MILWAUKEE — Donald Trump's vice presidential running mate, US Senator J.D. Vance, addresses the Republican National Convention on Wednesday (July 17) in a speech that could illustrate how Trump's "Make America Great Again" movement may dominate the party for years to come.
Trump's Democratic opponent in the Nov 5 election, President Joe Biden, tested positive for Covid-19 and is experiencing mild symptoms, the White House said on Wednesday. Biden, 81, who was on a campaign visit to Las Vegas, is returning to Delaware and will work from home while isolating.
The illness was the latest twist in a campaign that was dramatically altered four days ago when Trump narrowly survived an attempt on his life at a political rally in Pennsylvania.
Biden's diagnosis is especially ill-timed. The president has sought in campaign appearances to counterbalance a halting June 27 debate performance against Trump.
Even before the Covid announcement, a 20th congressional Democrat, US Representative Adam Schiff, urged Biden on Wednesday to step aside, telling the Los Angeles Times he had concerns about whether Biden could defeat Trump.
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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer also told Biden on Saturday he should end his campaign, ABC News reported on Wednesday. Asked for comment, Schumer's office said: "Unless ABC's source is Senator Chuck Schumer or President Joe Biden the reporting is idle speculation. Leader Schumer conveyed the views of his caucus directly to President Biden on Saturday."
Vance was due to take centre stage in Milwaukee, where Republicans have sought to display party unity to contrast with the Democratic infighting. His speech will likely be the four-day convention's most-watched moment before Trump, 78, speaks on Thursday night.
In his brief political career, the 39-year-old Ohio lawmaker has sought to build Trump's populist instincts into a coherent policy agenda that envisions the US playing a less dominant role in global affairs.
Several early speakers on Wednesday levelled aggressive and sometimes baseless attacks against the Biden administration. The tone contradicted the message of national unity Trump had promised to deliver after the attempt on his life at a Pennsylvania rally on Saturday.
Former Trump White House official Peter Navarro, who was released from prison earlier in the day after serving four months for contempt of Congress, received a huge ovation as he took the stage on Wednesday.
Navarro, who was convicted for refusing to comply with a subpoena from the committee investigating the Jan 6, 2021, attack at the US Capitol, said he, like Trump, was a victim of Biden's "Department of Injustice."
Trump has frequently claimed, without evidence, that his four indictments since leaving office were part of a Democratic conspiracy to prevent his election.
Others focused on Biden's border policies, a favourite target for Trump and his allies.
Tom Homan, who served as acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement under Trump, said Biden was the first president in history to "unsecure" the border.
"This isn't a choice," he said. "It's national suicide."
As he spoke, delegates waved signs that read, "Mass Deportation Now!"
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While border crossings reached record highs during Biden's tenure, arrests dropped sharply in June after the president implemented a broad asylum ban.
Trump has pledged to launch the largest deportation effort of illegal immigrants in US history.
Trump, his right ear still bandaged after it was grazed by a bullet in Saturday's attack, walked onto the convention stage on Wednesday afternoon and stood behind the lectern for several minutes while aides talked him through the logistics of his Thursday night speech.
Authorities have yet to establish a motive for the shooting. US Secret Service agents killed the gunman at the scene.
Officials from the Secret Service and the FBI briefed lawmakers on Wednesday. The US House of Representatives will establish a bipartisan task force next week to investigate how the 20-year-old shooter was able to get so close.
Concerns about a second Trump administration sent stocks tumbling on Wednesday, with chipmakers especially hard hit after Trump told Bloomberg Businessweek in an interview that Taiwan should have to pay for its own defence.
Elected to the US Senate less than two years ago, Vance has opposed military aid for Ukraine and defended Trump's attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Biden. At half Trump's age, Vance potentially has decades ahead of him to influence the Republican Party.
He has argued that the government needs to do more to assist the working class by restricting imports, raising the minimum wage and cracking down on corporate largesse. Those positions conflict with the Republican Party's traditional pro-business stance, but track Trump's agenda closely.
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