MILWAUKEE: Donald Trump's Republican Party convenes on Monday hoping to chart his return to the White House after he survived an assassination attempt that prompted him and President Joe Biden, his Democratic rival, to call for national unity and calm.
The former president will announce at the convention this week his choice for a running mate, having cited as frontrunners Ohio U.S. Senator J.D. Vance, Florida U.S. Senator Marco Rubio and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, all of whom will speak at the at the gathering.
Trump held individual meetings with each of the three men late last week in what was effectively one last job interview, according to two sources who requested anonymity to disclose private conversations.
While the event in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, will be a festive affair to formally choose the party's presidential nominee, it occurs at a tense moment in U.S. history on the road to the Nov. 5 election rematch between Biden, 81, and Trump, 78.
Trump and Biden are locked in a close election rematch, according to most opinion polls. The shooting on Saturday whipsawed discussion around the presidential campaign, which had been focused on whether Biden should drop out following a halting June 27 debate performance.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, the country's highest-ranking Republican, said on Sunday that all Americans needed to tone down their rhetoric. He accused Biden's campaign of making hyperbolic attacks on Trump.
The U.S. Secret Service said on Monday it would participate fully in probes announced by President Joe Biden and members of Congress, after its agents failed to prevent a gunman from shooting and injuring former President Donald Trump over the weekend.
The FBI says it is investigating the incident on Saturday at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania as an assassination attempt. Biden said on Sunday he had ordered an independent review, and Republican lawmakers vowed swift investigations.
In her first major statement since the shooting, which killed a rally attendee, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle said the agency was increasing security for Republican presidential candidate Trump and the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, which kicks off on Monday.
"I am confident in the security plan our Secret Service RNC coordinator and our partners have put in place, which we have reviewed and strengthened in the wake of Saturday's shooting," Cheatle said in a statement. She said the agency has implemented changes to Trump's security detail since Saturday to ensure his protection during the convention and the remainder of the campaign. — Reuters
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