MILWAUKEE — A day after the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, authorities doubled down on their security plan for the Republican National Convention as supporters fortified their commitment to their presumptive presidential nominee.
Illinois Republicans arrived in Milwaukee Sunday with a rejuvenated sense of excitement behind Trump, whose defiant response to the shooting has provided “a shot of adrenaline in our arm” for his already fervent followers, at-large Illinois delegate Aaron Del Mar said.
“There's a lot of frustration, a lot of anger. But we’re staying positive and disciplined, and as a Republican conservative community, we’re coming together and uniting,” Del Mar said as Illinois delegates settled in at their hotel outside Milwaukee.
“This was absolutely the last thing that the Democratic Party needed. This really gave us a shot in the arm. We’re 100% united,” the Palatine Township GOP committeeman said, adding that he felt “totally safe” with the convention set to kick off Monday.
"We're gonna be leading the nation the next five days, and we're gonna rock this party," Del Mar said.
Despite questions about the U.S. Secret Service’s handling of the Pennsylvania rally that allowed a shooter to get within range of Trump, authorities said they didn’t need to make “any changes to our operational security plans” in Milwaukee.
“We're confident in the current plan that we have,” Secret Service RNC coordinator Audrey Gibson-Cicchino said during a press conference alongside local leaders. “It’s based off technical assessments and protected intelligence, and we are continuously monitoring information related to the events.”
The security perimeter around Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum, where the RNC’s marquee events will take place, has turned the downtown area into a maze of checkpoints and barricaded dead-ends for many pedestrians.
Credentials are required to get within about three blocks of the arena and other buildings that’ll host thousands of delegates, journalists and Republican officials — all of them met by law enforcement patrolling nearly every corner of the city center.
“I’m paying very close attention to the security that’s going on and it’s very, very tight,” said Illinois state Rep. John Cabello, R-Machesney Park, who is a Rockford police detective. “There are snipers on roofs here. You can’t get in without the proper credentials. I trust the men and women in law enforcement to make sure we’re safe.”
While weapons and many other objects are prohibited within the security perimeter, Wisconsin law allows people to carry firearms, meaning people can carry guns — concealed or not — outside the direct vicinity of the convention.
“That is an issue that we have to navigate, and I will say this and I've said this many times: as that is your right, please exercise your right in a responsible manner,” Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said.
While the free gun-toting won’t change in light of the attempt on Trump’s life, the Pennsylvania shooting did prompt the Illinois GOP to cancel a reception that had been scheduled for Saturday, according to Del Mar.
Ahead of the wounded former president’s arrival in Milwaukee, moods were upbeat among Illinois delegates as they boarded buses for their “Red White & Brew” welcome party.
Del Mar arrived two days after dropping out of the race to succeed outgoing Illinois Republican Party Chair Don Tracy, a post that went to former Senate candidate Kathy Salvi. Cabello had also vied for the title.
Del Mar hailed that new direction for a state party that has faced internal divisions, and “this unifies us even more,” he said. “The people that were supporting [GOP presidential primary candidate] Nikki Haley are now solid, like: ‘You know what, we didn't really care for this, but mess with one of our people, and now, you mess with all of us.’”
Before convention business got underway in earnest, the delegates were “just happy and relieved and ready to have fun,” Cabello said.
“It’s going to blow the roof off the first time former President Trump comes out on stage,” Cabello said. “That is going to be a very, very loud, happy moment. I don’t think the mood here has gotten anything but better knowing he’s OK.”
Robin Hans, an alternate delegate from Illinois’ 10th Congressional District agreed the assassination attempt wouldn’t put a damper on the party’s biggest event.
“We want someone to lead, and take charge and not be afraid — who gets shot, gets up there and says, ‘I fight for you guys,” Hans said. “He’s behind us, and we just want to support him, too. So it's kind of like a love fest.”
