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Election 2024

What will Trump tell the RNC after an attempt on his life?

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This week, the Republican Party is laying out its vision of an America once again led by former President Donald Trump.

Thousands of his supporters are gathered in Milwaukee, Wisc. in a hall filled with balloons and draped in red, white and blue.

Each night, people like House Speaker Mike Johnson, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson have criticized the policies of the current administration.

They cited everything from the border, the Constitution and foreign policy as areas of weakness that their candidate could improve upon if elected.

You're reading the Consider This newsletter, which unpacks one major news story each day. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to more from the Consider This podcast.

An attempt on Trump's life

Trump's platform has been consistent since he first launched his bid for president in 2015, making foreign policy comments like: "When was the last time anybody saw us beating, let's say, China, in a trade deal? They kill us. I beat China all the time."

His message for America has long been one of grievance and retribution, and he's talked about crime and drugs, immigrants and taxes in his typical Trump fashion. But this was, of course, before an attempt was made on his life on Saturday at a rally in Pennsylvania.

Trump spoke with Washington Examiner reporter Salena Zito in the hours after the shooting. She recounted that interview on CNN, saying: "He said in that moment he understood that everything had changed for the country and himself."

Will anything change?

NPR's Franco Ordoñez joined Ari Shapiro from Milwaukee to share where the RNC might be headed now.

For one, he says the vibe is fairly euphoric, as if the Republican Party is celebrating an election already won. But when it comes to Trump himself, some are saying he seems different, more vulnerable.

"He's been kind of visibly subdued," Ordoñez said. "He's got that white bandage on his right ear, he sits in the VIP section surrounded by friends and family. He's calm, sometimes even emotional, such as when Sarah Sanders and Laura Trump were telling stories about how he is as a grandfather. People tell me that an experience like that on Saturday, being so close to death can change a person. And sources tell me it has impacted him."

But when it comes to the messaging of Trump's campaign, Ordoñez believes that remains unchanged: "Trump's not known for being vulnerable. And I said again, a key message of the campaign is strength versus weakness. And his campaign insists those message are not going to change."

Copyright 2024, NPR