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.

Last Updated: July 15, 2024, 8:31 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.

8:31 PM EDT

Katie Britt says 'man in the Oval Office' is 'in decline'

Sen. Katie Britt told the convention center that "Donald Trump is the change we need" and that President Joe Biden was "in decline."

"We see how Biden and Harris keep making things worse," the Alabama Senator said.

"Our opportunity, our prosperity, our security, our safety -- each diminished, all in decline," Britt said. "Just like the man in the Oval Office."

US Senator Katie Britt, Republican of Alabama, speaks during the first day of the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wis., July 15, 2024.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

The 42-year-old Britt, who delivered the Republican rebuttal to Biden's 2024 State of the Union address, painted starkly different images of the United States under the last two presidents.

"With President Trump, the tough choice was which job offer to accept. Now it's which second job to take -- just to pay the bills," she said, without providing evidence.

"Four more years of Biden-Harris will impose a lifetime of financial damage on our children," she said.

8:09 PM EDT

Texas Rep. Wesley Hunt: 'Biden-Harris haven't showed up'

Texas Rep. Wesley Hunt targeted the Biden administration in his remarks, saying President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris "have failed."

"I understand that when you're given a mission, you show up, you identify the problem, and you execute," he said. "Biden-Harris haven't showed up. They don't seem to understand that they are the problem, and they've shown no empathy or remorse."

US Representative of Texas Wesley Hunt speaks during the first day of the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wis., July 15, 2024.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

7:58 PM EDT

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene: 'Evil came' for Trump

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said the RNC comes at a "somber moment," two days after the assassination attempt against Trump.

"Two days ago, evil came for the man we admire and love so much," she said. "I thank God that His hand was on President Trump."

She said she prays for the family of Corey Comperatore, who was killed at the rally.

"Corey embodied the spirit of America. First, he displayed the ultimate show of love when he shielded his wife and daughter, sacrificing his own life," she said. "He reminded America of what we must be -- a people who will do whatever it takes to defend the people and the nation that we love."

US Representative Marjorie Taylor-Greene (R-GA) speaks during the first day of the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wis., July 15, 2024.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

In turning her remarks toward the Biden administration, Greene said the Democrats have "ripped open our borders" and driven up housing costs and health care "while slashing American wages and eliminating jobs."

"They claim that our economy is thriving, yet hundreds of thousands of American-born workers lost their jobs these past few years," she said.

7:57 PM EDT

Ron Johnson's opening salvo against Democrats

The convention's hometown senator, Ron Johnson -- a Trump ally, is the first speaker to rail against Democrats and President Biden, whom he said has made the country "less safe and far more expensive."

It marks the first sign of Republicans taking the offensive at the RNC.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) speaks on Day 1 of the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee, Wis., July 15, 2024.
Mike Segar/Reuters

He said Biden's 2008 promise to "fundamentally transform America" has come true -- and he said the U.S. is the worse for it.

Johnson said the Biden administration has brought "open borders, reckless spending and weakness on the world stage."