ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
This afternoon in Milwaukee, former President Donald Trump did a technical walk-through on the floor of the Republican National Convention. He talked to organizers, stood before the podium and checked camera angles, all in preparation for the culmination of this week when he formally accepts the Republican nomination for president tomorrow night. That speech comes after party leaders and regular folks address the delegates over the first three nights. They've all been laying out the Republican Party's vision for America. Tomorrow, it's Trump's turn to speak. And this speech is one of the key moments in the run up to the presidential election. So what might Trump say? How might he say it? We're going to put those questions to NPR's Franco Ordoñez, who is with us from Milwaukee, Hi, Franco.
FRANCO ORDOÑEZ, BYLINE: Hey, Ari.
SHAPIRO: Before we get to what Trump will say, I'd love for you to reflect on what we have seen so far this week, because the 2016 RNC was pretty divided. In 2020, it was more of Trump's Republican Party. How does the 2024 convention compare?
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah, I mean, it's very much Trump's party. I mean, particularly by tapping J.D. Vance as vice president instead of someone with more experience, with deeper Republican ties, you know, Trump's really doubling down on his America first agenda. I mean, this is a person who is not worried about losing moderate Republican votes - you know, say Haley Republicans, for example, you know, who voted very largely against him in the primaries. You know, if Trump were worried about those Republicans, or at least very worried about them, you know, he would have picked someone more like Florida Senator Marco Rubio or North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum. Instead he picks Vance, who's very much part of the wing of the Republican Party who has bucked the GOP establishment.
And Ari, then again, you have, like, those speakers this week. I mean, take Teamster President Sean O'Brien. I mean, it's really, really hard to imagine a union boss speaking at any other Republican convention. O'Brien railed against big business, and corporate lobbying groups. These were groups that are supposed to be part of the Republican base. But clearly, this is about reaching different voters for Republicans - working-class voters. As we've reported often, Biden likes to describe himself as the most pro-union president. He's even stood in line with autoworkers - union autoworkers. But clearly, clearly, Trump believes these union workers are in play a bit.
SHAPIRO: Will you talk specifically about what we heard from Trump's former rivals during the primary campaign, Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis?
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah. That's interesting 'cause, as you were noting before, the differences 2016 and 2020 - in 2016, you know, Trump faced some dissent at his first convention, you know? But, you know, Ted Cruz, for example - Senator Ted Cruz of Texas would not endorse him. But there's really been none of that this year. The first thing that Haley said when she came on stage was that Trump invited her in the spirit of unity. She urged her own supporters, you know, to look past their differences and back Trump.
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NIKKI HALEY: There are some Americans who don't agree with Donald Trump 100% of the time. My message to them is simple. You don't have to agree with Trump 100% of the time to vote for him.
ORDOÑEZ: Now, DeSantis gave an even more aggressive speech. He was attacking Biden. Again, it's just another example of the control that Trump has. And it was interesting, actually, to watch Trump's smiles as these two rivals kind of pledged their support for him, because, as you remember, it was a very, very ugly primary.
SHAPIRO: So let's pivot to what Trump is likely to say in his speech. Because the themes of the convention so far this week have been consistent with his campaign focuses - crime, inflation, America first. Do you expect more of that in his address?
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah, I do. I mean, we know that Trump is not going to deliver the same speech that he originally wrote for the convention. It is going to be less about attacking Biden and more about unity. That's after the shooting on Saturday. Chris LaCivita, he's a senior Trump campaign adviser. He was talking with some Georgetown students here in Milwaukee a few days ago. And this is how he put it.
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CHRIS LACIVITA: I look at unity, and it's obviously an opportunity to bring the country together. It's a very important thing. But let's not forget we're in the middle of a campaign, and you have to win that campaign.
ORDOÑEZ: So a lot of politics still to be played. So this speech might be about unity, but it's likely also going to be unity framed in an America first agenda.
SHAPIRO: Accepting the nomination is the night of any convention. It is an opportunity for the candidate and the party. It's a huge national audience. How is the campaign thinking about this moment?
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah. LaCivita talked some about that as well. You know, he brought up that their campaign speaks a lot about strength versus weakness, success versus failure, using those kind of visual words.
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LACIVITA: Modern-day politics is very visual. And so anytime you can actually visualize the issues and the contrasts, you start off with a different advantage.
ORDOÑEZ: You know, Ari, Trump is a businessman. He's a marketer, a messenger. And he likes a clear message. You know, it's a lot about repetition, and these are the themes, in his words - inflation under Biden versus less inflation under Trump, cheap gas versus expensive gas, the border, of course. These are the issues of the RNC platform.
SHAPIRO: Will you describe the Donald Trump that you have seen this week. Because since the shooting, some of the coverage has suggested that he seems different, more vulnerable. Does that track with what you've observed?
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah, I mean, Trump's going to likely attend the convention. We don't know that for a fact, but there has - you know, he's been at every night. So you would expect that he's going to be there for J.D. Vance when he delivers his speech.
But, you know, kind of to your question more specifically, watching Trump has been more - very interesting. I mean, he's been kind of visibly subdued. You know, he's got that white bandage on his right ear. You know, he sits in the VIP section, surrounded by friends and family. He's calm, you know, sometimes even emotional, such as when Sarah Sanders and Lara Trump were telling stories about how he is as a grandfather.
You know, people tell me that an experience like that on Saturday - you know, being so close to death - can change a person. And sources tell me it has impacted him. But let's be really, very clear. You know, Trump's not known for being vulnerable. And I said, again, a key message of the campaign is strength versus weakness, and his campaign insists those messages are not going to change.
SHAPIRO: That is NPR's Franco Ordoñez reporting from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Thanks, Franco.
ORDOÑEZ: Thanks, Ari. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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