With the attempted assassination of former President Trump, the stakes of the RNC have shot sky-high. Fear, sadness, and indignation have now swept the mood of the convention. In spite of the volatile environment, March on the RNC (https://marchonrnc2024.org/) are going ahead with their planned protests. Whatever happens here in the coming days could very well come to define the rest of the election. Taya Graham and Stephen Janis report from the ground in Milwaukee for The Real News.
Production: Stephen Janis, Taya Graham
Post-Production: Stephen Janis
Additional post-production support: David Hebden
Transcript
Taya Graham: Hello, my name is Taya Graham, and this is Stephen Janis for The Real News Network. And we are here in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, covering the Republican National Convention right behind us.
We’re going to be inside on the floor covering the conventions, speaking to delegates, and, if possible, reaching out to the politicians who will be present.
Of course, what was supposed to be a gathering to nominate President Trump and basking conservative policy ideas like Project 2025 has been turned completely on its head. That’s because yesterday, just a day before delegates arrived, a 20-year-old man named Thomas Matthews Crooks tried to assassinate Donald Trump.
Stephen, tell us how this changes the dynamics here.
Stephen Janis: I mean, I think what was supposed to be just a convention about conservatives, like I said, like you said, touting Project 2025, has actually become sort of a religious ceremony here. You just feel the fervor on the streets.
And then the people, they feel like their savior has survived what is a horrifying assassination attempt, but also there’s a new sense of energy about Donald Trump. And it’s really not what we expect in terms of political convention, it almost seems like a religious gathering on some level. So it is a little different here.
And there’s also tension in the streets because people are very, very angry and they don’t really know who to point that anger towards, whether it be us, the media — We saw a very interesting sign, we’ll talk about that later. But really there’s a lot of anger and there’s a lot of tension, and so it’s very, very different. Not that it wouldn’t be here before, but it’s just been heightened.
Taya Graham: And, Stephen, there’s not just anger directed towards the media. There’s been a lot of anger directed towards protesters as well.
Stephen Janis: Very true.
Taya Graham: So the Coalition to March on the RNC has affirmed that it will continue its plan to protest. There was also some pushback during this press conference when a reporter asked the head of the coalition if he would condemn the violence against former President Trump. We actually spoke to him about this after the press conference.
I was watching some of the comments from the press, and some of them seemed a bit antagonistic. I think it was, I’m not sure, I think it was a reporter from Politico who asked you about condemning the recent violence against President Trump. How did you perceive that question, and can you share with us what your response was?
Omar Flores: I perceive it as trying to attach violence to us that has nothing to do with us. What they’re trying to do is make us seem like we’re crazy, we’re unhinged, as they always have.
We’ve been very open with the media. We’ve been doing this specific organizing around the RNC for two years now. People have a very good idea of who we are and what we’re about and what we’re able to do in terms of being able to maintain a family-friendly march. And so I think it’s unfortunately just trying to draw lines to us that don’t exist.
Taya Graham: But, Stephen, along with the protests, what will we be focusing on covering this historic week?
Stephen Janis: We will be on the floor, hopefully. We have floor passes. And our goal is to be on the floor as much as possible and to cover the dynamics and to see how people react to Trump. I mean, really this is going to be unprecedented. I don’t think we can think of a place in history where a presidential candidate has survived an assassination attempt a day before the convention.
So we’re going to be on the floor and also trying to talk to a lot of delegates and take the temperature for you, so you know how the delegates here, the kind of prime Republicans are reacting to this, and how it’s going to play out both in the election and further on in policy.
Taya Graham: Absolutely. And I would just say this: From the people we’ve spoken to already, I’ve spoken to a handful of delegates, we’ve spoken to Milwaukee residents, and what we have heard for those who are supporting the Republican Party, they are angry, they are deeply saddened, and they believe that if President Trump actually had been killed that it would’ve been the beginning of civil war. And they still think that’s possibly on the horizon. So this has stirred up very deep feelings among many Americans.
So, Stephen, I’m sure, as people can see behind us here, the gates and the officers, security here is very tight. Maybe you can talk a little bit about what you’ve seen.
Stephen Janis: Well, the entire downtown has like a perimeter. It’s like a security perimeter. You can’t go anywhere without these passes to get through. There’s security, FBI, who knows what kind of people.
Taya Graham: Secret Service.
Stephen Janis: Basically, Taya, we’re in a cop watchers utopia, as I said before.
Taya Graham: Yes.
Stephen Janis: So to all our cop watcher friends, you gotta get down here with your cameras — But you can’t get in.
Taya Graham: But you won’t be able to get in.
Stephen Janis: So it’s really like downtown is like a no-go zone for anyone. So it’s going to be very interesting to see how that plays out, because we’re going to have to go through security every day to try to record this.
Taya Graham: Now, to try to end things if at all possible, on a somewhat lighter note, Stephen, when you were out for a walk scouting locations, you saw an interesting truck. Do you want to describe what you saw there?
Stephen Janis: Yeah, I was just walking the perimeter to try to figure out our entry points, and I see this truck just parked there and says, “Fight against the [leftwing] media.” And I felt like it was just there for me somehow, because I was the only one. I turned around and I look and I’m like —
There was no one else on the street. And the guy was just parked there, I tried to approach him and he moved, and then he didn’t seem like he wanted to talk to me, but I couldn’t really see him because the windows were a little tinted. So it was kind of a welcome and I was like, thank you for inviting me. I’m not saying I’m part of the leftist media, but whatever.
Taya Graham: I was going to say, we are independent media. We’ve seen a lot of our mainstream counterparts here, and we’re going to keep an eye on them as well. We’re going to bring you as much footage as possible. We feel that it’s basically our obligation to document everything. We know we are documenting a moment in history right now, and we’ll do our best to bring it to you unvarnished.
My name is Taya Graham, this is Stephen Janis, and we’re reporting for The Real News Network. Thank you.
Maximillian Alvarez: Thank you so much for watching The Real News Network, where we lift up the voices, stories, and struggles that you care about most. And we need your help to keep doing this work, so please tap your screen now, subscribe, and donate to The Real News Network. Solidarity forever.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
