MILWAUKEE — The Republican National Committee (RNC) moved into Fiserv Forum this week and gave the first peek at the stage design for next month’s convention.
As the stage starts to take shape in Milwaukee, some people are wondering: Will former President Donald Trump be on it?
Though Trump is scheduled to be sentenced on July 11, just four days before the 2024 Republican National Convention gets underway, it’s still business as usual for RNC Chair Michael Whatley and his team when it comes to preparations.
“I don’t think it’s going to be a major impact,” Whatley said. “We expect that he’s going to be here, and we expect that we are going to roll out everything that we are going to roll out in terms of our vision for America, our vision for the future, and for the next four years.”
While there has been lots of speculation of the possible jail time or house arrest for the former president, Whatley said he isn’t worried.
“We’re planning on him being here,” Whatley added. “I think that’s really where we are going to go forward with it. Of course, obviously, you have to have contingency plans in place, but I think everybody expects that we’re going to see the president here in Milwaukee.”
The party also isn’t shying away from campaigning on the conviction. Whatley said, in a way, the verdict has “galvanized” Republicans.
“We had over two million individual donors,” Whatley explained. “We raised $141 million, all of that coming from small-dollar donors. It was just absolutely amazing, the support that he has engendered.”
With that kind of response from supporters, it’s safe to say Whatley also isn’t worried about rouge delegates when it comes time to cast their votes in July.
“We have the delegate process completed, so we know who all the delegates are, and I think there’s absolutely overwhelming support for Donald Trump amongst the delegates,” Whatley responded.
It’s that kind of support that Whatley hopes to keep strong through November, and why he isn’t worried about changing strategy either.
“This election is going to come down to whether or not people are better off than they were four years ago,” Whatley explained. “It’s going to come down to a conversation about President Trump’s record of four years of success versus Joe Biden’s record. What we’re seeing right now is America is a weaker economy. We are weaker on the national stage. People understand that, and that is what this election is going to come down to.”