How Trump’s Assassination Attempt May Change Republican National Convention

In the aftermath of Saturday evening’s assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, the Republican National Convention (RNC), set to begin tomorrow, is facing potential changes.

The RNC, scheduled to run from Monday, July 15 through Thursday, July 18, is expected to host upwards of 50,000 guests, including delegates who will nominate Trump as the GOP’s presidential candidate. This will be Trump’s third nomination, following his 2016, 2020, and 2024 campaign runs.

The former president was shot on stage during his rally on Saturday evening, with a bullet hitting the upper part of his right ear. Two rally attendees were critically injured, and one spectator, 50-year-old former firefighter Corey Comperatore, died. The 20-year-old shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, is deceased after being neutralized by security.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has classified the shooting as an assassination attempt. The FBI is the lead agency on the investigation, working alongside the Secret Service and local law enforcement.

Trump Will Attend the RNC

Trump’s top 2024 campaign strategists, Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles, have confirmed in a memo to staffers that the former president is set to accept the official nomination at the RNC, which will “continue as planned.” They called him “the brave and fearless leader of our Party.”

In two Truth Social posts on Sunday, Trump confirmed his attendance at the RNC, writing that while he initially planned to delay his arrival due to the shooting, he decided he “cannot allow” a potential assassin to force him to change his plans. Trump added that he’d be leaving for Milwaukee Sunday afternoon as planned.

He is still expected to announce his running mate at the convention.

Newsweek reached out to Trump’s campaign spokesperson for comment via email on Sunday.

Tone and Security Measures Likely to Change

While the convention “won’t change structurally” in terms of the political announcements and nominations, the overall tone of the convention will be different, reporter Garrett Haake said on NBC News’ Meet the Press on Sunday.

After speaking with senior officials organizing the event, Haake said, “The events of last night will change the tone and tenure of this convention, we will see more emotional resonance.”

He also noted that it’s likely there will be more rhetoric along the lines of Senator Lindsey Graham’s “allusions to Trump as a Teddy Roosevelt-like figure.” On Sunday morning, the South Carolina Republican senator appeared on Meet the Press and said that Trump is “the toughest guy, I think, I ever met. He’s the modern version of Teddy Roosevelt.”

On TODAY on Sunday, NBC News reporter Vaughn Hillyard said “this is not the normal aura around a convention, typically it’s a celebratory event.” He added that the reception for thousands of delegates last night was cancelled in light of the incident.

Brian Schimming, Wisconsin Republican Party chair, told local news station WISN-TV that he doesn’t foresee “massive changes” to the convention.

Newsweek has sent an email to Schimming for comment Sunday afternoon.

Security will be a top issue at the convention and last night’s shooting is likely to enhance measures.

In a Sunday afternoon address to the nation, President Joe Biden said he ordered the head of the Secret Service to “review all security measures, all security measures, for the Republican National Convention.”

On Sunday morning, RNC chair Michael Whatley told Fox News Sunday host Shannon Bream, “In terms of the physical sense of the arena set, the security is here, and we feel very comfortable that we’re working with the Secret Service; we’re working with 40 different law enforcement agencies in terms of what that security is going to look like.”

Newsweek reached out to the Milwaukee Police Department and the RNC for comment via email on Sunday.

The event is not open to the public, only politicians, delegates, and pre-approved, official guests are allowed inside.

Hillyard, currently in Milwaukee, reported that the Secret Service initiated a security sweep of the surrounding blocks last night, “effectively creating a lockdown situation that began at sunrise this morning.”

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday: “My staff and I are in contact with those coordinating security planning for the RNC and will continue to be in close communication as we learn more about this situation.”

As of Sunday afternoon, it is unknown how the schedule of talks at the RNC may change. The RNC has not posted any official statements of changes.

There’s speculation, however, that political violence will be a topic of many of the convention’s speeches.

“I want to make sure that we have a safe convention for everybody,” Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said on Sunday on WKOW 27’s Capital City Sunday. He added that this means supporting the RNC attendees and those who are protesting against the RNC.

The Coalition to March on the RNC is still set to take place on Monday at 12 p.m. CST.