USA Today, July 2024
Republicans have been swarming Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention starting Monday to formally nominate former president Donald Trump as their 2024 presidential candidate. After the assassination attempt on Trump Saturday, convention officials have said the gathering will go on as planned, albeit with enhanced security in some areas.
A convention committee already signed off on a party platform that closely mirrors Trump’s common talking points. The schedule so far includes stops at lots of breweries and a speech from Kanye’s ex Amber Rose. Experts say the very presence of television coverage changed the nature of the conventions, making them more choreographed and strategic rallies. The now-predictable nature of the conventions has not helped television ratings. In 2020, 24.6 and 23.8 million Americans older than 2 tuned into the DNC and the RNC respectively, compared to 29.8 and 32.2 million in 2016, according to Nielsen.
