One speaker will be Sergeant William Pekrul, a Milwaukee native who’s a decorated World War II and D-Day veteran.
There will also be a musical performance by country music artist Brian Kelley and the Holy Redeemer Church of God in Christ Choir.
Here are a few more of Wednesday night’s speakers:
6-6:30 p.m.
- Rep. Nancy Mace (South Carolina)
- Rep. Ronny Jackson (Texas); Jackson was also the White House doctor during the Obama administration and served as physician to the president during the Trump administration.
- Rep Matt Gaetz (Florida)
6:30-7 p.m.
- Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich
- Peter Navarro, former director of U.S. Office of Trade & Manufacturing
7-7:30 p.m.
- Gov. Greg Abbott (Texas)
- Trent Conaway, the mayor of East Palestine, Ohio, which was in the news last year as the site of a February 2023 train derailment
- Gov. Doug Burgum (North Dakota), who was thought to be on Donald Trump’s shortlist of vice-presidential nominee possibilities
- Kellyanne Conway, who served as counselor to the president in the Trump administration
7:30-8 p.m.
- Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (Florida)
- Kimberly Guilfoyle, a former Fox News host and Donald Trump Jr.’s fiancee
8-8:30 p.m.
- Rep. Michael Waltz (Florida)
8:30-9 p.m.
9-9:30 p.m.
- Donald J. Trump Jr.
- Usha Chilukuri Vance
9:30-10 p.m.
(12:15 p.m.)
— Amy Schwabe
Man arrested blocks from Fiserv Forum on Monday was carrying AK-47
The man, identified as Donnell V. Tinsley of Milwaukee, was wearing black pants and gloves, a tan sweatshirt, a ski mask and was carrying “a large black tactical backpack,” according to Milwaukee police.
Tinsley was walking south on the 1200 block of North 11th Street, away from an RNC security checkpoint, when a Homeland Security Investigations special agent and a U.S. Capitol Police officer patrolling the area noticed him. The officers stopped him around 10:45 a.m., according to police.
Searching Tinsley’s backpack, officers found a fully loaded magazine containing 7.62X39-caliber rifle ammunition. They also found a “Scream” movie mask, flashlight, two sets of black gloves with rubber fingertips, sunglasses, an Allied Universal Security uniform shirt, two cans of spray paint and multiple empty marijuana bags, according to court documents. Tinsley didn’t have a concealed carry permit for his weapon, police said.
The arrest came just days after shots were fired at Trump at his Pennsylvania rally. Officials found an AR-style rifle at the scene.
Though Gov. Tony Evers reportedly sought to ban within the “soft security perimeter” of the RNC after the attempted assassination, state law prevented the city or Secret Service from implementing such a rule. Guns aren’t allowed within the RNC’s “hard perimeter,” which includes Fiserv Forum, Baird Center and the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.
Following Monday’s arrest, the state will request a “no weapons/no contact order” within the RNC’s soft perimeter for the rest of the convention, Milwaukee police said. Thursday is the last day of the convention.
(Noon)
— Maia Pandey
Democrats attack Republicans on abortion stance
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar of Texas joined the Biden-Harris campaign in an attack on Republicans’ abortion stance Wednesday morning, calling it a “dark vision” for America.
“The Trump-Vance ticket does not care about women,” Escobar said during a press conference in Milwaukee.
“One in three women in America now live in a state with an abortion ban. That’s one in three women of childbearing age. It is an abomination that this is the vision they have for all American women.”
Amanda Zurawski, a resident of Austin, Texas, spoke at the event about her experience after she was denied a medically necessary abortion after extreme complications with her first pregnancy. She and her husband were devastated, she said, and she hoped to have a safe abortion provided by her doctor so she could heal both mentally and physically.
“I was told to wait until I got so sick that my life was considered in danger, one of the rare exceptions where a doctor can intervene in Texas,” she said. “It took three days and a near-death crash into septic shock before my doctor could finally provide the health care I desperately needed.”
Zurawski said, after the abortion procedure to save her life, she again crashed into septic shock and was in the intensive care unit for three days.
“My family flew in from across the country for fear that I wouldn’t make it through the night,” she said.
The abortion ban had gone back into effect only days before Zurawski found out her baby wouldn’t live, and seeing Trump and supporters brag about overturning Roe v Wade has been difficult for her.
“It is unthinkable to me that anyone could cheer on the cruel abortion bans that nearly took my life, but they do,” she said.
Walz also addressed the concern over Biden’s health, too. When asked if Biden would be able to speak on issues such as abortion without a teleprompter, Walz said he was confident, but that it’s not the time for men to be delivering messages about abortion.
“As a man, it’s time to shut the hell up and stand back,” he said. “I think it’s much more important that we have the narratives of the people who are out there.”
(11:45 a.m.)
— Laura Schulte
U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman talks police shooting, lack of focus on abortion
In an interview on Wisconsin Media Row on Wednesday morning, U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman said his convention experience is “all positive.”
He’s been to four Republican conventions but said this has been “the best of the four because Milwaukee’s the best city. It’s a hidden gem.” He thinks constituents in his district are “paying a little more attention” to the RNC because it’s in Milwaukee.
Asked for his response to Columbus, Ohio, police shooting and killing a homeless man about a mile from the RNC Tuesday, Grothman said he saw the body camera footage.
“Some guy was trying to attack another guy with two knives,” Grothman said. “Sometimes on these shootings, you got to really wonder, what was the police supposed to do, right? Let the guy get stabbed to death?”
After little talk of abortion in the party platform and in convention speeches, Grothman said he’ll take Trump’s word that it’s an issue left to the states.
“I don’t expect to be voting on any pro-life, pro-abortion bans in the next two years that he’s president … next four years, really.”
(11:20 a.m.)
— Hope Karnopp and Tamia Fowlkes
Music video featuring Amber Rose is played at RNC
A music video of the song, “Trump Trump Baby,” was played at the RNC. The song, by Trump-supporting rapper, Forgiato Blow, is rapped to the tune of Vanilla Ice’s 1990 “Ice Ice Baby.”
Amber Rose, the model, influencer and former reality TV star who spoke Monday night, appears in the video, with Rose and Forgiato Blow donning red MAGA hats as they dance to the music.
Erin Reed, a writer and researcher who tracks anti-transgender legislation, posted about the video on X and said that “the audience was silent afterwards.”
(11:05 a.m.)
— Amy Schwabe
Who is Babydog Justice? Meet the English bulldog charming RNC attendees
People who tuned in to broadcast coverage of Tuesday evening’s program at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee got an unexpected treat during a speech from West Virginia Republican Gov. Jim Justice.
Justice, a member of a prominent coal mining family who’s now running for U.S. Senate, told the crowd, “We become totally unhinged if Donald Trump is not elected in November.”
Then the camera angle widened, bringing a short and stout bulldog into frame, tongue out, appearing to listen attentively to her owner’s words.
That’s Babydog Justice. And she’s something of a star.
Read more
(11 a.m.)
— Madeline Heim
Milwaukee mayor acknowledges ‘some concerns’ from businesses during RNC
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson on Wednesday morning said he had heard “some concerns” that business isn’t booming outside the immediate area of the RNC.
“Some have said their expectations have not been met,” he said at a press conference outside Milwaukee City Hall. “While it’s absolutely true that millions and millions of dollars will be spent in connection with the convention, that money is not necessarily flowing through … every single corner of the economy.”
He said he had heard from businesses and restaurants in and near downtown that had been expecting more people to come through their doors.
Johnson said he has been encouraging convention attendees to explore, shop and eat in the city.
(9:35 a.m.)
— Alison Dirr
Johnson says he spoke with Trump
Johnson said that, on Tuesday afternoon, he had a “very pleasant conversation” with Trump.
“Mr. Trump had positive things to say about his experience so far here in Milwaukee,” Johnson said at an early morning press conference outside City Hall. “He shared his gratitude for the security and for law enforcement preparations.”
Johnson — a Democrat and a vocal supporter of Trump’s rival in November’s election, President Joe Biden — said he appreciated the call.
The mayor also said he wished Trump a quick recovery after Saturday’s attempted assassination at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
(8:45 a.m.)
— Alison Dirr
City estimates only 15% of permitted demonstrators appearing for speaking slots at RNC, Johnson says
Few of the people who were scheduled to demonstrate at the two city-designated zones on the north and south sides of the RNC “hard” perimeter and the march route actually showed up Tuesday, Johnson said.
That continued a trend that began Monday, the RNC’s first day.
Johnson estimated about 15% of those who registered appeared.
Ahead of the four-day convention, about 140 individuals, groups and organizations had been granted permits by the City of Milwaukee to demonstrate at designated areas outside the credentials-only space where the RNC is being held.
The northern podium is located at Haymarket Square near Fiserv Forum, the primary RNC venue.
The southern podium is located at Zeidler Union Square Park near the Baird Center. This is also the start and end point for the city-designated march route.
(8:30 a.m.)
— Alison Dirr
Johnson says Ohio officers appear to have saved other man’s life in fatal shooting
The morning after Ohio police in town for the RNC fatally shot a homeless man, Johnson said the officers’ response appeared to have saved another man’s life.
“No one, absolutely no one, wanted this outcome, and I anticipate a full as well as thorough investigation,” Johnson said. “The deceased individual had family, had friends, and my thoughts certainly are with them. My thoughts are also with the police officers from Columbus, Ohio. I’m sure they did not expect to be drawn into a tragic situation such as the one that they were involved in yesterday.”
He added: “The information we have leaves a clear impression that these Columbus officers, they saved the life of an unarmed man from death or perhaps serious injury.”
Thirteen Columbus officers were holding a briefing when they saw an altercation between two people, one of whom had a knife in each hand, according to preliminary information provided by Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman late Tuesday.
He didn’t drop the knives when ordered to by police and instead suddenly lunged at the other person, which is when police opened fire, Norman said.
Read more here
(8:20 a.m.)
— Alison Dirr
Jon Stewart explains why ‘The Daily Show’ canceled Milwaukee RNC plans
“The Daily Show” was originally slated to tape its Monday through Thursday episodes in front of an audience at the Marcus Performing Arts Center. On his Tuesday night show — the first “Daily Show” episode since the start of the RNC — Stewart said one of the reasons for canceling Milwaukee plans was that the Marcus Performing Arts Center shifted from the soft security perimeter to the hard security perimeter.
“You don’t want to be in the hard perimeter,” Stewart joked, adding that law enforcement had added “cages around the theater” and that, “We didn’t feel we’d be able to do the show effectively without people.”
Read more here
(7:40 a.m.)
— Amy Schwabe
Nielsen reports more than 18 million viewers tuned in for Day 1 of the RNC
More than 18 million viewers turned on their televisions to watch the first night of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, according to Nielsen, a company that measures media audiences.
That’s higher than viewership on Day 1 of the 2020 convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, which was about 12 million, Nielsen said in a Tuesday release. These numbers don’t include people streaming the convention online.
TV coverage changed the nature of political conventions, USA TODAY has reported, making them more choreographed and strategic. In turn, viewership has dropped as audiences have started to feel like they know what to expect when they tune in. In 2020, for example, 23.8 million Americans watched broadcasts of the Republican convention, according to Nielsen, compared to 32.2 million in 2016.
Viewership is typically highest on the last day of the convention.
(7 a.m.)
— Madeline Heim
Weather forecast for RNC Day 3 in Milwaukee: Pleasant temps, with a slight chance of afternoon rain
After a steamy start to the Republican National Convention on Monday, Wednesday’s weather forecast again looks to be cooler, with a slight chance of rain in the afternoon and evening.
Milwaukee will be mostly sunny Wednesday with a high of 79 degrees, according to the National Weather Service, with a 20% chance of showers after 2 p.m. There’s also a 20% chance of showers in the evening before 9 p.m.
The city can expect “pleasant weather” the rest of the week, the weather service said on X, with below-average temperatures and few chances for rain.
(6:30 a.m.)
— Madeline Heim
RNC Day 3 schedule: Here’s the Republican National Convention time, events for Wednesday
The fourth official session of the convention will be at Fiserv Forum Wednesday from 5:45 to 10 p.m. The official speakers list is released mid-day ahead of the nighttime event.
Convention-related events are taking place around the city and southeast Wisconsin. They include screenings of “Reagan,” the 2024 Dennis Quaid-led biopic of the former president; a breakfast hosted by the New Hampshire GOP at Grand Geneva Forum in Lake Geneva; a delegation luncheon hosted by the Utah Republican Party at Hubbard Park Lodge; a Lakefront brewery lunch and tour hosted by Washington state delegation; the Great American Farm Fair at Malchine Farms; and two events at the Harley-Davidson Museum: a Hogs and Dogs concert in the afternoon and Europe Night in the evening.
Many events require tickets or registration; more information can be found here.
The convention isn’t open to the general public, but according to an RNC spokesperson, you can stream it on YouTube, X, Facebook Live, Rumble, Amazon Prime, Twitch and Direct TV. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel will also stream RNC events, as will the City Channel.
The official convention watch party takes place each day at the Drink Wisconsinbly Pub, 320 W. Highland Ave., across from Fiserv Forum. It’s set to start at 5:45 p.m.
(6 a.m.)
— Amy Schwabe and Jordyn Noennig
When does the RNC end?
The convention runs through Thursday, July 18.
How to watch the RNC convention
(5:30 a.m.)
— Hope Karnopp
What’s the RNC convention location?
The nearby University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panther Arena and the Baird Center will also be used as spaces for the event.
Here’s more about each venue:
(5 a.m.)
— Hope Karnopp
