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      Trump’s arrival and ‘our God saves’: key takeaways from day one of the RNC

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      Just two days after a gunman targeted a Trump campaign rally in Pennsylvania, leaving the candidate grazed by a bullet and one of his supporters dead, the Republican national convention kicked off in Milwaukee in a strikingly normal fashion.Donald Trump, who made his first public appearance but did not yet address the convention, has now been officially nominated as the Republican presidential candidate. Here are key takeaways from the day:1. As VP, Trump picks JD Vance, Hillbilly Elegy author who once called him ‘America’s Hitler’ For his vice-president, Trump chose 39-year-old JD Vance, a bestselling author who swiftly transformed himself from a self-described “never Trumper” to a Trump loyalist.Now an Ohio senator, Vance first took public office 18 months ago, when he won a race for Senate after being backed by more than $10m in support from tech mogul Peter Thiel. Vance had previously worked as a venture capitalist, and lived for several years in the Bay Area before moving back to Ohio.Vance, who gained a national profile for a much-praised 2016 memoir about white family dysfunction in Appalachia and how he made it to Yale Law School, once publicly called Trump “reprehensible” and an “idiot”, and said he was a dangerous figure who was “leading the white working class to a very dark place”. But Vance worked hard to walk back these criticisms and gain Trump’s endorsement in his 2022 Senate race.Vance has endorsed a ban on abortion, continued to falsely claim that Trump won the 2020 election, said that the US should conduct “large-scale deportations”, and claimed the Democratic party is trying to “transform the electorate” amid an immigrant “invasion”, which Democrats have said is an endorsement of the white nationalist “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory. Vance was praised today by Donald Trump Jr for being a powerful surrogate for Trump on television.2. Trump makes his first public appearance since surviving a shooting attack in Pennsylvania Donald Trump looked unusually somber as he emerged from backstage and joined his sons, and his new vice-presidential pick, JD Vance, in a VIP section of the convention hall audience.There was a stiff white bandage covering his ear, which had been grazed by a bullet on Saturday when the former president narrowly avoided an assasination attempt at a Pennsylvania campaign rally that left one of his supporters dead.Trump waved to his supporters and occasionally held his fist in the air as he walked through the crowd. But he looked more moved than defiant in his first public appearance, mouthing “thank you”, to his supporters, and once gesturing to his ear and to the camera filming him backstage as if to suggest that he could still hear them despite the bandage.After Trump shook hands with other supporters, he joined Tucker Carlson, his sons, and Vance, to listen to the speakers, he appeared to relax somewhat, and began to smile more in response to the crowd.3. Post-shooting speeches focus on Trump’s relationship with God, not blaming Biden Amid multiple media reports that Trump wanted to strike a note of unity after what he saw as his own miraculous escape from death, Axios reported that “Trump ordered aides not to allow the convention’s prime-time speakers to update their remarks to dial up outrage over the shooting.”Many of the speeches on Monday appeared to reflect a more restrained approach to talking about the shooting, with Republicans focusing on Trump’s personal strength and framing the event in Christian terms.“Our God still saves, he still delivers, and he still sets free, because on Saturday, the devil came to Pennsylvania holding a rifle, but an American lion got back up on his feet, and he roared!” South Carolina senator Tim Scott said.4. Teamsters president Sean O’Brien praises Trump’s toughness in defiant pro-labor speech One of the most prominent labor union leaders in the US brought a fiercely anti-corporate message into the heart of the GOP convention, where he wove together a denunciation of corporate power with praise of Trump’s willingness to hear from alternate voices.Teamsters president Sean O’Brien faced sharp criticism for within his own union for what some called his “unconscionable” decision to speak at the RNC.In his speech, O’Brien pushed back at that response, saying: “The left called me a traitor,” but that “today, the teamsters are here to say, we are not beholden to anyone or to any party.”“The teamsters are doing something correct if the extremes of both parties think I shouldn’t be on this stage,” he added.O’Brien used the platform to argue for changes in labor laws to protect US workers and for “corporate welfare reform”.He received some cheers from the Republican audience when he said: “Elites have no party. Elites have no nation. Their loyalty is to the balance sheet and the stock prices at the expense of the American worker.”But his praise of Trump prompted an even more enthusiastic responses from the crowd, particularly his comment that, whatever else people might think of Trump, after the shooting on Saturday: “He has proven to be one tough SOB.”5. Elon Musk is reportedly discussing major donations to a pro-Trump Super PacTrump’s choice of former venture capitalist and Peter Thiel protege JD Vance as his vice-presidential nominee already strengthened the link between the 2024 Trump campaign and Silicon Valley.But a report from the Wall Street Journal today suggested that one of the biggest and most volatile tech titans is now considering pouring a record-breaking amount of cash into a Super Pac designed to boost Republican turnout.The Wall Street Journal reported that Elon Musk is discussing donating $45m a month, starting in July, to a pro-Trump Pac reportedly created by members of his tech executive inner circle. How much Musk has actually given so far is unclear, and may not be made public until the next round of campaign filings are made public on 15 July, but Bloomberg reported he had already given “a sizable amount”. More

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      Conspiracy theories on the Trump assassination attempt are spreading like wildfire – on both sides of politics

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      As the sound of gunshots interrupted Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, the former US president clutched his right ear before squatting to the ground.

      Members of the Secret Service quickly surrounded Trump, who fiercely pumped his fist towards the crowd. It was during this moment an instantly iconic photo was taken as Trump stood, fist raised, in front of the US flag – blood running from his ear to his cheek.

      Almost immediately, conspiracy theorists from all parts of the political spectrum began to speculate over the attempted assassination.

      I’m a researcher who studies how conspiracy theories are formed online, with a particular focus on those that impact democratic proceedings. Following this incident, my investigation across several platforms reveals how various conspiracy theories have rapidly emerged – and what they might mean for democratic proceedings in the future.

      A Reddit users implies the blood visible on Trump’s face was fake.
      Reddit

      Conspiracy theorists ask: who is responsible?

      Just hours after the incident, the FBI released the shooter’s identity: 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. Crooks fired multiple shots from a nearby rooftop outside the rally venue, killing one attendee and critically injuring two others. He himself was also killed at the event. A motive has not yet been determined.

      Despite the shooter’s identity being released, one major conspiracy adopted by both the political left and right is that the assassination attempt was staged and/or planned. But who is supposed to have staged it? This is up for debate depending on which online circles you frequent.

      One Reddit user commenting on the use of supposedly ‘fake blood’.
      Reddit

      Left-wing conspiracy theories seem to point the finger at the Republican party. Their supposed “evidence” is that there was no blood on Trump’s face until he raised his hand to his cheek (although this is difficult to confirm based on videos posted online). Nonetheless, they claim Trump used a squib to release fake blood.

      Other “evidence” is that the Secret Service allowed Trump to stand and pose as he was escorted offstage. According to these theories, if there was an active shooter Trump would have been taken away with much more urgency.

      TikTok users took to the platform to speculate.
      Tiktok

      Right-leaning supporters of the “staged” theory point to either President Joe Biden, the US Department of Justice, or other powerful actors as being either explicitly or implicitly responsible.

      Their “evidence” also involves the Secret Service. Many have said the shooter should have been clearly visible and interrupted by the Secret Service before the attack. Some conspiracy theorists go as far as to say the shooter knew which roof he could conduct the shooting from without being interrupted.

      They either point to the Secret Service as being remiss in the security planning of the rally, or actively complicit in the shooting.

      A political opportunity

      In 2022, a study based in the United States found belief in conspiracy theories can be strongly associated with certain psychological traits and non-political worldviews.

      Specifically, the researchers found conspiratorial thinking isn’t consistently associated with a particular political party, but with how extreme a person’s beliefs are. This is seen both for extreme-left and particularly for extreme right-wing political beliefs.

      It’s also reflected in what is emerging online following the Trump assassination attempt, wherein social media users of various political leanings are helping spread the conspiracy that the incident was staged.

      The reasons for conspiratorial beliefs can be psychological, social or political. They may range from seeking a sense of identity and community, to distrust in the government and other institutions.

      For political figures and other influential actors, conspiracy theories are weaponised for personal gain.

      With Senator J.D. Vance having been chosen as Trump’s running mate, we can expect to see more fuel added to the flames. Vance is one of the most prominent politicians claiming the Biden administration is responsible (whether directly or indirectly) for the assassination attempt.

      This sentiment has been echoed by several others, including Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene and Congressman Mike Collins.

      Meanwhile, X (formerly Twitter) chief Elon Musk has reposted multiple messages from an alt-right political activist asking how the shooter was able to crawl onto the closest roof to a presidential nominee, suggesting the Secret Service was intentionally remiss. One of these posts has garnered some 91 million views so far.

      While X has served as a hotbed for conspiracy theories following the event, the comment sections of other platforms and news articles have also become places of debate. Anywhere users can deliberate and share their views, conspiratorial thinking can propagate.

      Screenshot of comments promoting conspiracy theories. The comments were made on a New York Post article which broke the name of the shooter.

      The politicians amplifying the conspiracy theories are contributing to increased tension in the lead-up to a highly contentious election. This includes Vance, who may well end up in the US presidential line of succession if Trump wins the election in November.

      What are the consequences?

      Beyond highlighting the deeply partisan nature of US politics, what might these conspiracy theories mean in the long run?

      Previous findings indicate presenting explicit conspiracy theories to people results in lowered trust in elections. As voters from both sides of the political spectrum are exposed to conspiratorial thinking (and increasingly adversarial discussions) around the assassination attempt, it may become difficult for people to trust the democratic proceedings accompanying the 2024 election.

      A poll conducted earlier this year found 25% of Americans believe it was possible the January 6 Capitol attack was organised by the FBI. This is despite an extensive investigation by the US Congress and hundreds of legal cases involving participants in the riot.

      In 1963, Jack Ruby murdered Lee Harvey Oswald, after the latter was accused of assassinating Kennedy.
      New York Post

      Research also suggests distrust in the government and institutions can lead to people changing the way they interact with the political system. Some may be pushed to vote for governmental change or independent candidates in a bipartisan system, while others may withdraw from engaging with democracy altogether.

      One might hope the recent escalation in political violence will lead to a more tempered approach to politics in the upcoming months. But if the current state of things is any guide, the outlook for democracy is concerning. More

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      Teamsters union president calls Trump ‘tough SOB’ in unprecedented speech at RNC

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      In an unprecedented address, Sean O’Brien, the president of the powerful Teamsters union, delivered remarks at the Republican national convention (RNC) Monday night.In addressing the RNC, O’Brien broke with most major unions in the US, which have overwhelmingly thrown their support behind Joe Biden.During his speech, O’Brien thanked Donald Trump “for opening the RNC’s doors” to the union – whose leaders have never spoken at the Republican national convention – and shot back at criticism over his willingness to appear at the former president’s invitation.“I travel all across this country and meet with my members every week,” said O’Brien. “I see American workers being taken for granted, workers being sold out to big banks, big tech cooperation, the elite.”Backlash from “the left”, O’Brien said, “is why it’s so important for me to be here today”. That comment, followed by his resounding exclamation that Trump proved himself to be “one tough SOB” after the assassination attempt Saturday drew a standing ovation from the crowd.For the rest of his speech, O’Brien railed on corporate greed, demanded “long-term investment in the American worker” and implored lawmakers to seek bipartisanship in congress.“Most legislation is never meant to go anywhere,” said O’Brien. “It’s all talk – and in America, talk isn’t cheap. It’s very expensive. It comes at the cost of our own country.”During his remarks, the crowd often seemed puzzled and sat in a silence punctuated occasionally by applause when O’Brien spoke in more general terms about America’s “elites”.O’Brien’s decision to appear before the RNC came just hours after Trump announced that he had chosen JD Vance to run alongside him on the Republican ticket. Vance, who has invoked his family’s midwestern and Appalachian roots in a nod to working class voters, has embraced populist rhetoric while touting a less-than-friendly labor record. Vance opposed the Pro Act, which organized labor rallied around, and introduced legislation that would legalize company unions, corporate labor formations outlawed by the National Labor Relations Act in 1935.O’Brien’s remarks bookended an evening of speeches focused largely on the economy – a core issue for the Trump campaign and one that O’Brien could address with special authority given his role as a union leader. His was the second speech from a union official that evening – in brief remarks, Bobby Bartels, the business manager of a Steamfitters local in New York, endorsed Trump to cheers from the crowd of Republican delegates and conservative activists.Shawn Fain, the president of the United Auto Workers union (UAW), slammed Trump in a speech shortly after he announced his third run for the presidency, calling him a “scab” and saying: “If Donald Trump ever worked in auto plant, he wouldn’t be a UAW member – he’d be a company man trying to squeeze the American worker.”skip past newsletter promotionafter newsletter promotionAfter Trump announced the rightwing populist Ohio senator JD Vance as his running mate, Sara Nelson, the president of the union representing flight attendants, wrote on Twitter/X that “behind all his slick rhetoric, JD Vance is just another shill for the corporate class who will sell out workers to corporate America. This ticket isn’t pro-worker or pro-union. It’s the billionaire ticket through and through.”Liz Shuler, the president of the AFL-CIO, the largest labor federation in the US, called the Trump-Vance ticket “a corporate CEO’s dream and a worker’s nightmare” and vowed that the federation would “continue educating union voters every single day” on topics like Project 2025, the rightwing Heritage Foundation’s playbook for a Republican presidency.When O’Brien met with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, and when the union later donated $45,000 to the RNC, it sparked outrage from progressive members.Richard Hooker Jr, the secretary treasurer of Teamsters local 623 and vice-president of the Philadelphia AFL-CIO board, has on multiple occasions spoken out against the union’s increasingly friendly relations with the Republican party.“Republicans have been, for the most part anti-union, anti-labor and anti-working class,” said Hooker. “Labor has to be together. We have to take a position like the AFL-CIO – Shawn Fain said ‘Donald Trump is a scab’ and that’s the same language that all of us should use.” More

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      Biden touts record in NBC interview – but the doubts won’t go away

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      In the shadow of the Republican national convention in Milwaukee, where Donald Trump officially became the party’s nominee, days after surviving an attempt on his life, Joe Biden was still confronting a question he thought he’d answered: will he be the Democratic nominee in November?“1,000%” the president said in an interview with Complex’s Chris “Speedy” Morman, which aired on Monday. So the president would remain the party’s standard-bearer, Morman asked? “Unless I get hit by a train, yeah,” Biden replied.The interview was recorded before a would-be assassin shot at Trump during a rally in western Pennsylvania on Saturday, bloodying his ear and killing one spectator. In the roughly 36 hours that followed, the presidential contest was suspended, as Biden returned to the White House to lead a nation rattled by the shocking act – the latest ugly episode in a rising tide of political violence.Biden condemned the attack as “sick”. He called Trump to check in on him and let him know he and the first lady were praying for him. Then, on Sunday, Biden addressed the nation from the Oval Office, pleading with Americans in a heartfelt speech to “lower the temperature”.The moment played to Biden’s strengths – the healer-in-chief, offering himself once again, as he did four years ago, as a compassionate leader determined to overcome political tribalism. But on Monday, as Biden returned to a campaign trail transformed by the attack, he faced many of the same doubts and weaknesses that have dogged his re-election campaign since the start.“I’m old,” Biden conceded in an interview with NBC News’s Lester Holt, that took place and aired on Monday. “But I’m only three years older than Trump, number one. And number two, my mental acuity has been pretty damn good. I’ve gotten more done than any president has in a long, long time in three and a half years. I’m willing to be judged on that.”Though the dramatic turn of events appeared to have momentarily quieted calls for Biden to step aside, Democrats still harbored deep reservations about their nominee’s viability. Since his disastrous debate performance against Trump last month, Biden, asked by Holt if he was ready to “get back on the horse, insisted he was already “on the horse,” having held nearly two dozen campaign events as well as an hour-long press conference at the conclusion of the Nato summit, where he held forth on foreign policy.But many of the verbal miscues and stumbles remain, only now they are scrutinized and amplified as observers search for evidence of decline. Yet the president has remained steadfast. Asked what he would do if he had another poor performance, the president insisted it wouldn’t happen again. And when pressed on who was helping him make the decision about whether to stay in the race, Biden replied: “Me.”The interview aired as prominent Republicans took the stage in Milwaukee, exuding a sense of confidence and resolve to win in November. The attempt on Trump’s life, and his preternatural instinct to raise a fist and shout “Fight!” to his supporters as Secret Service agents rushed him offstage, appeared to have unified and energized the Republican rank and file in attendance. Further exciting Republicans, Trump revealed his choice of running mate – the Ohio senator JD Vance – on Monday, hours after a judge he appointed during his presidency dismissed the classified documents case against him.In the evening, Trump made his first public appearance since Saturday’s attack, drawing thunderous applause when he arrived at the convention hall with a bandage on his ear. The former reality TV star-turned-president pumped his fist, as country singer Lee Greenwood sang God Bless the USA from the main stage.Polls show a close race – “essentially a toss-up” Biden said in his interview. But voters say they trust Trump more on the economy and immigration, two top issues. Biden holds the advantage on reproductives rights, and his campaign on Monday said it plans to make Vance’s support for abortion bans a central theme.Asked how the attempted assassination changed the race, the president told Holt: “I don’t know. And you don’t know either.”The president on Monday departed for Nevada, a battleground state he won in 2020, that appears to be slipping out of reach. There he will hold events in Las Vegas aimed at mobilize Black and Latino voters who are critical to his electoral coalition. On Tuesday he will deliver remarks at the 115th NAACP national convention, followed on Wednesday by remarks at the UnidosUS Annual Conference. He will also sit for two more national interviews with Black Entertainment Television (BET) and Univision radio.Biden has also faced heavy criticisms from Palestinian and Arab Americans who say his unyielding support for Israel enabled its 10-month war in Gaza, which has killed more than 37,000 people. His interview with Morman, recorded last week in Detroit, home to a large, diverse Arab American community, likely did little to address their concerns. In it, Biden claimed that he was “the guy that did more for the Palestinian community than anybody,” pointing to his administration’s efforts to secure more humanitarian aid into Gaza.Reassembling the diverse coalition that helped elect him in 2020 rests in part on reminding Americans why they voted Trump out of office in the first place.“I’m not the guy that said, ‘I want to be a dictator on day one.’ I’m not the guy who refused to accept the outcome of the election,” Biden told Holt, who pressed the president on whether he regretted casting Trump as “an existential threat” to American democracy in light of Saturday’s attack. Biden was again defiant, vowing not to shy away from delivering sharp critiques of his rival.“How do you talk about the threat to democracy, which is real, when he says things like he says?” he said, referring to Trump. “Do you just not say something because it may incite somebody?”Biden has said the contest was a choice between two starkly different visions of America and its future. But many Democrats remain still torn over whether he is the best messenger to lay out that contrast.In his interview with Morman, the president attempted to do just that. After touting his own record of bipartisan accomplishments, he was asked to name one thing he thought Trump would succeed at should his opponent win a second term.“I’m not being facetious,” Biden said. “I can’t think of a single thing.” More

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      ‘Braveheart of our time’: Trump inspires more awe than ever at Republican conference

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      “Braveheart” is how delegates at the Republican national convention are describing Donald Trump after he survived an attempted assassination.The first day of the jamboree in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, showed that the former US president inspires more awe and admiration than ever among his dedicated Republican base after the incident on Saturday.Some expressed hope that Trump will seize the moment by accepting the party’s presidential nomination on Thursday night that redefines him as a unifier intent on lowering the political temperature.“I do think the slogan ‘Make America one again’ sounds pretty cool,” said Reince Priebus, chairman of the host committee and formerly Trump’s White House chief of staff. “The president has said that he is apparently looking at his speech. It’s an enormous opportunity that he has to galvanise the country and we’ll just see what he does with it.”Downtown Milwaukee has been turned into Trumpville for the week, festooned with the stars and stripes, Republican banners and “Make America great again” hats, T-shirts and other merchandise. On display are a cardboard cutout of Trump as Rambo, a Trump bust carved from Indiana limestone and a Trump shoe – a classic black cap-toe oxford crafted by Johnston & Murphy.Inside the arena, jubilant delegates cheered as they formally nominated Trump to the Republican presidential ticket soon after he announced the Ohio senator JD Vance as his running mate. When a video montage of Trump dancing at rallies – a source of mockery for political satirists – was shown on giant screens, the crowd cheered and danced along with “Trump” signs.Memories of the 2016 convention, when vocal Trump critics could be found with ease, have been banished. A gunman’s attempt to kill him has turned him into “the Braveheart of our time”, North Carolina’s lieutenant governor, Mark Robinson, said in a floor speech.It was also an excuse to castigate Joe Biden. Wes Nakagiri, a county commissioner in Livingston county, Michigan, arrived at the convention on Monday wearing a homemade shirt that said: “Hey Joe, it’s called an attempted assassination.”Nakagiri said that he was upset that the president did not immediately refer to the attack on Trump as an attempted assassination. “That’s what it is. They talk about unity. I think that one of the things that’s a prerequisite for unity is truth. If you’re going to try to downplay that it was something other than an assassination, that’s not the truth. I don’t think that helps bring us together.”Biden referred to the incident as an attempted assassination during an Oval Office address to the nation on Sunday evening. Law enforcement officials are also investigating the incident as an attempted assassination.Others spoke of their horror at learning of the attack at Pennsylvania rally which injured the 45th president’s right ear and caused the death of a supporter in the crowd.Rebecca Harary, co-founder and president of the America First Club in Boca Raton, Florida, said: “My heart broke immediately. I started crying. I didn’t even see any of the videos yet or anything. I heard that he was shot. I stopped what I was doing, I found the nearest television set and turned it on and tried to catch up and see what was going on. Thank God he was OK.”Asked if the incident had changed the tone and tenor of the convention, Harary replied: “It gives us much more power, much more strength, much more will to make sure that Trump wins and wins loudly, greatly, strongly and with all of the determination and perseverance that he portrays.”Mary Beth Kemmer, 75, an Ohio delegate, said: “I was shocked and in tears because I don’t want this to happen to anybody. I don’t think that says anything good about the country for anybody to have that happen. I wouldn’t want that to happen to President Biden either. That’s horrible.”Kemmer praised Trump’s reaction. “I was just so impressed that he came up and he’s like, no, we’re gonna fight, we’re not going to let somebody win that’s going around the system in a sense. He’s brave – they keep calling him Braveheart.””Her husband Mel, 76, a retired judge, weighed in: “He is the leader in every minute of every day.”Despite his violent rhetoric in the past, and his instigation of the deadly riot at the US Capitol on 6 January 2021, some here believe that Trump is the right man to bind the nation’s wounds after nearly being killed at a campaign rally.Vivek Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur and former presidential candidate, said at a CNN/Politico Grill event: “It’ll be one of those moments that our grandchildren and great-grandchildren will read about in history books.“I hope what they’re saying then is that this was a moment when the United States of America turned a page from a toxic chapter in its national history and that Donald Trump, when he got back for that second term, was ready to fight fire with water.” More

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      JD Vance formally nominated as Trump’s vice-presidential candidate – live

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      The Republican national convention is now taking a break, after completing the first of two sessions it has planned today.The delegates will return at 5.45pm CT for what are expected to be more speeches by high-profile Republicans and party supporters.Here’s what has happened at the convention so far:

      The Republican party formally nominated Donald Trump as their candidate for president.

      Trump announced that Ohio senator JD Vance would be his running mate. Not long after, Vance appeared on the floor of the convention, and the GOP made him their vice-presidential nominee by acclamation.

      Joe Biden said Vance was “a clone of Trump on the issues”. ABC News reports that Kamala Harris tried to call Vance, but couldn’t reach him, and left a voicemail.

      Robert F Kennedy Jr met with Donald Trump in Milwaukee, Politico reports, as the former president sought his endorsement. Kennedy, an independent presidential candidate, is polling at around 9% nationally.

      Donald Trump Jr told the Guardian he advised his father to pick JD Vance because he thought the senator would fight for him.

      The Biden campaign characterized Vance as an enabler of Trump.
      Joe Biden told NBC News in an interview airing Monday that it was a “mistake” to say he wanted to put a “bull’s-eye” on Republican nominee Donald Trump, which the US president had said prior to the assassination attempt on the former president on Saturday.But Biden also argued in the sit-down with the TV network that rhetoric coming from his election opponent was more incendiary, The Associated Press reports.
      It was a mistake to use the word,” Biden told NBC anchor Lester Holt in a clip released by the network.
      He said he wanted the “focus” to be on “what he’s saying.”Biden continued:
      How do you talk about the threat to democracy which is real, when a president says things like he says? Do you just not say anything because it may incite somebody?”
      The president said he is not the one who engages in “that rhetoric,” referring to Trump’s past comments about a “bloodbath” if the Republican loses to Biden in November.The Republican national convention is now taking a break, after completing the first of two sessions it has planned today.The delegates will return at 5.45pm CT for what are expected to be more speeches by high-profile Republicans and party supporters.Here’s what has happened at the convention so far:

      The Republican party formally nominated Donald Trump as their candidate for president.

      Trump announced that Ohio senator JD Vance would be his running mate. Not long after, Vance appeared on the floor of the convention, and the GOP made him their vice-presidential nominee by acclamation.

      Joe Biden said Vance was “a clone of Trump on the issues”. ABC News reports that Kamala Harris tried to call Vance, but couldn’t reach him, and left a voicemail.

      Robert F Kennedy Jr met with Donald Trump in Milwaukee, Politico reports, as the former president sought his endorsement. Kennedy, an independent presidential candidate, is polling at around 9% nationally.

      Donald Trump Jr told the Guardian he advised his father to pick JD Vance because he thought the senator would fight for him.

      The Biden campaign characterized Vance as an enabler of Trump.
      In nominating JD Vance as their vice-presidential candidate at the convention, Republicans opted for a vote of acclamation, where those in favor said “aye”, and those opposed said “no”.The cries of “aye” were overwhelming. Maybe one person said “no”. And now Vance is Trump’s running mate.As he heads for campaign events in Las Vegas, Joe Biden was asked for his thoughts on JD Vance, the Ohio senator who is Donald Trump’s running mate.“A clone of Trump on the issues,” Biden replied. “I don’t see any difference.”By a vote of acclamation at the Republican national convention, the GOP has formally nominated JD Vance to be Donald Trump’s running mate in the November election.The crowd is breaking out into chants of “JD! JD! JD!” as Ohio lieutenant governor John Husted gives a speech nominating him as vice-president.“The vice presidency is an office of sacred trust. The man who accepts this nomination accepts with it the awesome responsibility to give wise counsel to the president, to represent America abroad, to preside over the Senate and to be ready to lead our nation at a moment’s notice. Such a man must have an America First attitude in his heart,” Husted said.“JD Vance is such a man!”ABC News reports that Kamala Harris called JD Vance following the announcement that has was Donald Trump’s running mate, but was not able to reach him:JD Vance is making his way through the packed convention floor, shaking hands with delegates while being trailed by camera operators.The Ohio senator just took a selfie with someone, and autographed a Trump campaign sign.We don’t yet know if he will speak now, or later during the four-day convention.JD Vance, the Ohio senator Donald Trump just chose as his running mate, has arrived on the floor of the Republican national convention.On the convention floor, a large group of delegates and reporters appears to be gathering around where the Ohio delegation is seated.That could be a sign that JD Vance, Donald Trump’s newly anointed running mate, is set to make an appearance.The Republican national convention appears to be in a holding pattern, and it’s not clear if this was planned.We’ve been listening to a live band play covers of rock-and-roll hits for the past half hour. Just before they started playing, House speaker Mike Johnson was onstage, and appeared to be about to introduce an attorney general, before he suddenly said his teleprompter was broken, and walked off stage.Democratic social media accounts quickly seized on the moment:About 45 minutes ago, convention attendees received a text message saying a “special guest” would soon appear at the convention. That person does not seem to have shown up yet.The chair of the Democratic National Committee, Jaime Harrison, said the selection of JD Vance as Donald Trump‘s running mate only raised the already high stakes of the presidential race.“JD Vance embodies MAGA – with an out-of-touch extreme agenda and plans to help Trump force his Project 2025 agenda on the American people,” Harrison said.“A Trump-Vance ticket would undermine our democracy, our freedoms, and our future. There is so much on the line, and it’s more important than ever that we reelect President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris this November.”Donald Trump met today in Milwaukee with Robert F Kennedy Jr, and discussed the independent presidential candidate’s endorsement, Politico reports.If Kennedy were to drop out and endorse Trump, it could further scramble the race. Polls show Kennedy has about 9% support nationally.“Yes, Mr Kennedy met with President Trump today to discuss national unity, and he hopes to meet with leaders of the Democratic Party as well,” Kennedy campaign press secretary Stefanie Spear told Politico. “And no he is not dropping out of the race. He is the only pro-environment, pro-choice, anti-war candidate who beats Donald Trump in head-to-head polls.” More

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      Biden’s interview with NBC: how to watch and what’s at stake

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      Joe Biden will sit for a televised interview with NBC’s Lester Holt on Monday, amid the Republican party’s national convention and just days after Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania. It also comes amid continuing questions over the US president’s ability to perform, after a disastrous debate against the former president in June.What time is Biden’s interview tonight?The interview with Biden will air as a special on NBC on Monday, 15 July at 9pm ET.How to watch Biden’s interviewBiden’s full interview with Holt will air in prime time, with portions first available during NBC’s nightly newscast at 6.30pm ET.It will be available for streaming on the network’s NBC News Now platform. A transcript of the interview will also be available online.The president’s interview was originally scheduled as part of an Austin campaign visit, but will now take place in the White House after Biden canceled his trip in the wake of Saturday’s shooting.What Biden said about the attempted assassination of TrumpOn Sunday, Biden gave a prime-time address from the Oval Office calling for national unity and for the country to reject “extremism and fury”.“There is no place in America for this kind of violence – for any violence. Ever. Period. No exception,” the president said in the six-minute speech.Biden’s plea for Americans to “cool it down” came as Trump said that he would use his speech at the Republican national convention this week to bring “the whole country, even the whole world, together”.The Biden campaign has suspended a $50m advertising blitz and quickly pulled television attack ads, in moves consistent with Biden’s Sunday night plea to “lower the temperature in our politics”. Biden also cancelled a planned speech on Monday at the Lyndon Johnson library in Austin to mark the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, while Kamala Harris followed suit by postponing a Tuesday stop in Palm Beach, Florida, where she had been expected to talk about abortion.What else to knowThe interview is Biden’s first on television since Trump survived an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania, which left several rally-goers injured and two dead, including the shooting suspect.It will also be Biden’s second appearance on a major news network following his disastrous performance at the first presidential debate on 27 June. Biden sat down with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on 5 July, in an effort to dispel the growing perception that he lacks the acuity to continue in office for another four years. The appearance was part of a wider media blitz by the president, which included two radio interviews with stations in Philadelphia and Milwaukee.The interview takes place as Republicans gather in Milwaukee to formally nominate Donald Trump as their presidential candidate. Trump also picked JD Vance, the Ohio senator, as his pick for vice-president today.The 2024 Democratic national convention, meanwhile, is scheduled to be held from 19-22 August in Chicago, Illinois. More

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      Trump names JD Vance, once one of his fiercest critics, as 2024 running mate

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      Donald Trump has named JD Vance, the Ohio senator who has aligned himself with the populist right, as his running mate at the Republican national convention on Monday.“After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others, I have decided that the person best suited to assume the position of Vice President of the United States is Senator JD Vance of the Great State of Ohio,” wrote Trump on Truth Social.When Trump first ran for office, Vance’s eventual nomination to run alongside him would have seemed implausible. Vance, a venture capitalist who rocketed into the public eye with his 2016 memoir turned Netflix movie Hillbilly Elegy, was once among Trump’s conservative critics.“I’m a never-Trump guy, I never liked him,” Vance said during an October 2016 interview with Charlie Rose. Trump was, by Vance’s estimation at the time, a “terrible candidate”.He even wondered aloud, in texts to a former roommate, whether Trump was more of “a cynical asshole like Nixon”, or worse, “America’s Hitler”.Since then, Vance has undergone a dramatic transformation into a Maga power figure and close ally of the former president who has supported some of Trump’s more authoritarian impulses, like questioning the results of the 2020 election and, in a 2021 podcast interview, suggesting Trump should purge civil servants from the federal government if re-elected.Vance’s response to the assassination attempt at a Trump rally on Saturday was also notable. “The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs,” Vance wrote on X. “That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.”Vance has already vied for Trump’s blessing once before, while campaigning for a seat representing Ohio in the US Senate. During the primary, Vance pitched himself as a Trump-style rightwing populist. He criticized “elites”, fired off contemptuous tweets about crime in New York City, promoted the racist and antisemitic “great replacement” theory on Tucker Carlson’s show and grew a beard. He faced a storm of negative ads from the conservative, free market-oriented Club for Growth, which pointed to his past identity as a “never Trumper” as proof of his phoneyness.The tech billionaire Peter Thiel, who had previously backed Vance’s venture capital startup, poured record-breaking sums of money into the race, and Trump endorsed Vance – ushering in his victory in the primary. When he beat the former Democratic congressman Tim Ryan in the November 2022 general election, it cemented his place in the Maga right.“I think we need more people like him in politics, who are energetic, dynamic, clear-headed about their ideology,” Vivek Ramaswamy, the biotech entrepreneur who ran for president during the Republican party primaries, said of Vance. “The only negative of it – if there is a negative to point out – is he’s probably one of the best we have in the US Senate, and he’s a principled fighter.”Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr, celebrated the announcement on the convention floor.“I watched JD go into sort of – let’s call it enemy territory, from a media perspective, doing the most liberal TV shows, and prosecute the case for my father and against the Democrat lunacy that we’ve seen,” he said.Outside the floor of the convention in Milwaukee, news spread slowly on Monday that Trump had picked Vance.“I think it’s a great choice. I like that he’s young. I like that he’s from Ohio. There’s a lot of positives about him. Future of the party,” said Nick D’Alessandro, an alternate delegate from New York.Larry Johnson, a convention attendee from West Virginia, said he thought Vance could bring more attention to Appalachia: “I think for a long time that area has been kind of overlooked.”Asa Hutchinson, the former Arkansas governor who was one of the most outspoken Trump critics during the Republican party said Vance was a “strategic” choice.In an early response from the Democratic party, the Democratic National Committee chair, Jaime Harrison, wrote that the “Trump-Vance ticket would undermine our democracy, our freedoms, and our future”.In office, Vance has consistently aligned with the populist right, calling into question the US’s role in foreign conflicts and backing rightwing domestic legislation. In 2023, for example, he introduced a bill that would make English the official language of the US.In a fundraising email, Trump speculated that media outlets “will say MAGA-Patriots like YOU won’t vote for me with JD Vance on the ticket. NOW’S THE TIME FOR US TO PROVE THEM WRONG!” More