RNC day 4 highlights: Trump makes first major speech since rally shooting

The convention adjourned just after 12:30 a.m. ET.

Sam Brown, the Nevada Republican nominee for Senate, told NBC News that the recognition from Trump during his convention speech was "incredibly humbling."

"It’s a testament to what an incredible and gracious leader President Trump is," Brown said as he left the Fiserv Forum.

Trump thanked Brown toward the end of his remarks, telling the assembled Republicans that Brown, an Afghanistan veteran, "paid the ultimate price."

The Biden campaign released a statement during Trump's remarks, calling him "weak on the world stage."

"Donald Trump isn’t just a threat to security here at home, he’s a threat to the world order," the statement said.

"He repeatedly embarrassed America on the world stage," it added, pointing to Trump's being "soft on Iran" and his relationship with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, among other examples.

While Trump's trial dominated the news for much of the spring, the rapidly shifting nature of the news cycle meant that there was little mention of his felony conviction.

He became the first person nominated for president by a major party after being convicted of a felony. And while he made one reference to it in his speech, even the long list of speakers the last four days made little mention or criticism of those involved — even though that had been a frequent subject of his remarks and fundraising appeals before the assassination attempt.

Trump finished his convention speech after 93 minutes, ending it at 11:05 p.m. CT.

The United Auto Workers hit back at Trump after he criticized the union.

".@realDonaldTrump is a scab and a billionaire and that’s who he represents. We know which side we’re on," the union's X account posted. "Not his."

Earlier in his remarks, Trump said the UAW should be "ashamed" of car factories' being built in other countries.

"The United Auto Workers ought to be ashamed for allowing this to happen, and the leader of the United Auto Workers should be fired immediately, and every single autoworker — union and nonunion — should be voting for Donald Trump, because we're going to bring back car manufacturing, and we're going to bring it back fast," Trump said.

The UAW has endorsed Biden.

Despite Trump's comment earlier that he wouldn't mention Biden again, he mocked Bifen's goal of curing cancer, though he didn't mention him by name.

"This man said, we're going to find a cure to cancer. Nothing happened," he said. Trump said he would cure cancer, and Alzheimer's and "so many other things" in a second term.

Biden's "Cancer Moonshot" plan, which he led when he was vice president and relaunched as president, aims to drastically cut the death rate from cancer. It's a deeply personal topic for the president, whose eldest son, Beau Biden, died of cancer in 2015.

As Trump tried to play up his administration's foreign policy, he quipped: "I had no wars, other than ISIS, which I defeated. ... We had no wars. I could stop wars with a telephone call."

We fact-checked something similar earlier tonight. Trump is trying not to count wars America was already engaged in when he took office (like Afghanistan), and at least 65 active-duty U.S. troops died in hostile action during the Trump administration, per Pentagon statistics.

Some people have started leaving their seats and filing out of the arena as Trump’s speech surpasses his records in 2016 and 2020. He has been speaking for more than 80 minutes.

Statement

"I will end the illegal immigration crisis by closing our border and finishing the wall, most of which I have already built."

Trump told the Washington Examiner that he rewrote his speech in the aftermath of the assassination attempt to focus on unity rather than Biden.

However, the speech quickly shifted to his standard rally speech, offering criticism of Biden while insisting that he wasn't going to use his name.

He cracked jokes — including about the immigration graph that he said saved his life when he turned to look at it and narrowly avoided the shooter's bullet.

There were several moments he deviated from his prepared remarks, riffing on a variety of topics. He referred to the "China virus," pushed unfounded election fraud claims and alleged that migrants are coming from prisons and mental institutions. He also compared migrants to Hannibal Lecter, the villain from a horror movie, a comparison he often makes during rallies.

Trump criticized some military leaders for being "woke." "Our military is not woke; it's just some of the fools on top that are woke," he said.

He still directly criticized Biden, arguing that the "10 worst" presidents "will not have done the damage that Biden has done."

Statement

“We stopped the missile launches from North Korea.”

In a section of his speech about the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan that left 13 service members dead, Trump called out Nevada GOP Senate nominee Sam Brown, an Army veteran who sustained burns after he was at the site of an explosion during his service in Afghanistan.

"We have a man in this room who’s running for the U.S. Senate from a great state, Nevada, named Sam Brown, who paid the ultimate price," Trump said.

Trump set a record for the longest convention speech at the RNC at 11:48 p.m. ET, exceeding the record he set in 2016.

In 2016, Trump spoke at the convention for 1 hour and 16 minutes.

Statement

“I was the first president in modern times to start no new wars. ... Under President Bush, Russia invaded Georgia. Under President Obama, Russia took Crimea. Under the current administration, Russia is after all of Ukraine. Under President Trump, Russia took nothing.”

The shoutout for Nevada Senate GOP nominee Sam Brown is something that no other Senate candidate is expected to get tonight. It wasn’t scripted, and it’s a huge deal for a challenger in one of the year’s top Senate battlegrounds.

Brown, an Army veteran, received a late endorsement from Trump in the GOP primary to take on Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen this fall.

Brown, who is at the convention, thanked Trump for the shoutout in a post on X.

Trump praised Hungary's far-right leader, Victor Orbán, in his convention speech after having recently met with him at Mar-a-Lago.

Trump said Hungary is a "strong country" run by a "tough guy."

"He came out recently, they were asking him at an interview, the whole world is exploding, what's happening? What's going on? Victor Orbán, prime minister of Hungary, very tough man. He said, 'I don't want people coming into my country and blowing up our shopping centers and killing people,'" Trump said.

"But they said to him, 'Tell us what's going wrong, what's happening? What is it?' He said, 'There's only one way you're going to solve it: You got to bring President Trump back to the United States, because he kept everybody at bay,'" Trump recalled about the exchange.

Statement

"Our crime rate is going up while crime statistics all over the world are plunging."

Statement

"This is the only administration that said we're going to raise your taxes by four times what you're paying now."

In a section of his speech about immigration, Trump blamed other countries for sending migrants to the U.S., telling the crowd: "By the way, if I ran one of the countries ... I would be worse than any of them. I would have had the place totally emptied out already."

He added, "We become a dumping ground for the rest of the world."

The statement echoed remarks in May, when he said at the National Rifle Association’s annual convention that he would be sending criminals and prisoners to America “faster than them" if he were the leader of a South American country.

Trump pointed to "the chart that saved my life," referring to a graphic depicting migrant crossings that was displayed behind him onstage.

Trump has said that turning toward the same chart at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, is what prevented a would-be assassin's bullet from striking him in the head. Instead, his ear was injured.

Statement

“We ended all “catch and release.”

Trump said America can't succeed "unless we stop the illegal immigrant invasion" at the U.S.-Mexico border, which he said is "the worst that's ever been seen, anywhere in the world."

"There's never been an invasion like this — anywhere. Third world countries would fight with sticks and stones not to let this happen. The invasion at our southern border, we will stop it, and we will stop it quickly," he said.

Trump bashed electric vehicles, saying he will take action against EVs "on Day One."

In doing so, Trump argued, he would save "the U.S. auto industry from complete obliteration, which is happening right now." He also criticized factories being built in other countries.

The Biden administration has touted that at least 40 U.S.-based EV charging factories have been announced or opened since 2021.

Speaking about immigration and his plans to tighten border security, he referred to his former acting ICE chief, Tom Homan.

"Put him in charge and just sit back and watch," Trump said. Homan is involved with Project 2025, which Trump has disavowed.

Trump was supposed to have an arrival meeting with supporters outside the arena, but that was scrapped after Saturday's shooting, according to a source familiar with the planning.

Earlier in the day, at a walkthrough in the arena, Trump noted that it was much safer inside, a source familiar with his remarks then told NBC News.

Trump mentioned his plan to get rid of taxes on tips, a populist plan that has drawn mixed reaction from Republicans in Congress.

Though it drew cheers from the crowd tonight and has done so at past rallies, some Republicans worry that the plan would only add to the national debt and be unfair to workers who don't earn tips.

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a research group that advocates for cutting red ink, estimated last month that the plan could cut federal revenue by as much as $250 billion over 10 years.

Statement

"The election result, we're never going to let it happen again. They used Covid to cheat."

Statement

“It’s not affordable; people can’t live like this. Under this administration, our current administration, groceries are up 57%, gasoline is up 60 and 70%, mortgage rates have quadrupled.”

As he prepares to lead the four-day convention to its close, Trump told the crowd, "We better finish strong or we’ll blow it."

"We can't let that happen," he added.

Trump named Biden in his speech: "I'm only going to say his name once."

"If you took the 10 worst presidents in the history of the United States, think of it, the 10 worst, added them up, they will not have done the damage that Biden has done," he said — repeating a line he frequently uses in his stump speech.

"I'm not going to use the name anymore — just one time. The damage that he's done to this country is unthinkable. It's unthinkable," he added.

Statement

“We gave you the largest tax cut ever.”

Trump had not planned to talk about election fraud — one of his favorite topics — but he ad-libbed a line criticizing nameless opponents by calling them "a lot less than fierce, except when it comes to cheating on elections and a couple of other things."

"Then they're fierce," he added as the audience applauded.

Trump and his allies have repeatedly pushed false claims about election fraud.

Statement

“We also have an illegal immigration crisis, and it's taking place right now as we sit here in this beautiful arena, some massive invasion at our southern border that has spread misery, crime, poverty, disease and destruction to communities all across our land.”

Trump made an appeal to Democrats and independents, in addition to Republicans.

"I'm here to lay out a vision for the whole nation, to every citizen, whether you're a young or old man or woman, Democrat, Republican or independent, Black or white, Asian or Hispanic, I extend to you a hand of loyalty and of friendship," he said.

Addressing the crowd in Wisconsin, he noted how much the campaign and the party are spending to put together the convention this week.

"We are spending over $250 million here, creating jobs, other economic development all over the place," he said. "So I hope you will remember this in November and give us your vote. I am trying to buy your vote. I’ll be honest about that."

“I am trying to buy your vote” was an ad-lib. But he was basically putting a fine point on what the previous lines were really about.

Trump deviated from his prepared remarks and began talking about Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who was House speaker when Trump was impeached in 2019 and 2021.

He said his sons Eric and Donald Trump Jr. were "subpoenaed more than any people probably in the history of the United States."

Trump began his speech accepting the GOP presidential nomination by describing in the greatest detail yet being the target of an assassination attempt — and said he may never tell the story again.

Trump’s remarks tonight were his first major address since he was shot at a campaign rally Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania. The shooting, which injured Trump and two other people and killed a man, has loomed over the Republican National Convention this week.

Here’s what Trump, wearing a bandage over his injured right ear, told convention attendees.

Read the full story here.

Trump pledged that after the shooting Saturday, "nothing will stop me in this mission. Because our vision is righteous and our cause is pure."

"No matter what obstacle comes our way: We will not break. We will not bend. We will not back down. And I will never stop fighting for you, your family and our magnificent country," he added.

Trump also pledged "everything I have to give, with all of the energy and fight in my heart and soul."

"This election should be about the issues facing our country and how to make America successful, safe, free and great again," he said, adding: "In an age when our politics too often divide us, now is the time to remember that we are all fellow citizens — we are one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Trump called on Democrats to "stop weaponizing the justice system and labeling their political opponent as an enemy of democracy."

He brought up the dismissal of the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case, reiterating criticism of the case.

"If Democrats want to unify our country, they should drop these partisan witch hunts, which I have been going through for approximately eight years, and they should do that without delay and allow an election to proceed that is worthy of our people," he said. "We're gonna win it anyway."

Trump spoke about Corey Comperatore, the firefighter who was killed during the assassination attempt Saturday.

Comperatore's gear was sent to the convention, Trump said, and he walked over to it and kissed it onstage.

Trump said the blood alarmed rally-goers.

"They saw the blood, and there's an interesting statistic: The ears are the bloodiest part. If something happens with the ears, they bleed more than any other part of the body," he said.

"For whatever reason, the doctors told me that. They said, 'Why is there so much blood?' He said, 'It's the ears. They bleed more.'"

Supporters in the audience have tears in their eyes and there are definitely people crying in the crowd as Trump speaks about the assassination attempt and the victims of the shooting.

The vibe on the convention floor is somber but messianic. Like they’re at church.

As part of his speech, Trump told the crowd "I'm not supposed to be here" after Saturday's assassination attempt. In response, the crowd chanted, "Yes, you are! Yes, you are!"

"I stand before you in this arena only by the grace of Almighty God," Trump added.

The photos taken by New York Times photographer Doug Mills showing a bullet flying behind Trump's head during the assassination attempt was shown in the convention hall.

Another photo showing Trump with blood on him was also displayed as he spoke.

Corey Comperatore’s firefighter gear was placed on the stage during Trump’s speech.

Comperatore’s fire helmet and jacket were sent to Milwaukee and placed on the stage just before Trump began his remarks. Comperatore was shot and killed protecting his wife and two daughters at the Trump rally Saturday.

Trump opened his acceptance speech for the GOP nomination by saying he wanted to send "a message of confidence, strength and hope."

"Four months from now, we will have an incredible victory, and we will begin the four greatest years in the history of our country," Trump said. "Together, we will launch a new era of safety, prosperity and freedom for citizens of every race, religion, color and creed."

Trump continued: "The discord and division in our society must be healed. We must heal it quickly. As Americans, we are bound together by a single fate and a shared destiny. We rise together, or we fall apart."

He added that he's running to be president for "all of America, not half of America," because "there is no victory in winning for half of America."

Trump began his remarks by formally accepting the Republican nomination for president. His running mate, JD Vance, accepted the vice presidential nomination last night.

Trump appeared on the convention center's stage as a live performance of "God Bless the U.S.A." played.

A screen lifted, revealing him in front of giant letters spelling "Trump."

The Lee Greenwood song usually plays during all of Trump's rallies as his walkout song.

A now-famous image of Trump pumping his fist after he was shot Saturday concluded the video preceding his remarks.

The attempted assassination has been frequently invoked throughout the convention, with the convention crowd at times chanting "Fight! Fight! Fight!" a reference to what Trump chanted immediately after shots were fired at the rally.

Former first lady Melania Trump has arrived at the convention.

She was not scheduled to address the convention.

“The greatest retribution will be our success," Eric Trump said in his convention remarks.

A year ago, his father said in a speech: “For those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution.”

Eric Trump painted a picture of his father as a man who was maligned and attacked, yet returned.

"We realized he had chosen to step into the arena to fight for the soul of America," Trump said.

"My father was clear it would not be easy, that there would be a huge price to pay and that the attacks would be vicious," he said. "Looking back, that was an understatement."

Eric Trump dismissed the claim made by many Democrats that his father is a threat to democracy.

"He is not a threat to democracy. He is a threat to those who despise our republic, many whom are bought and sold, bribed and coerced, people who have never signed the front of a check and who have been dependent on the government their entire adult lives," he said.

Many Democrats and even some Republicans have said Trump is a threat to democracy, as demonstrated by the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, when he tried to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Although he's Trump's son, Eric Trump has avoided telling any personal anecdotes about his father in his convention speech.

The remarks draw a contrast with those of his wife, Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump, who described Donald Trump as the man "that Luke and Carolina call 'Grandpa.'"

As Eric Trump delivers his remarks, his two young children — Carolina and Luke — are watching their father speak in the convention hall. Carolina, 4, is sitting on the former president's lap, while Luke, 6, is sitting on his mother's lap, clapping along.

Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, said in his speech and a prayer before the delegates that God is responsible for Trump's surviving the assassination attempt.

"Heavenly father, we come before you this evening with grateful hearts. Thank you for saving the life of President Donald J. Trump," Graham said. "It was you and you alone who saved him. We pray for the others that were injured on Saturday, for the family who lost their loved one."

Trump will call for Republicans to "rescue our nation from failed leadership," according to his prepared remarks.

"Under our leadership, the United States will be RESPECTED again. No nation will question our power. No enemy will doubt our might. Our borders will be totally SECURE. Our economy will soar. We will return LAW and ORDER to our streets, PATRIOTISM to our schools, and importantly, we will restore peace, stability, and harmony all throughout the world," Trump will say.

"Under the current administration, we are a nation in decline," he'll go on to say before criticizing the state of inflation, illegal immigration and international relations.

Trump will address the assassination attempt that injured him and killed one person, according to new excerpts of his speech tonight.

"Just a few short days ago, my journey with you nearly ended. And yet here we are tonight, all gathered together, talking about the future, promise, and renewal of America. We live in a world of miracles," he'll say, according to his prepared remarks.

Retired wrestler Hulk Hogan ripped his shirt off during his convention speech to reveal a Trump-Vance tank top.

"What happened last week when they took a shot at my hero and they tried to kill the next president of the United States — enough was enough," Hogan yelled while ripping the shirt off.

"As an entertainer, I tried to stay out of politics, but after everything that's happened to our country over the past four years and everything that happened last weekend, I can no longer stay silent," he said. "I'm here tonight because I want the world to know that Donald Trump is a real American hero, and I'm proud to support my hero, the next president of this United States."

Walking just slightly behind Trump were his eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump, and her husband, Jared Kushner. Both were top Trump White House advisers but have not been involved in his re-election campaign.

Unlike her brothers Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump and her husband had not attended the convention before today.

Trump is back in the VIP box at the convention hall.

The convention has been listening to the house band perform for more than 20 minutes — a long delay.

Carlson railed in his convention speech against the U.S. providing aid to Ukraine, a viewpoint seemingly shared by Vance and one to which Trump appears to be receptive.

Carlson said it was "insulting" that funds are going toward supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia's invasion when other problems persist at home.

"We know where the drugs are coming from. We know the supply routes," Carlson said. "You don't see our commander in chief suggesting that we use our military to protect our country or the lives of its citizens? No, that's for Ukraine. And it's too much. Actually, it's too insulting. It's too insulting. It's a middle finger in the face of every American. It's a very clear statement which is unmistakable, and that is 'we don't care about you.'"

Carlson said in his convention speech that he spoke to Trump not long after the assassination attempt Saturday. Carlson said of the incident's effect: "I think it changed him."

"I reached out to Trump within hours of it that night, and what he said to me that night, having just been shot in the face, he said not a single word about himself," Carlson said.

"He said only how amazed he was and how proud he was of the crowd, which didn't run," he continued.

Sen. Jon Tester, of Montana, became the second Democratic senator to call for Biden to bow out of the presidential race, saying in a statement today that he has “never been afraid to stand up to him when he is wrong.”

Tester is among the most vulnerable Democrats seeking re-election to the Senate in November. Peter Welch of Vermont was the first Democratic senator to call for Biden's exit.

"While I appreciate his commitment to public service and our country, I believe President Biden should not seek re-election to another term," Tester said in a statement.

Read the full story here.

Carlson seemed to compare Biden to a dead person in his convention remarks.

"It is also true, it's a fact, that you could take, I don't know, a mannequin, a dead person, and make him president," Carlson said as the audience laughed and cheered, before he explained that it takes more than that to be a leader.

He added that it was "theoretically possible ... with enough cheating."

In front of 12 onlookers, members of a self-described communist group called The Revcoms lit an American flag on fire tonight near the convention venue.

About eight members of the group chanted for “a new socialist republic” as they first tore the flag and then burned it.

Four other spectators watched the event — at Haymarket Square Park, one of the two so-called First Amendment zones designated for protesters during the convention.

As tightly produced as this convention has been, Tucker Carlson is now onstage and is the only speaker I’ve seen so far with nothing loaded in the prompter. Just a clock counting down from 10 minutes.

In her convention speech, Trump lawyer Alina Habba said the only crime Trump has committed is "loving America."

"Every attack on President Trump only strengthens our movement. The left's madness is only a sign of desperation. Sham indictments and baseless allegations will not deter us, because the only crime President Trump has committed is loving America," Habba said.

Among the four criminal indictments against Trump, he was found guilty in late May on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records — the first time a former president had been convicted of a crime.

Trump, who attended the speech of his longtime friend Steve Witkoff, stepped away from the convention floor after Witkoff finished speaking.

He said he is doing "good."

Steve Witkoff, a real estate investor, followed up his son with an anecdote about Trump's music taste, telling the crowd, "A lot of people don't know this about my dear friend President Trump, but he's a big music guy, and he's got a playlist, and he's the DJ wherever he goes."

Trump just sat down next to country music star Jason Aldean, a country music megastar who drew controversy last year for a music video that featured a courthouse where a Black teenager was lynched in 1927.

Critics blasted the images, as well as the lyrics, in which Aldean says people who "cuss out a cop, spit in his face, stomp on the flag and light it up" should "try that in a small town, see how far ya make it down the road. Around here, we take care of our own, you cross that line it won't take long for you to find out."

But conservatives rallied around the song, it was played at numerous GOP political rallies, and Trump called him "fantastic" in a message promoting the song.

After Trump's felony conviction in the hush money trial in New York, Aldean posted a message of praise for Trump on Instagram: "Scary times in our country right now."

An employee at Trump International Golf Club in Florida praised Trump's golf skills in a speech at the convention.

John Nieporte, the club's PGA head golf professional, said Trump is not only a "great boss" but also "one hell of a golfer."

As on each previous night, Trump's entrance into the convention hall is an event unto itself.

This time, he walked into a rendition of AC/DC's "Back in Black" by the house band, still wearing a bandage over his right ear covering the injuries he sustained in the assassination attempt.

Trump greeted the crowd with fist pumps and walked to his box, where he shook hands with National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Richard Hudson of North Carolina, National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Steve Daines, Wisconsin Senate hopeful Eric Hovde, Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, among others.

Pastor Lorenzo Sewell said in his speech tonight that God protected Trump in the assassination attempt.

"You can't deny the power of God on this man's life," he said. "You can't deny that God protected him. You cannot deny that it was a millimeter miracle that was able to save this man's life."

"Could it be that Jesus Chris preserved him for such a time as this?" he continued.

Statement

"Not a single Chinese spy balloon flew across the United States of America. Four years. Had I been the secretary of state and a Chinese spy balloon flew across our country, I would have been the former secretary of state, and rightfully so."

Former first lady Melania Trump is expected to make her first appearance at the convention as her husband delivers his acceptance speech on its final night. It is her first public appearance alongside her husband in a long time.

NBC News’ Kate Snow reports on her lengthy absence since she was in the White House.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo took a dig at Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in his convention speech.

"We never lost our secretary of defense for two weeks," he said.

The comment was a reference to Austin's being hospitalized this year. Austin has apologized for the delay in informing the White House about his hospitalization.

Former Small Business Administrator Linda McMahon told a story tonight about Trump and his granddaughter.

McMahon said she "had a meeting scheduled with him at Mar a Lago, and as he welcomed me, his little 4-year-old granddaughter ran up to him."

"He scooped her up with delight and asked her, 'Who's the most beautiful girl in the world?' And she said, 'Me.' Then he asked, 'And who do you love the most in the world?' And she said, 'You, grandpa.' And he kissed her on both cheeks," McMahon said. "He smiled with the love that only a grandfather could have given."

Linda McMahon, who was administrator of the Small Business Administration, told a story tonight about meeting Trump for the first time in that role.

“He became part of the most compelling and highest-rated storylines in the president’s history,” she said of Trump.

McMahon is the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment and one of four people on the convention schedule tonight with ties to WWE. The others are three WWE Hall of Famers: Kid Rock, Hulk Hogan and Trump.

After WWE, McMahon became a major Republican donor after she lost bids for the Senate, and she served in Trump’s administration.

The Milwaukee Alliance protest that marched to the hotel where D’Vontaye Mitchell was killed has returned to the park where it started after having marched for about one hour.

Protesters chanted against police brutality as they marched roughly five blocks and across the Milwaukee River to the hotel and back.

Organizers have no plans for any additional protests this evening — the last night of the convention.

Diane Hendricks, who just spoke at the convention, was the richest person on Forbes' 2024 America’s Richest Self-Made Women for the seventh year running.

"I'm living proof that the American dream is possible with hard work and determination," she said, before she talked about how she started off as a single teenage mom and joined up with her late husband, Ken, to build a successful roofing supply company.

She's one of the biggest Republican donors in the country; she gave the pro-Trump super PAC MAGA Inc. $5 million last year.

Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., targeted the trans community in his convention speech, repeating a talking point many other speakers have made over the last several days.

"These liberal senators want boys in girls sports," said Daines, who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

"I’m the father of two daughters. They want men in your daughter’s and my daughter’s locker room, and you know, they can’t even define what a woman is," he said. "But let me tell you something: Back in Montana, we know the difference between a bull and a cow."

The Milwaukee Alliance protest has reached the Hyatt Regency hotel — its intended destination.

The group of about 100 peaceful protesters demonstrating against the recent deaths of two Black men killed by police or security officers chanted, using expletives about police officers, as they reached the hotel — about 50 feet from the hard security perimeter surrounding the convention.

The Hyatt Regency is where D’Vontaye Mitchell, one of the two men whose deaths the protesters are drawing attention to, died after hotel security officers pinned him to the ground.

A heavy police presence greeted protesters near the intersection of the hotel. 

Protesters chanted “Black Lives Matter” and “No justice, no peace!” as they approached a fenced-off security perimeter that blocked access to Fiserv Forum. Demonstrators waited while police opened a side street allowing access to the outside of the hotel. 

Asked whether other Democrats might be more formidable opponents than Biden, two convention attendees mentioned California Gov. Gavin Newsom, citing his physical appearance.

“He’s got great hair. People look at stuff like that,” said Lisa Schneegans, an entrepreneur from Minneapolis.  

Megan Koehler, 32, of Cleveland, said, “He’s charming and handsome and can sway people.”

The Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Oppression was expecting about 100 people to show up at a protest this afternoon in Red Arrow Park, near the RNC venue. About that many came out, but it was still far fewer than protest organizers in the city had expected to attend such demonstrations.

Today's protest was to draw attention to the lives of a man shot and killed by Ohio police earlier this week and D’Vontaye Mitchell, who was killed inside a Hyatt Regency Hotel more than two weeks ago during an incident involving private security.

“We are here to speak to their individual cases, to speak against police crimes and against what has been going on — whether that’s private hotel security, or whether that’s out of state troops that have come in and killed community members here,” said protest organizer Aurelia Ceja.

The event was the latest example of an RNC-related protest that ended up being far lighter than anticipated.

Ceja said she believes the turnout was lower for today's protest because of the robust police presence in the city and “the difficulties the city created with the permit process.”

Among the groups present for the protest was one called “FTP” — short for an explicit phrase criticizing police. Protesters in the group wore black clothes and masks and waved flags. Dozens of police officers were also present for the protest.

Several Latino Republican delegates and elected officials attending the convention celebrated Vance’s ascension to the ticket over a fellow finalist, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., saying policy, not identity, is expanding the GOP electorate.

“The Republican base is expanding based on the issues, not the person, necessarily,” former Puerto Rico Gov. Luis Fortuño told NBC News. Fortuño, a member of the island’s pro-statehood Partido Nuevo Progresista, is a delegate in the Puerto Rican delegation.

Robert Unanue, the CEO of Goya Foods, spoke on the main stage this week and shared a similar sentiment. “You don’t have to be Latino to reach out to give what the Latino community is looking for. What the Latino community is looking for is prosperity and hope,” he said.

“Say his name! Say his name!” yelled protesters gathered in Milwaukee’s Red Arrow Park to honor the memory of D’Vontaye Mitchell, who was killed more than two weeks ago in an incident with private security at a local hotel. 

“No one should be comfortable until some arrest and charges are made,” said Latrisa Giles, Mitchell’s cousin. 

Relatives said the convention has taken attention away from Mitchell’s death and questioned why people haven’t taken to the streets, as they were after George Floyd’s death in 2020. 

“The city cares more about money than its own people,” said Alan Chavoya, an organizer with the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.

A Democratic lawmaker who wants Biden to exit the presidential race quipped that he should do so tonight “at 9:08 p.m.,” which is around the time Trump is scheduled to deliver his convention speech.

“It won’t happen. But they should just get it over with," the Democratic lawmaker said.

Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, a longtime friend of Biden's and co-chair of his re-election campaign, said this evening that Biden has been asking for "input" and "advice" about his candidacy.

His comments came in response to a question about whether Biden has ruled out leaving the race.

"In my conversations with the president, he’s been asking for input. He’s been asking from all of us who talk to him regularly for advice, for counsel, for input on the polls, on the opinion of our colleagues, but he has communicated to every Democrat in writing that he intends to continue this campaign," Coons said in an interview on CNN.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, a longtime Democratic activist, told NBC News that Biden called him Monday and “let me know that he was staying in the race.”

“With all the rumors that I’m leaving, I’m not,” Biden told him with what sounded like a helicopter in the background, said Sharpton, the host of MSNBC's "PoliticsNation."

“I will support whatever you decide,” Sharpton recalled telling him.

The Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Oppression was expecting about 100 people to show up at a protest this afternoon in Red Arrow Park, near the official convention proceedings. 

About that number came out — but it was still far fewer than protest organizers in the city had expected would attend such demonstrations. 

The event today was the latest example of a protest presence that ended up being far lighter than anticipated.

Today’s protest was to draw attention to the lives of a man shot and killed by Ohio police this week and of D’Vontaye Mitchell, who was killed in a Hyatt Regency Hotel more than two weeks ago in an incident involving private security.

“We are here to speak to their individual cases to speak against police crimes and against what has been going on — whether that’s private hotel security or whether that’s out-of-state troops that have come in and killed community members here,” said protest organizer Aurelia Ceja.

Ceja said she thought turnout was lower in this case because of the robust police presence in the city and “the difficulties the city created with the permit process.”

Among the groups present for the protest was one called FTP — short for an explicit phrase criticizing police — who wore black clothes and masks and waved flags. Dozens of police officers were also present.

Boxes of "Trump Cereal" are being sold for $20 apiece at the convention.

The boxes depict a cartoon Trump eating breakfast or standing with his hand over his heart against an American flag backdrop

But the bright red and blue boxes, which read "Greatness in every bowl," may leave buyers hungry, because the cereal inside hasn't been approved for consumption.

As the presidential election season has shifted into high gear, coveted influencers are beginning to decide whether and how they want to speak out. 

While both Biden and Trump have made efforts to court the online celebrities, hoping to attract Gen Z voters, recent events have appeared to inspire many creators with millions of followers to post in favor of Trump. While major influencers like TikToker Bryce Hall, YouTuber Jake Paul and streamer FaZe Banks have signaled support for Trump, few have vocally supported Biden.

Viral images of Trump raising his fist in defiance after he survived Saturday’s assassination attempt generated a surge of internet support over the weekend from well-known influencers.

Read the full story here.

National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson will leave her post at the end of month to return to the Democratic National Committee as a senior adviser, according to a White House official.

Watson has served in the role for nearly three years, overseeing media operations for the NSC during intense global crises like the war in Ukraine, the Chinese spy balloon incident and the Israel-Hamas conflict.

“There is simply no one better in your foxhole than Adrienne,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan told NBC News in a statement. “Day in and day out, I depended on her significant experience, zeal for the work, communications counsel, and her unique ability to cut to the chase of complex issues.”

An estimated 17.97 million viewers tuned in to watch the third night of the convention yesterday, according to data compiled by Nielsen, an audience analytics firm. That was a dip from the first night of the convention, which attracted 18.1 million viewers, Nielsen said.

Night 3 was headlined by Vance, who drew on themes from his 2016 memoir, "Hillbilly Elegy," in his speech accepting the vice presidential nomination.

Vance will be in Middletown, Ohio, on Monday for his first campaign rally as Trump's vice presidential nominee, the Trump-Vance campaign announced today.

The rally will occur exactly one week after Trump formally announced Vance as his running mate.

Conservative commentator and former Fox Business anchor Lou Dobbs has died at age 78.

A message confirming his death was posted to Dobbs’ account on X.

“Lou was a fighter till the very end — fighting for what mattered to him the most, God, his family and the country,” the statement said. “Lou’s legacy will forever live on as a patriot and a great American.”

In a statement, Fox News said: "We are deeply saddened by the passing of Lou Dobbs. An incredible business mind with a gift for broadcasting, Lou helped pioneer cable news into a successful and influential industry."

Read the full story here.

A number of Black Democrats — who have talked with Biden and his aides in recent days — believe his candidacy is likely to come to an end, a Democratic strategist said.

“Literally, this feels like the end,” the person said.

There is a growing sense that the wrangling over the party’s nominee needs to “come to end and fast,” Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo, told NBC News about his conversations with Democrats, including fellow members of the Congressional Black Caucus. “Things are more fluid” about Biden’s remaining at the top of the ticket, he added.

Trump senior campaign adviser Chris LaCivita today called Project 2025 a “pain in the a--” for the Trump campaign.

In an interview with Politico, LaCivita said concerns over Trump’s adopting the ultraconservative policies in the proposal are “complete and utter bulls---” and that such reports are “pure speculation,” even though several Trump Cabinet members, White House officials, senior aides and appointees are involved with the project.

“That’s what the left wants, but I’m not going to give into that,” LaCivita said. “The president’s made it clear these people do not speak for him, they do not speak for the campaign.”

Billionaire businessman Mark Cuban, who has toyed with the idea of running for president in the past, said he has no interest in seeking the Oval Office should Biden step down and Democrats opt for an open convention or a brief primary.

“Absolutely not,” he told NBC News in an email.

Three Trump supporters at the convention told NBC News they expect the response to Trump’s speech to be emotional.

“I’m going to lose it,” Megan Koehler, of Cleveland, predicted of how she thinks she'll react when Trump speaks tonight, given the heightened emotions surrounding the recent assassination attempt. 

“The goal last — a couple of days ago was to have Trump’s head explode on live television,” said Justin Cyrenne, 19, of Chicago.

Trump was subdued during his walk-through at the convention venue yesterday, and the shooting from the outdoor rally in Pennsylvania was very front of mind, a source familiar with the matter said.

When he got to the podium, Trump looked around and said he was told it's a lot safer inside. Upon confirmation of that, he repeated that he is much safer inside.

Trump saw Doug Mills — the New York Times photographer who took the photo of him with the bullet — and asked him how he captured the photo. When Mills explained that the bullet's hitting his ear may have slowed it down enough to make it visible in the photo, Trump seemed interested in the detail.

In a letter dated July 6, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., urged Biden to consider "the team" as he weighed whether to step aside and framed suspending his campaign as less a medical decision than a political one. 

“I am not writing to presume to tell you what to do, Mr. President, because that is up to you and Jill and your family entirely. You will be the best judge of that. But I am writing to remind you of who you are," Raskin wrote in the four-page letter, which is filled with effusive praise for Biden. "As a truly great and magnificent leader, you belong to all of us. Sometimes it will be hard for you to perceive, much less fully comprehend, the substance and character of your own greatness. I write to remind you of your true greatness as a leader.”

While Obama has “concerns” about Biden’s ability to stay at the top of the ticket, the former president also continues to see his main role as a sounding board and counselor to his former vice president, two people familiar with Obama’s thinking told NBC News. 

Much like other leaders in the Democratic Party, Obama does see Biden’s path to winning in November as “getting harder,” one of the sources said.  

But overall, Obama believes Biden has been a great president and feels personally protective of him and his accomplishments, the two people familiar with his thinking said. 

Biden and Obama spoke once after Biden’s poor debate performance. It’s unclear whether they have spoken since then.  

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle met with Trump on Tuesday, according to a source with direct knowledge of the encounter, three days after the shooting at his Pennsylvania rally.

A source close to Biden is blaming senior Democratic leaders for "[giving] us Donald Trump," as calls for Biden to step aside grow.

“Can we all just remember for a minute that these same people who are trying to push Joe Biden out are the same people who literally gave us all Donald Trump? In 2015, Obama, Pelosi, Schumer pushed Biden aside in favor of Hillary; they were wrong then, and they are wrong now,” the source told NBC News.

Biden’s principal deputy campaign manager, Quentin Fulks, said on MSNBC that the Biden campaign is on track to win what it has repeatedly called a “margin-of-error race.” Fulks defended Biden’s choice to remain at the top of the Democratic ticket and said, without specific data, that the campaign’s internal polling demonstrates “multiple pathways to victory,” despite recent reporting that top allies have publicly and privately expressed concerns over Biden’s ability to win. 

“We have polls that show this race in a margin-of-error of victory in several of the battleground states and there is a clear pathway to victory. In fact, there are multiple pathways to victory,” Fulks told MSNBC host Chris Jansing.

Biden is "still experiencing mild upper respiratory symptoms associated with his recent COVID-19 infection," and he will continue to receive doses of Paxlovid, a medication that is associated with reducing the chance of hospitalization or death, his doctor, Kevin O'Connor, said in a statement the White House released this afternoon.

O'Connor said that Biden's vitals are normal and that he does not have a fever. Biden tested positive for Covid yesterday while he was in Las Vegas for a what was intended to be the first in a series of campaign events focusing on Latino voters. After his test came back positive, Biden traveled to his home in Delaware, where he will remain in isolation and carry out his duties in full until he can return to in-person work, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

"He will continue to conduct the business of the American people," O'Connor wrote in today's update.

President Joe Biden’s political world is collapsing. Top allies have either publicly or privately called on him to step aside. Major donations have fallen off a cliff. Grassroots fundraising is not keeping up with the demands of a campaign that needs to aggressively scale up three months before the presidential election. Members of his own re-election effort have already declared he has no path to victory. 

Since a disastrous debate in Atlanta upended the trajectory of his campaign three weeks ago, Biden has again and again attempted to dig in, bucking efforts to dislodge him from power. 

But there is now a palpable sense that the ground has shifted underneath him, according to five people with knowledge of the situation, even among some of the president’s most defiant backers internally who now believe the writing is on the wall.

“We’re close to the end,” a person close to Biden said.

Read the full story here.

Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., said he maintains his support for Biden, but acknowledged “growing” concerns he’s heard from voters throughout Pennsylvania this week over the president’s poor June debate performance.

Casey, one of the only incumbent Democrats in the battleground state who fully supports Biden staying in the race, said he’s been across the state for several weeks now and “there’s no question” that people have concerns about the president.

“I’ve talked to a lot of people in our state that have concerns ever since the debate,” Casey told NBC News, adding that he needs to “take in and consider” what voters in his state think of Biden, especially as he outperforms the president in recent polling.

“But I think my position has been very clear, and I think the president will do what he’s always done, which is put the best interests of the country first,” he added.

Hours before Trump formally accepts the Republican Party’s nomination, the Biden campaign is launching a new TV ad today that zeroes in on “Project 2025,” a 900-plus page policy road map and personnel database constructed by a prominent conservative think tank to aid Trump’s would-be second administration.

It is the first time that Biden’s campaign is explicitly mentioning the project in its TV advertising after using it as a key messaging component for weeks. The spot clips recent television commentary about the effort and displays a QR code for the entirety of the 30-second ad, linking to a website affiliated with the Biden campaign. 

The ad will air in battleground states starting today, according to the Biden campaign.

Democratic elected officials and Biden campaign staff urged unity this morning, insisting Biden will remain on the ticket, despite increasing calls for him to drop out of the race.

Facing questions from reporters during a “counter-convention” news conference in Milwaukee a few blocks from where the Republican National Convention is being held, Principal Deputy Biden Campaign Manager Quentin Fulks argued that the president has no plans to step aside. 

“The vice president is a part of the Biden Harris ticket. Our campaign is not working through any scenarios where President Biden is not the top of the ticket. He is and will be the Democratic nominee,” Fulks said. “We look forward to him accepting the delegates in Chicago and continuing with this race to talk about what’s at stake.”

The Biden campaign is seeking to show that it remains a busy operation even as the president takes time off from the campaign trail to recover from Covid.

A senior Biden campaign official said the campaign will continue to organize in battleground states this week with in-person events that spotlight the RNC and Project 2025, a blueprint for Trump’s second term proposed by the Heritage Foundation that Trump has sought to distance himself from.

Kai Madison Trump, the former president’s granddaughter, took the stage at the convention to share their conversations about golf and her school and describe how she felt when he was shot. 

Biden appeared to slip up during an interview with BET this week, seemingly forgetting the name of former President Herbert Hoover and apparently mistaking JD Vance's name.

When discussing abortion rights, Biden seemed to fumble Vance’s name, referring to “Mance.” Vance has been targeted by Biden’s campaign for his opposition to Democratic-led legislation to codify abortion rights after the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling in 2022.

Vance made an interesting choice as he closed his remarks this morning at the Faith & Freedom Coalition’s God & Country breakfast in Milwaukee.

The newly minted Republican nominee for vice president quoted from Quentin Tarantino’s violent and profane 1994 film “Pulp Fiction.”

“So, I’m going to get out of here, but I’ll leave you with one more final thought, and it comes from one of my favorite theologians, the character Jules in the movie ‘Pulp Fiction,’” Vance said. 

Several in the hotel ballroom laughed in recognition, unsure of where, exactly, this was going.

A spokesperson for Hakeem Jeffries told NBC News that the House minority leader met with Biden a week ago to express "the full breadth of insight, perspective and conclusions reached about the path forward."

The spokesperson added that any further speculation about the private, one-on-one meeting is "speculative and uninformed."

Before the meeting, Jeffries told worried members that he would relay their concerns to Biden. After the meeting, Jeffries sent a 'Dear Colleague' letter to House Democrats to provide an update on his conversations.

A senior campaign official confirms that Kid Rock will perform tonight at the RNC.

Kid Rock is an outspoken Trump supporter, appearing at fundraisers this cycle with the former president and posting videos in support of him. His music is often played at Trump rallies.

Melania Trump is expected to attend the RNC tonight, but has largely avoided public events during the campaign. Here is a compiled list of the former first lady's whereabouts that we know of since Trump launched his re-election campaign in 2022. 

Dec. 15, 2023: Makes remarks at a naturalization ceremony in D.C., not with her husband.

Jan. 18: Attends mother’s funeral in Florida with the former president.

March 9: Seen in a social media post with Trump and and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

Two senior campaign officials confirmed that Hulk Hogan will speak tonight at the RNC convention ahead of Trump formally accepting the GOP nomination for president.

Former WWE CEO Linda McMahon, a former Trump administration official, is also on the list of speakers.

Facing calls to bow out of the presidential race, Biden was primed yesterday to speak to a usually supportive audience of Latino leaders and community organizers, but minutes before his speech, it was announced that he had tested positive for Covid.

Biden’s appearance at the UnidosUS conference in Las Vegas was already delayed when Janet Murguía, the group’s president, looking a little teary-eyed, appeared onstage and announced that Biden had called her to say that he could not make it.

Read the full story here.

MILWAUKEE — Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, a right-wing populist known for his unbending opinions, introduced himself yesterday as a vice presidential candidate open to compromise and eager for unity but unapologetically drawn to hot-button debates.

“We have a big tent in this party, on everything from national security to economic policy,” Vance told delegates as he accepted their nomination to be Trump’s running mate. “But my message to you, my fellow Republicans, is: We love this country, and we are united to win. And our disagreements actually make us stronger.” 

Read the full story here.

MILWAUKEE — Peter Navarro, an aide in Trump’s White House, received thunderous cheers at the Republican National Convention yesterday as he spoke hours after having left a federal prison in Miami.

“This morning, I did walk out of federal prison,” Navarro said, adding: “If they can come for me, if they can come for Donald Trump, be careful. They will come for you.”

Read the full story here.

MILWAUKEE — The economy was the focus of the first night of the Republican National Convention, but it was Trump’s first public appearance since the attempted assassination at his rally Saturday that stole the show. 

Read the full story here.