Good Mood at RNC Despite Trump Rally Shooting Over the Weekend

The way Republicans at the national convention see it, somehow, everything is going their way.

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Aides with Donald Trump’s campaign insisted that the former president’s near-death experience would change nothing about their plans for the Republican National Convention.

Hello from Milwaukee, where there is So. Much. News. Read on for the top developments and a look at how the sobriety of the weekend has given way to jubilation at the Republican National Convention. Plus, the calculus behind Trump’s pick for veep.

The latest

Former President Donald Trump selected Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio to be his vice-presidential nominee, rewarding a loyal and TV-ready ally as he moved to ensure the future of the G.O.P. sounds just like him.
Trump clinched the number of delegates needed to become his party’s official nominee.
Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the federal charges he faced for taking classified documents from the White House after his presidency. An appeal is expected.
President Biden was set to sit for an interview with NBC, which will run in full at 9 p.m. Eastern time.

‘Trump just won’

As the Republican National Convention opened in the extraordinary shadow of the attempted assassination of the nominee, aides with Trump’s campaign insisted that the former president’s near-death “changes nothing” about their plans or their focus here.

Tell that to the Republican delegates and party stalwarts milling around in Milwaukee.

“Talk about strength, right?” said Mark Morgan, a former acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during the Trump administration, raising his arms as he spoke at a policy forum staged by the Heritage Foundation just outside the convention.

“After President Trump was shot in the head, what does he do? Fist bump and say ‘Fight, fight, fight,” Morgan said as the crowd cheered.

The bombast around the shooting — which killed one rallygoer and left two people in critical condition — may not be coming from the main stage tonight as the G.O.P. seeks to show some restraint.

But in party breakfasts, bars and the baking sidewalks of Milwaukee, Republicans said they believe the episode would bring them a political boost. And they view it as just one more example of the way everything — everything — seems to be going their way.

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