MILWAUKEE — With just weeks to go, the Republican National Convention (RNC) is starting to take shape in Milwaukee.
Right now, most of that work is happening inside the Fiserv Forum, but soon you will notice things outside the arena.
Elise Dickens, CEO of the 2024 RNC, recently gave Spectrum News an update not just on the progress, but all the behind-the-scenes planning.
Earlier this month, the party started the build-out process inside the Fiserv Forum. Dickens said, that so far, construction is going well.
“We have the keys, we moved in, and we are building. You will not recognize it, but it's really awesome,” Dickens explained.
However, if you walk around downtown Milwaukee, there’s not much happening outside of the arena—yet. Dickens said people will really notice the convention start to take shape in the next couple of weeks.
“We're going to have the exterior start to have that really cool vinyl with all of our branding, and so everyone's going to start seeing the build,” Dickens added.
As for the biggest item on the to-do list between now and the convention, Dickens said the program is a top priority.
“The official proceedings [are] what we call it, that's the schedule,” Dickens said. “So, the official time of each session, who's speaking when, where and on what topic, all the video production that goes into that, that's paired up with speech writing. It's a huge task and there's a lot of people coming that are going to be a part of this amazing program. So, these final few days and weeks here, that's the biggest focus.”
Dickens said as far as the messages you’ll hear, expect an "America First" presentation, which the campaign plans to roll out soon.
“You can expect to see a lot of everyday Americans,” Dickens said. “So, you'll have the kind of traditional party leaders and elected officials, but you're going to see some really compelling stories from everyday Americans talking about [Trump’s] 'America First' message, and why he should be reelected in November.”
Though former President Donald Trump has told Spectrum News to expect his pick for vice president to be announced closer to the convention, Dickens hopes it happens much sooner. However, she isn’t ruling anything out.
“I don't know that he's decided yet,” Dickens said. “But by rule, really, we just need to know before we gavel in so we can be ready to execute, but we'll see what he decides.”
Even if Trump makes his pick sooner, there’s still a chance he will keep the decision quiet and announce it on stage during the convention. That’s a scenario Dickens acknowledged is possible.
“He could, he could, and it's Donald Trump, so I’m sure there'll be some fun surprises—we'll see,” Dickens replied.
Meanwhile, the 2024 RNC Host Committee has been especially vocal about not avoiding downtown just because there's a busy and big convention happening. Dickens hopes locals will come to witness what’s happening too.
“As a fellow Wisconsinite, I really do hope folks come down and check it out and just see the energy and the excitement around this convention,” Dickens said. “Hopefully, it's not as burdensome as some people think it might be, and we really do encourage people to see this amazing, rich American democratic process play out in their city.”