Nikki Haley takes the stage to boos
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who ran against Trump for the nomination this cycle, took the stage to audible boos.
In her opening, Haley told the crowd that she was called to speak at the convention by Trump, "in the name of unity."
As soon as Haley offered her "strong endorsement" of Trump, all three decks of audience members gave her a standing ovation.
Hayey had stopped short of endorsing him since she dropped out of the race. In May, she said she would vote for Trump.
Ohio police assigned to Republican convention in Milwaukee fatally shoot man
MILWAUKEE — A man was fatally shot today by Columbus, Ohio, police assigned to help with security at the Republican National Convention, officials said.
The afternoon shooting happened near King Park, according to information provided by the Milwaukee County medical examiner. Police said it was unrelated to any activity at the convention.
The county agency responded to a death report at an intersection on the edge of the park, it said in a statement. Officials did not provide the identity of the man who was killed. An autopsy was expected tomorrow, the medical examiner’s office said.
The incident took place about 1 mile from the convention in a residential neighborhood that includes a large homeless encampment.
Rep. Wesley Hunt blames Trump assassination attempt on the left's Hitler comparisons
Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, blamed the Trump assassination attempt on the left in a brief interview this afternoon.
“When you’re calling President Trump Hitler, and this has been going on for eight years, when you keep talking like that, you keep perpetuating that kind of rhetoric, of course, of course, this is going to happen here at some point,” said Hunt.
“They’re the ones that demonized him to this point, and this is kind of what happens. And so stop calling people Hitler. It’s ridiculous,” he added.
When he was reminded that Vance once likened Trump to Hitler and asked to comment on Vance’s political evolution, Hunt sidestepped.
“You have to ask JD about his own personal evolution. My take on this is this: I’m not going to tell President Trump what to do,” he said. “If President Trump believes that he has evolved and he is loyal, then President Trump made this pick, and I have to support President Trump in his decision.”
Flashback: Cruz's first time speaking at a Trump convention went very differently
The last time I was watching Ted Cruz deliver a GOP convention address, things went quite differently. Cruz, Trump's top opponent in his 2016 GOP presidential nominating bid, was ultimately invited to speak at the convention that summer in Cleveland.
But he notably didn't endorse Trump, instead telling folks to "vote your conscience."
"Vote for candidates up and down the ticket who you trust to defend our freedom and to be faithful to the Constitution," he added, to a rain of boos.
The comments dominated the talk of the convention and prompted a massive argument among the Texas convention delegation the next morning. Cruz ultimately returned to the fold, endorsing Trump and becoming a big supporter of his in the Senate.
Reality TV star Savannah Chrisley attacks prosecutors in her RNC speech
Savannah Chrisley, one of the prime-time speakers tonight, is the daughter of Todd Chrisley, a real estate tycoon whose family was the focus of the reality TV show "Chrisley Knows Best." A spinoff called "Growing up Chrisley" focused on Savannah Chrisley and her brother Chase Chrisley.
In June 2022, her parents were found guilty of fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy to defraud the U.S. by a federal jury in Atlanta. Her father was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison, while her mother was sentenced to seven years.
In her speech, Chrisley decried the prosecution of her parents, framing them as the victims of political persecution by Democrats in Georgia (not unlike Trump's attacks on his own Georgia prosecution).
Trump enters the convention arena
Trump walked into the convention wearing a bandage on his right ear. He is waving to the crowd and shaking hands.
Several House members who are allies are seated in the same box as him, including Marjorie Taylor Greene and Anna Paulina Luna.
Vance has arrived for Night 2 of the RNC
One day after Vance became Trump's running mate, he just entered the arena for Night 2 of the convention. But today, delegates are waving newly minted Trump-Vance signs.
Vance is not set to speak tonight. He and Trump are scheduled to hold an indoor rally Saturday in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It will be their first rally since Trump named Vance as his running mate.
About that Merle Haggard song that played while Vance walked out
You might be thinking that the song was tailor-made for the Trump campaign with lines like "There’s things to be done all over the world, but let’s rebuild America first."
It's a good point; the song is quite literally called "America First."
But the song is from 2005, and it includes a line that probably wouldn't have been welcome at the Republican National Convention around the time it came out: "Let’s get out of Iraq and get back on the track, and let’s rebuild America first."
Vivek Ramaswamy: 'Success is unifying. Excellence is unifying.'
Ramaswamy, a tech entrepreneur who ran for the Republican nomination, pledged a message of unity in his convention speech.
"Donald Trump is the president who will actually unite this country, not through empty words, but through action. Because you know what? Success is unifying. Excellence is unifying. That’s who we are as Americans," Ramaswamy said.
He also addressed those who "are at home and ... disagree with everything I just said," telling them, "We will still defend to the death your right to say it, because that is who we are as Americans."
"We are the country where we can disagree like hell and still get together at the dinner table at the end of it," Ramaswamy added.
Vivek Ramaswamy attacks 'deep state'
Businessman and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy made what appeared to be the first reference of the night on the stage to the so-called deep state.
"The people who will elect the federal government ought to be the ones who actually run the government, not unelected bureaucrats in the deep state," he said.