U.S. political event held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
The 2024 Republican National Convention was an event in which delegates of the United States Republican Party selected the party's nominees for president and vice president in the 2024 United States presidential election. Held from July 15 to 18, 2024, at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, it preceded the 2024 Democratic National Convention, which took place from August 19 to 22 at United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
The convention began two days after an attempted assassination of the party's presumptive nominee Donald Trump at a campaign rally near Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump accepted his party's nomination on July 18, becoming the second Republican to be nominated three times for president—after Richard Nixon in 1960, 1968, and 1972—and the first Republican to receive three consecutive presidential nominations. JD Vance, the junior United States senator from Ohio, accepted the party's nomination for vice president. Trump and Vance went on to win the 2024 election, defeating the Democratic ticket of incumbent vice president Kamala Harris and Minnesota governor Tim Walz.
Logistics.
Site selection.
On January 7, 2022, a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee said that four potential host cities were in the running to be selected for the 2024 convention: Milwaukee, Nashville, Pittsburgh and Salt Lake City. Milwaukee was officially the host city for the 2020 Democratic National Convention, which was largely held virtually in assorted locations with Milwaukee only assuming the role of a production headquarters due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Milwaukee and Pittsburgh are both located in key swing states (Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, respectively) that had both played a significant role in determining the winner of the Electoral College in the 2024 election, while Nashville and Salt Lake City are both the respective state capitals of Tennessee and Utah, which have been reliably Republican states throughout most of the previous half-century (even though the capital cities themselves are considered Democratic strongholds within their states). From 2008 through the 2020 election, both the Democratic Party and Republican Party had only held their conventions in swing states. Houston had previously taken steps towards bidding, but decided against it due to conflicts with other scheduled events at venues. Other locations that had, at one point, an interest in hosting, but which ultimately did not bid, included Columbus, Las Vegas, San Antonio, and the state of Georgia. Kansas City, Missouri, had made a formal bid, but withdrew their bid in late December 2021, prior to the finalist cities being named.
On February 4, 2022, Pittsburgh's bid committee announced that their bid had been eliminated from further consideration. In early March 2022, Salt Lake City was eliminated by the Republican National Committee, leaving Milwaukee and Nashville as the two remaining finalist bid cities. The Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County voted against a draft hosting agreement, which effectively forfeited the city's bid.
On July 15, 2022, a site selection committee unanimously voted to recommend Milwaukee as the site of the convention over Nashville. This is because of how crucial Wisconsin would be in the 2024 Presidential election. The Republican National Committee voted for Milwaukee to be the party's 2024 convention host during its early August 2022 meeting in Chicago.
Milwaukee is the first city to host major party conventions in consecutive elections since New York City hosted both the 1976 and 1980 Democratic National Conventions. However, the 2024 convention is set to be Milwaukee's first time hosting a normal in-person presidential nominating convention, since the 2020 convention was held with a "virtual" format.
On December 21, 2022, the Republican National Committee announced that the convention's dates will be July 15–18, 2024.
The event was anticipated to potentially bring 50,000 visitors to Milwaukee. An estimate showed that it brought in as much as $200 million in revenue to the region.
In terms of population, Milwaukee is smaller than other metropolitan areas that have hosted recent major party conventions. Milwaukee is among the smallest metropolitan areas to have hosted a major party convention. Due to Milwaukee's location being in a swing state, it made a huge impact both economically and politically.
On April 11, 2023, it was announced that Chicago had been selected to host the 2024 Democratic National Convention. Milwaukee and Chicago are approximately 90 miles apart on the coast of Lake Michigan. This is a highly unusual proximity for two different cities hosting major party conventions in the same year. Not since 1972, when both conventions last shared a host city, have the sites of the two major party convention sites been so closely located.
Host committee.
 Reince Priebus is serving as the chairman of the MKE 2024 Host Committee. From September 2022 until May 2023, the host committee's chief executive officer (CEO) was Stephen B. King. In May 2023, it was announced that Milwaukee businessman Ted Kellner would be replacing King as CEO, but that King would remain a member of the Host Committee.
The convention's host committee aimed to raise $65 million to fund the convention. Donors included WinRed, Turning Point USA, General Motors, and the American Beverage Association.
Committee on Arrangements.
Working with the host committee on behalf of the Republican National Committee is convention's Committee on Arrangements. On March 24, 2023, Anne Hathaway was appointed chairwoman of the committee and Ron Kaufman was appointed general chairman. Elise Dickens was named as chief executive officer on June 1, 2023. On June 29, 2023, further committee members were announced, including KC Crosbie as treasurer, Vicki Drummond as secretary, and David Bossie as co-chair. Other members of the committee that were announced included Maripat Krueger, Brian Schimming, and Tom Schreibel.
Hotels and other accommodations.
Milwaukee and its immediate metro area have a smaller number of hotel rooms than can be needed for a major party presidential nominating convention. As a result of this, the 2020 Democratic National Convention, before plans changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was originally expected to house a large share of convention delegates in hotel rooms located in Illinois. However, due to the fact that Republican conventions have fewer total delegates than Democratic conventions, it has been reported that the plans for the 2024 Republican Convention do not entail such far-flung accommodations for delegates. Some visitors for the 2020 Democratic Convention were originally anticipated to stay in Madison, Wisconsin. Madison, Wisconsin's visitors bureau have confirmed that, when Milwaukee city was bidding, Milwaukee officials inquired with them about Madison's hotel availability around the time of the convention.
To accommodate convention visitors, the host committee is working with a Chicago-based firm to secure hotel rooms in more than 300 hotels and motels located within a 60-mile radius of the convention site.
In addition to hotels, the original plans for the 2020 Democratic Convention in the city had dormitories at Milwaukee-area universities and colleges accommodating some convention guests and volunteers. Similarly, dorm rooms are expected to be utilized as accommodations during the 2024 Republican National Convention. Marquette University has adjusted their academic calendar to allow for the availability of their dorms during the convention.
Security.
The convention was a National Special Security Event. With the exception of the downscaled 2020 conventions, each presidential election since 2004 has seen $50 million in grants allocated to each convention host city for security costs. In early 2023, the eight Wisconsin members of the United States House of Representatives wrote a letter to the House Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science urging that the amount allocated for security at each convention be increased to $75 million for the 2024 election. Security for the Republican National Convention was increased due to the consistent threats facing Trump.
In April 2023, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson stated that he believed the considerations that should inform security plans for the 2024 Republican National Convention should include the original security plans for a full-scale 2020 Democratic National Convention in the city and input for the U.S. Secret Service. He also stated that the security plans should reflect the political climate, noting the January 6, 2021, United States Capitol attack.
As of April 2023, it was estimated that security for the Republican National Committee could necessitate 4,500 police officers from agencies outside of Milwaukee Police Department. This number is 1,500 greater than the number of outside police officers that had originally been expected in the plans for a full-scale 2020 Democratic National Convention in the city.
Acting upon a request by Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman, in May 2023, the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission has approved a suspension lasting from July 12 through July 26, 2024, of the city 15-day policy for the release of bodycam footage. The 6–3 vote of the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission to authorize this was held in closed session without public comment. This move received criticism from community activists. The ACLU of Wisconsin published an opinion opposing the suspension of the policy.
Following the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, it was announced that the security perimeter would expand to create buffer zones around the event.
Schedule.
The theme for July 15 was "Make America Wealthy Once Again," focusing on the economy.
The theme for July 16 was "Make America Safe Once Again," centering on crime and illegal immigration.
The theme for July 17 was "Make America Strong Once Again," highlighting national security and foreign policy.
The theme for July 18 was "Make America Great Once Again," to conclude the convention.
Platform.
The 2020 Republican National Convention did not produce a new platform, instead reusing the 2016 platform and producing a document affirming support for Trump.
On July 8, 2024, the Republican National Committee Platform Committee, led by Randy Evans, Russ Vought, and Ed Martin, adopted "Donald J. Trump's 2024 Republican Party Platform".
In May 2024, it was reported in the media that the Trump campaign wanted to shift the platform positions on abortion and same-sex marriage. In June 2024, "The New York Times" reported that the Trump campaign also wanted to significantly shorten the platform, focusing on contrasting with the Democratic Party instead of providing extensive details on policy. Trump has a separate, but similar, platform called Agenda 47.
The first draft was described by "The New York Times" as "more nationalistic, more protectionist, and less socially conservative".
After the Republican platform was released, "The Washington Post" noted that the platform contained numerous paraphrases and direct quotes from Trump's speeches and Truth Social posts from his 2024 campaign, which is unlike previous major U.S. political party platforms.
Table of contents.
The platform has 20 sections of content.
Notable provisions.
The platform is 16 pages long, significantly less than the 60-page platform in 2016.
The platform removes opposition to same-sex marriage and drops calls for a national ban on abortion, instead saying abortion policy should be left to the states. It implies, but does not state, personhood begins before birth. "We believe that the 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States guarantees that no person can be denied Life or Liberty without Due Process, and the States are, therefore, free to pass Laws protecting those Rights," says the document in a section titled "Republicans Will Protect and Defend a Vote of the People, from within the States, on the Issue of Life". Several anti-abortion activists had asked Trump to make the document more explicit prior to the convention, but dropped a formal protest after Trump's assassination attempt.
The platform calls for the deportation of millions of "Illegal Aliens" and "sealing the border". It supports tariffs on imports to the United States and removes support for statehood for Puerto Rico. The platform also proposes ending the Department of Education, but protecting Social Security and Medicare.
The term "common sense" appears twelve times in the document.
Nominating and balloting.
Trump's nomination and seconding speeches.
In 1972, in order to prevent a possible nominating speech for Pete McCloskey, the rules were changed and a candidate needed to have a majority in at least 5 states in order to have their names placed in nomination. In 2016, this number was raised to 7 in order to prevent speeches nominating Ted Cruz.
The last time more than one candidate's name was placed into nomination was in 1976.
Official nomination and seconding speeches.
Former President Trump's name was placed into nomination by Jeff Kaufmann, chairman of the Iowa Republican Party.
Michael McDonald, the chairman of the Nevada Republican Party, seconded his nomination.
Delegate count.
The table below reflects the presumed delegate count as per the end selection process and the final tally at the convention.
As a courtesy to their followers, candidates who had suspended their campaigns usually formally withdraw shortly before the start of the