RNC 2024 Day 1 updates: Bandaged and emotional, Trump makes RNC appearance

Chants of "we love Trump" could be heard as he entered the RNC.

ByMeredith Deliso, Tal Axelrod, Chris Boccia, and Alexandra Hutzler
Last Updated: July 15, 2024, 11:01 PM EDT

The first day of the Republican National Convention has wrapped up in Milwaukee -- marked with an appearance by former President Donald Trump just two days he was wounded in an assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania rally on Saturday evening.

Despite the shooting, the gathering of more than 50,000 attendees, including an expected 2,400 Republican delegates, is slated to maintain its original programming as a time to bring the party together -- but now newly energized by Trump's amazing survival and raised-fist show of defiance.

One of the most anticipated moments of Trump's campaign happened Monday when Trump named 39-year-old Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance as his running mate.

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Jul 15, 2024, 11:13 AM EDT

Trump says he's scratching planned speech to stress unity instead

As the Republican National Convention begins, the atmosphere will feel entirely different following former President Donald Trump’s attempted assassination.

A day after being grazed by a bullet, Trump indicated he plans to take advantage of the moment and deliver a message of unity.

The former president said he is scratching his original convention speech from rallying his base against President Joe Biden to now attempting to draw the country together, according to an interview he did with the Washington Examiner conducted as he boarded his flight to Milwaukee Sunday evening.

During the first official session, delegates -- nearly 2,400 from across the nation -- must approve the committee platform and formally designate a presidential ticket. The ticket will include Trump’s vice president who he has yet to name.
The evening session's theme is "Make America Wealthy Again." Speeches will include issues focused on beating inflation, rising costs and creating more jobs.

-ABC's Kelsey Walsh