Republicans have expressed determination to forge ahead to elect former President Trump as voices from both parties urge calm.
MILWAUKEE—A resolute Republican Party will convene its national convention on July 15, less than 48 hours after an assassination attempt against presumptive presidential nominee Donald J. Trump.
Amid uncertainty about the motivation for the attack and escalating political tension in the country, party leaders and others have also called for calm as the party nominates former President Trump as its candidate for the nation’s highest office.
More than 2,400 Republican delegates, thousands of invited guests, and hundreds of journalists will attend the four-day convention. In all, some 50,000 people are expected in Milwaukee.
Audrey Gibson-Cicchino of the U.S. Secret Service said on July 14 that the convention already has the highest security designation the federal government issues and that she is confident adequate provisions are in place. “We’re not anticipating any changes to our operational security plan for this event.”
However, multiple law enforcement officers from various agencies posted in the downtown area on July 14 told The Epoch Times that security arrangements were evolving based on changes made by the Secret Service in the wake of the July 13 shooting.
Groups of up to 10 officers were posted at various locations around and within the secure perimeter of Fiserv Forum, the convention site. Squads of five to six officers patrolled the area on bicycles.
Officers from various municipalities are providing security for the event, including those from the city and county of Milwaukee. State police officers from other states, including Indiana and New Jersey, are also on duty. Members of the Transportation Security Administration man pedestrian screening checkpoints around the arena.
Security at Trump campaign offices in Washington, D.C., and West Palm Beach, Florida, has been enhanced in the wake of the event, according to Mr. LaCivita and Ms. Wiles.
RNC Plans Unchanged
The former president survived the attack at a campaign rally in Bradford, Pennsylvania on July 13, suffering a gunshot wound to his right ear.
Before he was escorted from the platform by a cadre of Secret Service agents, former President Trump, blood streaked across his face, paused to pump his fist to the crowd and appeared to voice the words, “Fight! Fight! Fight!”
