Delegates and other visitors streamed into town over the weekend for the Republican National Convention that begins on Monday. On Sunday, a welcome party drew thousands of guests, and also some detractors, to the Summerfest grounds.
The Red, White & Brew RNC event was a kick off to the big week in Milwaukee, which will culminate in former President Donald Trump accepting the GOP nomination for president.
Shirlene Olson traveled from Indiana to attend the RNC. Olson is the vice chair at the National Federation of Republican Women Armed Services and a retired U.S. Army master sergeant.
Olson shared the message that she hopes others take from Trump’s candidacy: "Don’t focus on the flaws. Focus on the leadership because at the end of the day, when I was in the military, there were leaders that I didn’t want to work with. But guess what? We didn’t focus on that. We focused on the principle, and we focused on the leadership behind that person because there’s no specific person that is going to be golden."
Olson said the assassination attempt on the former president Saturday brought Trump’s supporters together.
"He demonstrated the strength that we needed. We needed to see that — and it wasn’t about a fist pump. It was about, 'Let’s fight for what’s right.' How about those words? How about the American people hear that?" Olson said.
When asked what he'd say to undecided people living in swing states, Bill Schuette, a state representative from Michigan, said, "Well Michigan, much like Wisconsin, is a swing state. In fact, I think Michigan and Wisconsin probably are the two key swing states in the race to the presidency. This is about the price of gas, this is about the price of groceries, this is about the cost of living, a crisis on our southern border. America, Michigan, Wisconsin was categorically better under the presidency of Donald Trump than under the failed, weak presidency of Joe Biden."
As delegates headed into party, Kim, who only gave her first name, was among a handful of protesters gathered across the street and held a handwritten sign above her head that read "Save democracy, defeat Donald."
On the other side, Kim said it reads, "Protect trans families from Republican policies."
But Kim isn’t sure Democratic President Joe Biden is the best hope for preventing Trump from winning a second term. As for whether Biden should drop out of the race, Kim said, "I’m torn because I do believe that Biden has been an excellent president. I think he has done a lot for America and he stepped in when we need him most. On the other hand, I do think that it could be time for him to pass on the torch."
About 50,000 people are in town for the RNC through Thursday. The number includes delegates, media, law enforcement, protesters and others.
