RNC 2024 Day 2: Trump feted by former rivals Haley, DeSantis in show of GOP unity

Trump, with a bandage on his ear, made an appearance again Tuesday evening

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Last updated: Wednesday, July 17, 2024 10:00AM GMT
RNC 2024 Day 2: Trump feted by former rivals Haley, DeSantis
Former President Trump's political rivals came together in a show of unity Tuesday.

MILWAUKEE -- The second day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee ended Tuesday with appearances from some of former President Donald Trump's former rivals: former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy -- all calling for Republican Party unity.

They were joined by some of Trump's longest allies including Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Ben Carson in bashing the Democrats over what they claimed were harmful and failed policies.

The program focused on law and order with a theme of making the country "safe again."

Trump, with a bandage on his ear, made an appearance again Tuesday evening -- just days after he was wounded in an assassination attempt at one of his rallies in Pennsylvania over the weekend. Several speakers said God spared Trump in the shooting, saving him for a divine plan for the presidency.

Key Headlines

Here's how the news is developing.
Jul 15, 2024, 7:39 PM GMT

Trump announces Vance as his running mate

Trump announced Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance will be his running mate, writing on Truth Social that the Ohio Republican is "the person best suited to assume the position of Vice President of the United States."

The decision caps off months of speculation and sees Trump elevate a 39-year-old first-term senator whose roughly year and a half tenure in the Senate has seen him emerge as a staunch ideological ally of the former president.

MORE | Trump VP pick: Former president announces Vance as his running mate

FILE - Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, right, points toward Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally on March 16, 2024, in Vandalia, Ohio.
FILE - Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, right, points toward Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally on March 16, 2024, in Vandalia, Ohio.
ByBrittany Shepherd, Tommy Barone and Jacob Steinberg ABCNews logo
Jul 15, 2024, 7:03 PM GMT

GOP party platform passes

The Republicans have passed their party platform, despite dissent from the evangelical wing over softened language on abortion that better matches Trump's current posture. A fair amount of "nayes" were heard in the convention hall, but not enough for the vote to fail.

Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., told delegates that the "platform was personally approved by President Donald J. Trump."

"It's a different kind of platform," said platform co-chair Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., as she presented the platform for a vote.

"It is not a laundry list of special interests' wishes, but a succinct, clear agenda and a promise to the American people."

Before the overwhelming voice vote in Milwaukee, the platform had passed 84-14 by the platform committee.

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Jul 15, 2024, 7:00 PM GMT

Trump's son, Eric Trump, says he'll cast the vote declaring his father the Republican nominee

Donald Trump's son, Eric Trump, announced on X that he'll be casting the vote at 3:30 p.m. ET declaring his father the Republican nominee for president.

He lives in Florida and is expected to cast the vote with Florida's delegation, putting Trump over the top with enough delegates to formally become the nominee.

Jul 15, 2024, 6:39 PM GMT

Burgum told he is not Trump's running mate

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum has been told he is not Trump's running mate pick, three sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News.

Trump's pick is expected to be announced at some point Monday.

FILE - Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump listens as North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, speaks at a campaign event in Laconia, N.H., Jan. 22, 2024.
FILE - Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump listens as North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, speaks at a campaign event in Laconia, N.H., Jan. 22, 2024.