Republicans will gather in Milwaukee next week for the Republican National Convention, the party’s event every four years to formally designate their presidential candidate and highlight priorities.
Former President Donald Trump easily won the primaries, so the party will host ceremonial delegate counts and speeches to make him their official nominee in November’s presidential race.
President Joe Biden is the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee, although a growing number of lawmakers and other Democrats have been pushing to replace him after last month’s poor debate performance against Trump.
The four-day GOP convention will also have some policy focus, including energy-themed speeches and events with industry officials.
It will be hosted mainly in and around Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum. Wisconsin is a key swing state on the Great Lakes that Trump won in 2016 election but Biden took in 2020.
It’s the first big party convention in nearly eight years, since Republicans and Democrats had much smaller, mostly virtual events in 2020 during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Here’s what to watch for:
Energy theme
The Republican National Committee is planning themes for the main-stage speeches on each of the four days of the convention, all centered on “Make America Great Again,” Trump’s longtime campaign slogan.
On Monday it’s “Make America Wealthy Once Again,” which the party said will touch on energy.
“During the first Trump administration, America experienced an unprecedented economic boom. President Trump’s America First economic policies slashed cumbersome regulations, cut tax rates, and reworked trade deals to create a fairer playing field for American industry and workers,” the party said.
“Under the Biden-Harris administration, all of this progress has stalled or reversed — real wages for American workers are lower than before Biden took office, meanwhile inflation and high energy prices thanks to the Biden’s Green New Deal-inspired, anti-drilling agenda have made everyday life unaffordable for working-class Americans.”
The GOP has not yet announced who will speak and their topics, but Monday’s speeches are likely to lean heavily on criticizing Biden’s climate change agenda and renewable energy focus, while promising new efforts to significantly boost oil, natural gas and coal production.
U.S. oil and gas output has grown throughout Biden’s time in office, and are now at record highs, despite Trump’s claims that Biden has hobbled the industry.
Inflation and the high cost of living are also likely to be themes throughout the convention, and the GOP will hold up energy prices as a key contributor.
Other daily themes include “Make America Safe Once Again” and “Make America Strong Once Again.”
Industry influence
National party conventions have long…
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