Source: Bilal Morris / iOne Digital
Donald Trump’s assassination attempt might have helped him politically as voters at the Republican National Convention seem to be more invested in the former president.
Republicans from all over the country poured into Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this week to celebrate Trump’s nomination for president in the upcoming election and show their support for a party trying to win back the White House. MAGA hats, Trump sneakers and other outlandish “45” garments littered the streets of Milwaukee on Monday, and even with all of that support, Trump’s assassination attempt still weighed heavy on many of his supporters.
Despite some worry and fear, Milwaukee was prepared. Secret Service agents stood at barricades on what felt like every other block in the city. Milwaukee police also left no stone unturned as many of them were accompanied by their Belgian Malinois, who sniffed every human it could get its nose close to. The hot, muggy temperatures made the walk from the checkpoint to Fiserv Forum insufferable, but that didn’t stop Republican excitement for Donald Trump. In their eyes, Trump was now officially the Teflon Don and that was the energy they exuded all day long.
Walking into Fiserv Forum seemed a bit cultish, but everyone was extremely friendly. After the day’s session, we finally got the opportunity to talk to some voters outside the building and interestingly enough, most of the Black people who attended the event (which weren’t many) didn’t want to speak to us.
Source: Bilal Moris / iOne Digital
But we stayed persistent and eventually got a chance to pick some brains on what they thought about the assassination attempt and how they believed it affected the election.
Many Republican voters who spoke with us said that Trump’s assassination attempt only made them love him more.
“It really affected me,” Kieran Brown, a young white voter from Staten Island said. “But, Trump is still standing and that’s why he could never lose my vote. He’s the strong leader that we need in the White House right now. He literally got shot and is moving forward for us.”
Brown also said that he was thinking about not attending, but once Trump showed so much resilience after being shot, it was only right he show up and support him.
“We’re blessed that he wasn’t killed,” Brown said. “I think if he was, I don’t think I would have shown up, but I felt like I had to, because if he’s gonna show up, then how could I not?”
He continued, “He just took a bullet this weekend. So in that sense, you know, I think that it meant a lot to us to see that he was okay. But everybody’s here. There’s a high security. People feel safe, and that’s important. But we really have to get answers for what just happened two days ago.”
With tension high, we also asked voters what it would take to quell some of the political discourse in America.
“I think first we have to start with the prospect that we shouldn’t be about political parties. We need to do what’s best for our country,” said Kevin Fulton, a Black voter from Wisconsin. “The other thing we need to start remembering is I shouldn’t hate you because of a political party. Especially as a Black man, if I tell somebody I’m a Republican, I’ll get a lot of hate coming back. We shouldn’t hate each other because of the political party we are in. Once we stop that, then we could actually have conversations with each other and find out where there’s a middle ground where we actually may be able to work together to further an idea.”
Bilal Morris reported from Milwaukee.
SEE ALSO:
Republican Congressman Dog Whistles That The US Should Return To ‘1960s’ America
‘Is He Dead?’ Why Black People Are Not Grieving The Failed Assassination Of Donald Trump
