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Republican National Convention 2024 as it happened: Donald Trump appears 48 hours after shooting, selects J.D. Vance as running mate

Paul Sakkal
Updated ,first published

Key Posts

Trump appears wearing bandage on injured ear
Watch: Joe Biden sit-down interview
RFK Jr: ‘I’m staying in the race’
‘Lawless, outlier decision’: Trump classified documents case dismissed
Who is J.D. Vance?
Biden defends using ‘bullseye’ term prior to Trump attack
Vance locked in as VP
Trump officially nominated

Wrapping up day one of the Republican convention

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At 10pm in Milwaukee, the first day of the Republican convention came to an end after a surprising and emotional appearance from Donald Trump, days after his attempted assassination.

Here are the day’s major takeouts:

  • Trump was nominated as the Republican presidential candidate, which he will formally accept later in the week in a highly anticipated speech. Top Republicans and right-wing celebrities such as Tucker Carlson will speak at the convention over the next few days.
  • J.D. Vance – a 39-year-old MAGA Republican famous for a memoir exploring life in rural working-class America – was chosen as Trump’s vice presidential running mate.
  • Joe Biden insisted he was staying in the race despite losing the support of some Democrats due to concerns over his cognitive health. In an interview with NBC News that contained no obvious gaffes, Biden said he had spoken to Trump following the shooting.
  • In a legal win for the former president, Trump will no longer face trial for mishandling classified documents after a federal judge he appointed threw out the case, ruling that the prosecutor overseeing the charges was improperly appointed.
Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump stand behind their father, Donald Trump, at the Republican National Convention.AP

Rudd builds bridges at Republican get-together

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Australia’s ambassador to the US, former prime minister Kevin Rudd, is on the ground in Milwaukee.

Rudd has been working hard behind the scenes to develop relationships with Donald Trump’s advisers and congressional allies in preparation for a potential second Trump administration.

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“At the [convention] today catching up with @robertcobrien, President Trump’s former National Security Advisor. Also @michaelgwaltz, Congressman from Florida’s 6th District and Chair of the Armed Services Sub-Committee,” Rudd wrote on X.

“And Mike’s wife, Dr Julia Nesheiwat, former Homeland Security Advisor to the President. All three deeply engaged with, and close friends of, Australia.”

Top trade union praises Trump

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Almost all trade unions in the US have endorsed Joe Biden, whose party has long been the friend of workers and the opponent of big business.

But the Republican Party has increasingly been trying to appeal to workers, despite Trump’s policies to cut taxes for corporations.

One influential union has withheld support for Biden.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his vice-presidential candidate J.D. Vance applauding the speakers at the RNC.AP

The president of the influential International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Sean O’Brien, has appeared at the Republican convention in front of an onlooking Donald Trump, saying his union is “not beholden to any party”.

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Vision of Trump’s first public outing since the assassination attempt

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Model and influencer backs Trump

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Donald Trump is now watching model, rapper and social media influencer Amber Rose deliver a rousing endorsement of the former president.

Rose said she was shocked years ago when her father started supporting Trump. The 40-year-old said the mainstream media and the political left had conditioned her to believe Trump was a racist, which upset her as a member of a racially diverse family.

Amber Rose speaking during the Republican National Convention.AP

The celebrity, who has 3 million Instagram followers, said she did her own research and learnt Trump was in fact no racist and the MAGA movement accepted racially and sexually diverse people for who they were.

“When you cut through the lies, you realise the truth,” she said in a pitch to younger and undecided voters, who may not be natural Trump supporters.

“When you fill up your gas tank, you’re pissed. And when you turn on the news, you’re just exhausted. And you know in your heart, it was not like this under Donald Trump.”

Trump pumps fist as crowd chants ‘fight!’

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Donald Trump’s appearance at the Republican convention, an emotional crescendo on day one of the conference, was not scheduled.

Wearing a bandage on his injured ear, he appeared at the Milwaukee arena at about 9pm (Milwaukee time) with his wife Melania and his children, shaking hands with top Republicans including his new running mate J.D. Vance.

Former president Donald Trump and Republican vice-presidential candidate J.D. Vance at the Republican National Convention.AP

It is his first public appearance since he was shot on the weekend in Butler, Pennsylvania.

It is not clear if Trump will address the crowd tonight. He is expected to formally accept his presidential nomination later this week. Trump is now sitting in the crowd listening to speeches from Republicans.

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Trump appears wearing bandage on injured ear

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Watch live as Donald Trump appears at the Republican convention in Milwaukee, wearing a bandage on his injured ear:

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Five things to watch at the Republican convention

By Farrah Tomazin

Our US correspondent, Farrah Tomazin, on five things to look out for at the 2024 Republican convention in Milwaukee.

A change in tone?
Trump is expected to make his big speech formally accepting the Republican presidential nomination on Thursday (Friday AEST).

But after his near-death experience on Saturday, the former US president said he had rewritten his address, describing it as a chance to “bring the whole country, even the whole world, together”.

The return of Nikki Haley
One of the more notable speakers expected this week is Trump’s former UN ambassador turned presidential rival Nikki Haley, who spent months on the primary elections campaign trail warning Americans that the world would not survive another four years under Trump.

Biden says he will not drop out

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President Joe Biden has dug his heels in on his insistence to remain in the presidential race, declaring he had more to achieve in office.

Before Trump was shot over the weekend, debate in the US was dominated by questions about Biden’s cognitive state and fitness to serve another four years.

Asked on NBC News if the assassination had forced a rethink on his run for president, Biden said “No”.

The 81-year-old said he understood why people might ask about his health and mental acuity.

“I’ve done 22 major events; met thousands of people, overwhelming crowds, a lot happening. I’m on the horse. What I’m doing is going out and demonstrating to the American people that I’m in command of all my faculties,” Biden said.

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Biden says he feels safe on campaign trail

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President Joe Biden says he has not thought about whether the shooting of Donald Trump had tilted the presidential race in the Republican’s favour.

“I don’t know,” Biden said in an NBC News interview, adding that he was more focused on Trump’s health.

Biden said he had asked for an independent analysis of the Butler shooting and could not yet say whether the incident represented a security failing.

“I feel safe with the Secret Service,” Biden said.

“The question is: should they have anticipated what happened?” he asked, saying it was an open question.

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