RNC 2024 Day 2 updates: Trump rivals take center stage along with divine intervention
The theme of Tuesday's session is "Make America Safe Again."
The second day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee ended Tuesday with appearances from some of former President Donald Trump's former rivals: former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy -- all calling for Republican Party unity.
They were joined by some of Trump's longest allies including Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Ben Carson in bashing the Democrats over what they claimed were harmful and failed policies.
The program focused on law and order with a theme of making the country "safe again."
Trump, with a bandage on his ear, made an appearance again Tuesday evening -- just days after he was wounded in an assassination attempt at one of his rallies in Pennsylvania over the weekend. Several speakers touched on that God spared Trump in the shooting, saving him for a divine plan for the presidency.
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RNC delegates say crime a top issue
RNC delegates told ABC News at the convention center in Milwaukee that crime is a driving issue in 2024.
"I think [crime] is out of control, and I think that we need to close the border down," said Dina Abiassi, a Texas delegate.
Others pointed to the role of local officials and police departments in limiting crime.
"It's not a monolithic system," said Ed Tarpley, one of Louisiana's delegates.
"Now, I know it's easy to talk about... [that] we need to fight crime... but essentially, that takes place at the local level, not at the federal level," he said.
"It means we need to support our police at the local level... In other words, we need to enhance the ability of the criminal justice system to operate in each individual community in America," Tarpley added.
Amber Krabach, an alternate delegate, told ABC News that police accountability and jurisdictional independence from the federal government have to be balanced against each other in federal policymaking.
"You want to make sure that those municipalities have the ability to set their crime and policing policies the way that they want to, but you also want to make sure that they're held accountable so that the people aren't taken advantage of, they aren't exploited, and they have the protection that they should have,” she said.
"So I like to hear some specifics on how they're going to address that."
-ABC News' Brittany Shepherd
Kari Lake leads crowd in 'build the wall' chant
Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake attacked Democrats' immigration policy during her speech.
"The solutions are really simple. Stop the 'Biden-vasion' and build the wall," she said before leading the crowd in a chant of "build the wall."
Perry Johnson says Michigan will go to Trump
Perry Johnson, a Michigan businessman and one-time Republican presidential candidate who dropped out before any primaries, had a message for the White House.
"Michigan is the state that gave Trump the win in 2016, and Michigan will be the state that sends President Trump back to the White House in 2024," he said.
In 538's 2024 presidential election simulations, Biden wins Michigan's 15 electoral votes 60 times out of 100.
In addressing inflation and mortgage prices, Johnson said, "What do you say we fire Joe Biden?"
"Biden thinks things are looking up. The only person looking up is Joe Biden as he stares into space on the debate stage," he said.
Johnson addressed the assassination attempt against Trump, calling him the "toughest president since Teddy Roosevelt," before leading the crowd in chanting "Trump, Trump, Trump!"
Trump expected to make another appearance tonight
Trump is again expected to make an appearance at the RNC arena tonight, ABC News can report.
-ABC News' Soorin Kim, Lalee Ibssa and Stephanie Walsh