Donald Trump is expected to appear on stage at the Republican National Convention this evening just two days after he was shot in an assassination attempt at his Butler, Pennsylvania rally.
Trump’s expected appearance, reported by CNN, comes after he and Ohio Senator JD Vance have officially clinched the Republican nominations for president and vice president.
Trump got the presidential nomination for the third election cycle in a row.
“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 J.D. Vance of the Great State of Ohio,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday afternoon.
On Saturday, Trump was struck in the ear by a bullet but otherwise escaped unscathed. One attendee died and another two were injured.
The shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was killed at the scene by Secret Service agents.
Bloody but unbowed, Trump can now expect a hero’s welcome when he appears in Milwaukee – despite recently referring to the city as “horrible” – and has already revealed that he has completely revised his keynote speech to reflect a new message of national unity in the wake of the assassination attempt.
Key Points
- Trump and Vance officially get presidential and vice presidential nominations
- Donald Trump to appear at Republican convention after surviving assassination attempt
- What to look out for at Trumpworld’s RNC in Milwaukee
- Who is speaking, what are the convention’s big events and when will Trump accept the nomination?
- Presumptive nominee reveals he tore up planned speech after Saturday’s shooting
Trump expected to appear at RNC tonight: report
00:48
Katie Hawkinson
Donald Trump is expected to appear on stage at the Republican National Convention this evening, CNN reports.
His appearance comes just days after he was shot in the ear in an attempted assassination at a Butler, Pennsylvania rally.
The shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, killed one attendee and injured two others.
Eric Trump describes watching assassination attempt against his father
00:37
Katie Hawkinson
Eric Trump described his reaction to watching his father, Donald Trump, face an attempted assassination at his Butler, Pennsylvania rally on Saturday.
“I sat there with my two infant children, I watched the whole thing happening,” the former president’s son told CNN. “I can obviously recognize the sound of gunshots, and you hear them come across the TV screens, and it’s horrifying.”
Trump was struck in the ear, while one attendee was killed and two others were injured.
“He had blood coming out of his ear, he had blood on his face,” Eric Trump continued. “He was on the ground, he didn’t know he, you know, where else he had possibly even hit. Obviously, it was a huge sign of relief when he got up, when he put his fist in the air.”
He told CNN that his father’s life “could’ve been taken in a heartbeat.”
“It was less than an inch, if he had turned his head...he certainly understands how close it was.”
Rep Mike Lawler says JD Vance could help determine election outcome
00:23
John Bowden
Representative Mike Lawler, a Republican from a swing district in New York, told The Independent that JD Vance’s working-class background could help swing the election in Donald Trump’s favor.
“I think he certainly will appeal greatly to blue-collar working-class voters, especially in the Rust Belt in the states that ultimately are going to determine the outcome,” Lawler told The Independent.
“I think that the vice presidential pick was always interesting and exciting,” he continued. “At the end of the day, that person is going to be a spokesperson for the President.”
RNC Chair kicks off Monday night speeches
00:07
Katie Hawkinson
Michael Whatley, chair of the Republican National Committee, took the stage in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to kick off the Monday evening programming.
The speakers expected on stage tonight include Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene and South Dakota governor Kristi Noem.
Vivek Ramaswamy eyes JD Vance’s senate seat
00:00
Katie Hawkinson
Vivek Ramaswamy, a former Republican presidential candidate who dropped out of the race in January, said he would be open to replacing JD Vance’s senate seat if he and Trump win in November.
“I have rock-solid conviction that JD will be an outstanding VP for President Trump,” Ramaswamy told Fox News. “The only negative is this leaves our side missing one of our best fighters in the Senate. If asked to serve, I would strongly consider the position and would discuss with President Trump which path makes the most sense for our country.”
Vance is currently the junior senator from Ohio.
Why did a nursing home aide try to kill Trump? The unanswered questions from the rally shooting
23:45
Justin Rohrlich
In the two days since Donald Trump’s right ear was grazed by a gunman’s bullet at a Pennsylvania campaign rally on Saturday, a complete picture of the 20-year-old suspect is yet to emerge publicly—and details of what led up to the stunning event remain unclear.
Thomas Matthew Crooks had no criminal record, no known history of mental illness, and “was not known to the FBI prior to this incident,” the bureau said. The nursing home dietary aide’s family is working with investigators, who say they have not discovered any evidence of Crooks’ involvement with a broader plot, but are still treating the unsuccessful assassination attempt as a potential case of domestic terrorism.
In an email on Monday to The Independent, administrator Marcie Grimm of the Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, said, “We are shocked and saddened to learn of his involvement as Thomas performed his job without concern and his background check was clean.”
Biden team scorches JD Vance as Republican VP pick: ‘Bend over backwards to enable Trump’
23:30
Andrew Feinberg
President Joe Biden’s campaign has slammed former president Donald Trump for choosing Ohio Senator JD Vance to be his running-mate, calling the Hillbilly Elegy author turned MAGA politician a blank check for the ex-president’s worst impulses.
In a statement, Biden campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said Trump selected the Buckeye State Republican because he would “do what Mike Pence wouldn’t on January 6: bend over backwards to enable Trump and his extreme MAGA agenda, even if it means breaking the law and no matter the harm to the American people.”
Dillon also said Vance would “make it his mission” to implement the extreme policies laid out in the Trump-aligned Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, including a national abortion ban.
Kamala Harris calls JD Vance
23:15
Katie Hawkinson
Vice President Kamala Harris called JD Vance to congratulate him after he was named as Donald Trump’s running mate, Politico reports.
Vance, the junior senator from Ohio, is set to appear on Fox News this evening in his first interview since Trump’s announcement.
Trump kids gather to see their father formally named as Republican nominee - days after their dad was shot
23:00
Katie Hawkinson
Three of Donald Trump’s children are at the Republican National Convention to support their father just days after he survived an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Eric Trump, Tiffany Trump and Donald Trump Jr stood together as their father received enough votes to become the GOP nominee on Monday afternoon. Eric, Trump’s second-oldest son, awarded his father the delegates from Florida during the ceremony.
The show of support comes two days after Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, opened fire at Trump’s Pennsylvania rally. Trump was struck in the ear, while one attendee was killed and another two were injured.
RFK Jr and JD Vance to receive Secret Service after Trump rally shooting
22:45
Lucy Leeson
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Ohio Senator JD Vance will now both receive Secret Service protection, following the attempted assassination of former US president Donald Trump.
Trump was struck in the ear by a bullet during a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday (13 July)
The shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was killed at the scene by Secret Service agents, but not before he had shot dead one bystander and critically injured two more.
At the direction of President Joe Biden, both political figures will now receive protection, US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said on Monday (15 July).
“In light of this weekend’s events, the president has directed me to work with the Secret Service to provide protection to Robert Kennedy Jr.,” Mayorakas said at the White House during a daily briefing.
‘Somebody took off half his ear’ says Eric Trump as Donald seals nomination at RNC
22:30
Oliver O'Connell
Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr were there on the floor of the Republican National Convention with sister Tiffany Trump, RNC co-chair Lara Trump and Kimberly Guilfoyle, to deliver the Florida delegation votes to their father, thereby putting him over the top and sealing the party’s nomination for him.
Speaking to the media on the floor, Don Jr said he wasn’t able to speak to Trump for 90 minutes after the shooting because he was on lockdown at the hospital.
He noted his father’s “resolve”, calling him “the biggest badass I know” and said Trump was joking about the shooting soon after and said he had scrapped his planned RNC speech.
“He’s moving forward, he’s a fighter,” the eldest Trump son said.
Eric added: “We are going to win this thing.”
The younger Trump son also said that “somebody took off half his ear” in the shooting, but that “he has got incredible fighting spirit”.
He added: “I’ve never been more proud of him as his son.”
Trump and Vance officially get presidential and vice presidential nominations
22:19
Gustaf Kilander
Donald Trump and JD Vance have officially received the Republican nominations for president and vice president.
New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, a Trump critic who has nevertheless said he’ll back Trump in November, praised the VP pick on X.
“Being a Marine is a big win in my family. As a Dad, he knows the kitchen table issues we all face. Americans have the opportunity to unite behind this ticket and move our country forward!” he wrote.
Meanwhile, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin added that Vance’s “passion for America’s prosperity, service as a U.S. Marine, and commitment to our commonsense conservative values are what we need for a stronger America.”
Eric Trump’s announcement secures father’s Republican presidential win at RNC
22:15
Lucy Leeson
Donald Trump has become the de facto Republican nominee for US President after enough votes were cast at the National Convention to secure his bid.
His son, Eric Trump, announced the delegates from Florida which put the former president over the line on Monday (15 July).
Approximately 2,400 delegates from around the country will vote in total, sent there by voters in Republican primaries and caucuses held in each of the 50 states.
To win, a candidate needs 1,125 of the 2,400 delegate votes.
Biden calls JD Vance a ‘clone of Trump on the issues'
22:03
Gustaf Kilander
JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Maryland (AP) — President Biden, in first remarks on Donald Trump's running mate, calls JD Vance a 'clone of Trump on the issues.'
— Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim) July 15, 2024
JD Vance, from ‘hillbilly’ to VP candidate: How an Ohio kid from a broken home rose to be a Republican star
22:00
Io Dodds
JD Vance has been named Donald Trump’s vice presidential nominee as the former president looks to take back the White House - and it’s been a long journey from a small town in Ohio for the 39-year-old Republican star.
It is an extraordinary ascent for a 39-year-old former US Marine and child of a violent, broken home, best known for his searing 2016 memoir about the despair of America’s rust belt.
Hillbilly Elegy – which sought to explain Trump’s rise by dissecting and sharply criticizing the culture that he’d grow up in – made Vance an instant media darling, hailed by many confused left-wingers as a “Trump whisperer.” While he was once anti-trump, Vance will now be joining Trump on the ticket and will be the presumed front-runner for the Republican nominee in 2028.
Former UK prime minister Liz Truss attends RNC: ‘The leadership the West needs’
21:59
Gustaf Kilander
Great to be at @RNC in Milwaukee seeing President Trump get nominated.
— Liz Truss (@trussliz) July 15, 2024
The leadership the West needs. pic.twitter.com/voOEd2iEsT
JD Vance enters stadium after receiving VP nod From Trump
21:57
Gustaf Kilander
JD Vance has entered the arena in Milwaukee to cheers and a standing ovation after being picked as Trump’s running mate.
Trump meets Kennedy to discuss ‘national unity'
21:52
Gustaf Kilander
Donald Trump and independent presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr met in Milwaukee today, according to CNN.
A spokesperson for Kennedy told the network that the pair discussed “national unity” following the assassination attempt against Trump on Saturday night.
Kennedy and Trump also discussed Trump’s selection for running mate. It was announced on Monday afternoon that Trump chose Ohio Senator JD Vance.
This comes amid the news that Kennedy has been granted Secret Service security.
Trump officially clinches Republican nomination for 2024 US election
21:45
Andrew Feinberg
The Republican Party has chosen former president Donald Trump as its’ nominee in this year’s presidential election, the third election in a row in which it has done so.
Trump officially clinched his party’s nomination at approximately 2:21 pm Central Time when the delegation from Florida, his adopted home state, cast its’ votes for his candidacy.
The Florida delegation’s votes were officially cast by Trump’s second-eldest son, Eric Trump, who along with his elder brother Donald Jr and half-sister Tiffany are serving as delegates to the convention from the Sunshine State.
RNC schedule: Major speakers, events and when Trump will accept the nomination
21:30
Joe Sommerlad
The Republican National Convention opened its doors on Monday – meaning Donald Trump, just days after he survived an attempted assassination, will this week officially become the party’s 2024 presidential nominee to take on Joe Biden.
The twice-impeached convicted felon breezed through the GOP primary races, beating out competitors and amassing far greater than the required number of delegates he needed to secure the nomination.
Now, from July 15 to 18, Republican lawmakers, delegates, and other party figures will descend on the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to officially crown Trump as their nominee and see the former president declare his chosen running mate.
Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming convention – such a hot ticket in GOP circles that even Melania Trump might turn up.
Editorial: A golden opportunity to make America united again
21:15
The Independent
Donald Trump is not the type of man to allow an attempted assassination to dent his legendary belief in himself. Turning up, as planned, for the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, the former president combined his habitual bombast with an unusually statesmanlike pose.
The speech he is scheduled to deliver on Thursday – when he will be formally announced as the Republican presidential candidate – will be “a lot different than it would’ve been”.
“The speech I was going to give was going to be a humdinger. Had this not happened, this would’ve been one of the most incredible speeches. Honestly, it’s going to be a whole different speech now. It is a chance to bring the country together. I was given that chance.”
Will he use the chance? It is to be hoped.
Pictured: Eric Trump announces father winning Republican nomination
21:07
Gustaf Kilander
VIDEO: Moment of silence is held at RNC for Trump and victims of rally shooting
21:00
Gustaf Kilander
VIDEO: Donald Trump formally wins Republican presidential nomination at RNC
20:43
Gustaf Kilander
Trump’s statement in full: Former President announces JD Vance as running mate
20:39
Gustaf Kilander
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 J.D. Vance of the Great State of Ohio.
J.D. honorably served our Country in the Marine Corps, graduated from Ohio State University in two years, Summa Cum Laude, and is a Yale Law School Graduate, where he was Editor of The Yale Law Journal, and President of the Yale Law Veterans Association.
J.D.’s book, “Hillbilly Elegy,” became a Major Best Seller and Movie, as it championed the hardworking men and women of our Country. J.D. has had a very successful business career in Technology and Finance, and now, during the Campaign, will be strongly focused on the people he fought so brilliantly for, the American Workers and Farmers in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota, and far beyond.
As Vice President, J.D. will continue to fight for our Constitution, stand with our Troops, and will do everything he can to help me MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.
Congratulations to Senator J.D. Vance, his wife, Usha, who also graduated from Yale Law School, and their three beautiful children.
MAGA2024!
Frat that went viral holding up American flag during Palestine protests to be RNC speakers
20:30
Kelly Rissman
Fraternity brothers at the University of North Carolina who held up an American flag during a Gaza solidarity demonstration in the spring will speak at the RNC, according to Donald Trump’s campaign.
“A group of students and fraternity brothers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill patriotically protected an American flag that had been disturbed by demonstrators during an anti-Israel protest on their campus,” the Trump campaign said on July 12.
“The students gained national attention as videos of the protest showed them standing strong to protect the American flag, even as protestors antagonized them,” according the campaign continued.
Donald Trump wins Republican nomination
20:23
Gustaf Kilander
As Eric Trump announced that all of Florida’s 125 delegates backed former President Donald Trump, the ex-commander-in-chief officially clinched the Republican nomination for the third election cycle in a row.
All the times Trump’s VP pick JD Vance has attacked him
20:19
Joe Sommerlad
Donald Trump has finally announced that JD Vance will be his running mate to take on Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in this year’s presidential election, following months of speculation.
The former president, who narrowly escaped an assassination attempt on Saturday when a gunman opened fire at his rally in Pennsylvania, unveiled his vice presidential pick on Monday as the Republican National Convention got underway in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
For months, Trump has effectively been holding open auditions for the chance to succeed Mike Pence as his deputy, with Ohio Senator Vance, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem and New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik all believed to have been in the running at various points.
VIDEO: Former Rep Madison Cawthorn reacts to Trump shooting: 'Violence begets violence'
20:15
Gustaf Kilander
Trump announces former critic JD Vance as his running mate
20:10
Eric Garcia
Former president Donald Trump has announced Senator JD Vance — who came to prominence as a critic of Trump’s but emerged as an outspoken MAGA warrior — as his running mate.
Trump announced his new running mate on the first day of the Republican National Convention, following a dramatic weekend during which shots were fired at a rally in Pennsylvania. A spectator at the Trump rally was killed and another left critically injured during the assassination attempt on the former president; Trump was left bloodied, with an injury to his ear. The suspect, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was also killed by Secret Service.
Pictured: Merchandise stand at RNC sells felon-themed Trump T-shirts
20:00
Gustaf Kilander
Kennedy praises Trump for calling for Secret Service protection for challenger
20:00
Gustaf Kilander
It is a hopeful sign for our country when a political opponent calls for one's protection. Maybe our country can unite after all. pic.twitter.com/Nfd3yXAh1F
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) July 15, 2024
Former Trump White House staffer weighs in on possible VP picks
19:52
Gustaf Kilander
With Burgum out — down to Vance or possible wildcards including: Haley, Youngkin, Sarah Sanders, or Ben Carson. https://t.co/efFOS5c4kW
— Alyssa Farah Griffin (@Alyssafarah) July 15, 2024
JD Vance is ‘99 percent’ certain to be Trump’s running mate, campaign source says
19:44
David Maddox, Andrew Feinberg, Eric Garcia
Former president Donald Trump is likely to have settled on Ohio Senator JD Vance as his choice to serve as vice president, should he clinch the White House in the next presidential election.
The ex-president is set to announce his choice on Monday afternoon at the opening session of this year’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Sources involved with the Trump campaign have told The Independent that they are “99 percent sure” that the 39-year-old Ivy League graduate will get the nod.
After a gunman fired several rifle shots at Trump at a political rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday, Vance took an aggressive stance. On Twitter/X, he blamed remarks by senior Democrats — including President Biden — for inciting the attack which led to the death of one man at the event, critical injuries to two more and and an injury to the former president.
VP pick to be present as nominating process begins
19:38
Gustaf Kilander
From Trumpworld source: VP choice will be present in person when nominating process starts at 3:37pm Central today. Trump will not be there in person. Possible Trump might announce it himself between now and then.
— Byron York (@ByronYork) July 15, 2024
Watch live: RNC takes place in Wisconsin where Trump will accept Republican nomination
19:32
Lucy Leeson
Watch live as the Republican National Convention takes place in Wisconsin on Monday (15 July) where Donald Trump is expected to accept the Republican nomination.
Trump arrived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to attend this year’s RNC, a matter of hours after surviving a dramatic attempt on his life.
I’m from the same place as JD Vance and there will be nothing to celebrate if he becomes Trump’s VP
19:30
Skylar Baker-Jordan
Like so many millions of my fellow citizens, I watched in horror on Saturday as a would-be assassin came perilously close to murdering former president Donald Trump. This was not just an attack on him and those innocent people simply exercising their First Amendment right to attend a political rally. It was not just an attack on the Republican Party.
It was an attack on the very fabric of American democracy.
Political violence has become a norm in our divided and beleaguered nation. From the 2011 attack on Democratic Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords to the 2017 shooting of Republican Steve Scalise to the attack last year on Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul, to this weekend’s horrific attack which left one of our fellow citizens dead, we are increasingly solving our differences not with ballots and votes, but bullets and violence.
Rubio and Burgum told they’re not VP pick, Trump’s choice to be revealed this afternoon
19:17
Gustaf Kilander
Florida Senator Marco Rubio and North Dakota Governor have been told that neither of them is the pick for vice president.
Ohio Senator JD Vance and Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin are also present in Milwaukee.
Trump has made his choice, who will reportedly be present as the nominating process begins at 4.37pm ET.
Trump shooter bought 50 rounds of ammo hours before assassination attempt and had transmitter on him
19:00
Ariana Baio
The suspected Trump rally shooter bought 50 rounds of ammunition, hours before carrying out the attack, according to a report.
Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was identified by law enforcement as the gunman who attempted to assassinate the former president at his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday evening.
Senior law enforcement officials told CNN that Crooks bought a large amount of ammo from a local gun store shortly before the attack. The Independent has asked the FBI for more information.
Crooks used a legally purchased, AR-style rifle with 5.56-caliber bullets in the shooting. Federal law enforcement believes that the gun belonged to Crooks’ father.
Trump names four finalists for running mate as he compares vice presidential race to The Apprentice
18:30
Alex Woodward
Donald Trump says he has narrowed his list of potential running mates to four men, a process he compared to his former reality television series The Apprentice.
He wants to announce the man who could be the next vice president of the United States at the beginning of next week’s Republican National Convention, when he is expected to receive the party’s formal nomination for the presidency.
“I’d love to do it at the convention, or just slightly before the convention, which would be — or just slightly before the convention, like Monday,” he told the The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show on Friday.
The convention begins on Monday.
Burgum, Vance, Rubio, and Youngkin all present in Milwaukee ahead of VP announcement
18:03
Gustaf Kilander
Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum reported on Monday that North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, Ohio Senator JD Vance, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, and Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin are all present in Milwaukee.
“We are hearing that all are still awaiting President Trump’s tap on the shoulder. Apprentice vibes anyone?” she wrote.
VIDEO: Russian state news bulletins react to Trump being shot at political rally
18:00
Gustaf Kilander
Judge dismisses Donald Trump’s classified documents case
17:30
Alex Woodward
A federal judge has thrown out a cri