MILWAUKEE — Even before the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, Republicans gathering here this week at the Republican National Convention were bullish about the party’s chances in November.
Outwardly, at least.
Dig a little deeper and many Republicans are nervous.
At least one of Trump’s potential vice presidential picks is publicly praying for a boring convention here in Milwaukee, particularly amid Democratic infighting over whether President Joe Biden should quit the race and yield to Vice President Kamala Harris — or someone else.
“With the other party being dysfunctional, that’s probably the ideal convention,” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) told Raw Story after voting Thursday at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
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The thinking is, if recent polls are correct, it’s the GOP’s presidential election to lose. And now, after the shooting in Pennsylvania, many are saying images of his defiant clenched fist and sacrificially blood-stained face all but guarantee a Trump win in November.
But there’s an X factor: Trump himself. The populist appeal of the former president comes coupled with his unpolished political style, marked more by bluster and bombast than bringing people together.
“Some people say Trump's a little dysfunctional sometimes — what do you think he needs to do?” Raw Story asked Rubio.
“That’s not been my experience. He just doesn't work like other people around here,” Rubio said. “He comes from a background in real estate and business, and it's just a different language. And so it may seem alien to people around here, but I watched firsthand how it works, certainly, on the world stage.”
Ahead of Saturday’s attempted assassination attempt of Trump, Raw Story asked 10 congressional Republicans what they were hoping to get out of this week’s convention.
The consensus: Don’t mess this up.
“The platform pretty well lays out what we need to do in general enough terms that where there are slight disagreements you can smooth the corners of that,” Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) told Raw Story.
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With Trump’s base fired up and all in, the lingering question is whether Trump and the GOP can broader their tent and appeal to Independents.
“Do you think Trump needs to focus more on the middle?” Raw Story asked Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), another lawmaker mentioned for vice presidential consideration.
“He's already doing that,” Donalds told Raw Story on the Capitol steps.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump visits the Iowa Pork Producers Tent with Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) at the Iowa State Fair on Aug. 12, 2023, in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“In what ways?”
“He's focusing on everybody,” Donalds said. "You know, his entire view is bringing common sense policy to the country. Focusing on issues, whether it's securing our border or getting our economy rolling again, that's what everybody wants. He's already there.”
Other Republicans wonder where Donalds gets his news, because they know how alienating Trump can be to many Americans. That’s why many are praying for an unexciting gathering of the party faithful.
“Stability. Simple message. Lack of drama,” Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) told Raw Story. “You know people want stability. They're tired of chaos and the loud noises on both sides. So if our side and President Trump can communicate stability and a moderating theme, that's what we want. Let these other guys blow it.”
In a presidential contest that’s projected to be razor thin, Bacon’s Omaha, Neb., district is especially important this cycle because the state — along with Maine — are not winner-take-all states for the purpose of the Electoral College. Nebraska awards two statewide electoral college votes, then three based on how each of the state’s three congressional districts vote in November.
Bottom line: Biden and Trump could split Nebraska’s electoral votes.
“I always try to recommend it, at the least in our area in Omaha, the Midwest — we're called Nebraska nice for a reason,” Bacon said. “I just say in our district, people want governance, conservative governance but decency. And that's what we want to communicate.”
But Bacon has gotten pushback from team Trump for calling for calm before. But “stability” and turning down the volume on “chaos” are notions that team Trump have rejected in the past.
“I remember saying that during his administration, and [Trump’s] chief of staff told me to shut up,” Bacon said.
While Bacon wouldn’t say which Trump chief of staff told him off, Bacon said it was pre-Mark Meadows, who was Trump’s fourth and final chief — coming after Reince Priebus, John Kelly and Mick Mulvaney.
Much as powerful people in Trump’s orbit may want him to “shut up,” Bacon’s calling for calm, once again.
“Let the other side implode. Nobody can deny what they saw [in the first debate],” Bacon said, referring to Biden’s disastrous performance. “I still think it's gonna be a tough fight.”
Tough fight indeed, but at least one more Republican is already praising Trump for forcing the entire Republican Party — on paper, at the least — to take a symbolic step toward the middle. That came when Trump effectively overruled the party’s previous calls for a nationwide abortion ban.
“I've got a lot to say about that,” Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) told Raw Story on the Capitol steps. “I mean, I think I've been pretty vocal about going after independent voters, suburban women, and I’ve tried to be a really strong voice for the party but he's doing a remarkable job on his own. He put IVF and birth control and contraception into the Republican Party platform for the first time ever in history.”
While Democrats remain dubious after Trump’s three additions to the Supreme Court played decisive roles in overturning Roe v. Wade, Mace is cheering because Trump, who once declared himself the most “pro-life president ever,” did not go nearly as far on abortion as the GOP’s loud and powerful evangelical members wanted.
“He's doing things no one has ever done. It's pretty remarkable,” Mace said as her face lit up with a tangible smile. “This wouldn't be done under anybody else. Like, he's literally doing things that I think will really appeal to suburban women.”
Like most Republicans, Mace is quick to pivot away from talk of her party’s platform and attempt to keep the conversation focused on Biden’s woes.
“It's gonna be a hard fight for the middle, for sure,” Mace said. “But, I mean, Biden’s the best gift to the Republican Party right now.”
Nancy Mace Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC). (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
It’s not just the independent middle — Trump still has moderate Republicans to win over, particularly in critical swing states such as Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona and Pennsylvania.
Team Trump seems to be realizing that. After initially seeming to dis her at this year’s convention, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley — who was racking up double-digit percentages in GOP primaries even after it was clear Trump locked up the nomination —- is now slated to address this Trump-centric convention hall.
“He’s gonna need all support. It's not gonna be an easy election,” Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) told Raw Story.
While Haley is not on Trump’s short list for vice president, Norman is holding out hope he taps her as his VP.
“Look, everything is fluid now. I hope he picks her for VP,” Norman said. “Who beat 12 other candidates? Who attracts young, old, female? Nikki Haley.”
Norman knows that’s a long shot whim, because he knows Trump hates sharing the spotlight, which is something Haley proved herself good at capturing, even in a losing primary cause.
That’s why respected Republicans keep reminding team Trump — and the former president himself — to stay focused.
“You keep it simple,” Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) told Raw Story. “Focus on the massive failures and immigration and border security, inflation, etcetera. And it's not rocket science, per se.”
Simple is one thing. Appealing to the middle — especially when you’re Donald Trump — is an entirely different thing altogether.
The tension in the GOP is undeniable (just ask former Speaker Kevin McCarthy if you have any doubts), which is why many Republicans are urging their party’s standard bearer to focus on anything but divisions this week in Milwaukee.
“The more we can communicate civility and no chaos, the better,” Bacon, of Omaha, told Raw Story. “Americans are tired. We're tired of all that noise out there.”
And even though Rubio would prefer a tranquil convention, he’s 100 percent behind is former nemesis — remember “little Marco”? — during a week when Trump could very well team with Rubio on the Republican ticket.
“This is a two-choice election,” Rubio said. “The choice is pretty clear.”
