Pa. at the RNC: What to expect at the convention in the wake of Trump assassination attempt

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Days before the onset of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, some of the members of Pennsylvania’s delegation were attending the same Butler rally where 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire and wounded former President Donald Trump and killed Corey Comperatore, an innocent bystander.

Pennsylvania lawmakers were quick to condemn the act of political violence, and President Joe Biden, in a national address, issued a call for unity, urging Americans to “cool it down.”

Now, Pennsylvania delegates are preparing to again nominate Trump for president.

WHYY’s “Morning Edition” host Jennifer Lynn on Monday spoke with political reporter Carmen Russell-Sluchansky, who is at the RNC this week.

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Jennifer Lynn: Have you been able to gauge the mood in Milwaukee regarding this shocking development over the weekend in Butler County, Pennsylvania?

Carmen Russell-Sluchansky: Well, I only got in yesterday and the convention is just getting started today, but I could say things actually seem kind of upbeat. There were plenty of delegates and other conventiongoers filling the restaurants and bars downtown last night and seemed to be enjoying themselves. By the way, I could see that Donald Trump is already in town. I saw his plane at the airport when we landed.

JL: Well just after Donald Trump survived the assassination attempt Saturday, you spoke with the chair of the Pennsylvania delegation to the convention, Jim Worthington of Bucks County. He’s a businessman and a philanthropist from Bucks County, and you asked him how he was feeling. What did he say?

CR: Well, he was pretty shook up about the event when I talked to him and he said he was in shock, but also not really surprised that this would happen, and he pretty directly blamed Joe Biden and Democrats for using what he called “incendiary rhetoric” in the campaign, trying to do all they could to take Trump out of the race. However, he added that the assassination attempts would just galvanize Republicans at the convention and after.

Jim Worthington, chair of the Pennsylvania delegation to the convention:  “Trump’s a leader. That is why he’s going to win this election and by the way, because they didn’t take him out, he probably solidified that he will absolutely win now. I’m 100% guaranteed he’ll win. There will be more people incensed by this that were on the sidelines not knowing what to do now that says, you know what this can’t be the America that we live in.”

JL: Carmen, I’m going to guess that we will be hearing a lot of comments like this as the week goes on both on and off stage. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio has made similar comments, and he’s likely to speak at the convention and he’s being watched as a political VP pick, right?

CR: Yeah, that said, many other politicians, both Republicans and Democrats, have also been denouncing what happened, and Trump has even said that he’s going to talk about unity at the convention. U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, who represents Bucks County and Pennsylvania’s First Congressional District, tweeted, “Political violence is no justification for any place in America, for any reason, at any time.” Many Democrats in Pennsylvania have also been saying similar things. Gov. Josh Shapiro posted on social media that “violence targeted at any political party or political leader is absolutely unacceptable” and “has no place in Pennsylvania or the United States.”

JL: Yeah, and there were some members of the Pennsylvania delegation who were at the rally Saturday when the shooting occurred.

CR: Yeah, it’s been recorded that Mike McMullen of the Gibsonia area of Allegheny County was standing just about 20 feet to the left of Trump when the shots were fired, and McMullen was near Pa.’s U.S. Senate candidate David McCormick, who was about to be introduced. U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, of Pennsylvania’s 16th district, told CBS News that he was seated in the front row close to the former president when it all happened.

JL: Which members of the delegation will be speaking at the convention? Do we know what they’ll be talking about?

CR: Honestly, the party hasn’t been very forthcoming with the schedule, and that might be by design. We can guess who some of the speakers will be, and I would bet that, for example, McCormick will make an appearance. That would make sense since Trump’s ability to win Pennsylvania may be connected to McCormick’s campaign and vice versa. There is a list of speakers that includes lots of “everyday people” such as business owners, mothers, war vets and so forth. Among them will be Aaron Cooper, a community activist from Pittsburgh who will talk about homelessness, drugs and crime.

JL: You have a list of some of the party’s platform ideals. What do you think will resonate the most with Pennsylvanians on that list?

CR: Well, it’s hard to say exactly so far. When I talk to voters, immigration is one of the top pieces of their platform, and I’m reading here, “Seal the border and stop the migrant invasion. Carry out the largest deportation operation in American history. End inflation and make America affordable again,” which I know is very important to Pennsylvania voters who I’ve talked to. They talk a lot about inflation, the economy and so forth, and then another quote, “Make America the dominant energy producer in the world by far.” As we know, Pennsylvania is a big energy producer, so that’s probably going to resonate a lot too.