'Everyone's staring at their phones': Knox County delegates recount RNC experiences as history unfolds

The Republican National Convention is underway in Wisconsin, and Knox County's three delegates are experiencing history firsthand.

The already weighty gathering of Republicans took on a new tone after the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump this weekend.

Delegate Tim Hutchison told Knox News the mood at the Tennessee delegation's first gathering July 14 was "somber." While delegates knew Trump wasn't fatally injured, they didn't know just how the convention would unfold after the attack.

"We were (checking into the convention) on Sunday all day long. ...(It) was like being around a bunch of kids, everyone's staring at their phone," Hutchison, a former Knox County sheriff, told Knox News.

But delegates told Knox News the mood July 15 is upbeat and the party is unified as the programming begins.

Hutchison spoke to Knox News for about 20 minutes before attending the first session of the convention. Delegate Susan Richardson Williams spoke to Knox News from the noisy convention floor just as Virginia allocated 48 delegates to Trump.

Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs is the 2nd Congressional District's third delegate. He said in a written statement the mood is upbeat.

Knox News: What has the mood been since delegates arrived at the convention?

Hutchison: Sunday was somewhat somber. Once everyone figured out (Trump) was OK yesterday, everyone was very upbeat.

There'll just be several speakers over the next two or three days. ... Everyone's looking forward to getting it started.

Williams: People are focused and determined that (the shooting won't) put a damper on the convention. The other thing that we've talked about is that this could help bring the country, and certainly our party, together.

Are you getting a sense the delegates are on edge?

Hutchison: Nope, everyone seems relaxed and glad to be here.

Do you think the assassination attempt will change the speeches you hear?

Hutchison: Oh, I think so. I think it will change (former) President Trump's speech. Personally, being a policeman all my life, I've seen people get shot (and) people get killed. People around them are impacted by it and it changes most everyone involved in that. Now (Trump) has been involved in a shooting ... that impact will probably be with him for the rest of his life.

Williams: I really think this thing with his assassination (attempt) is really going to pull not only the party, but maybe the country, together.

I think we're going to see a lot less vitriol from Trump and Biden. This was scary, that just puts everything into perspective. I kind of think this may be a really defining moment in our country's history. We'll see what (Trump) says Thursday night. Maybe this will be a new beginning.

Do you think the speeches you hear will reflect that?

Hutchison: I don't know. I'm curious to hear if it does or if it has changed him. I know it's affected him, of course it has, but I can't say how it will change.

Williams: Maybe we'll get more about policy now, instead of it being a 'Democrat versus Republican' rhetoric. That's what it should be about.

This near-assassination attempt may change Trump to be a more calmer, cooler Trump.

You mentioned that the mood on Sunday was somber. Can you talk more about that?

Hutchison: Everybody knew he survived it, but no one knew exactly how it would affect him or if he was hurt worse than what you saw.

I've been at a crime scene (with a) shooting and fatality, but it wasn't a fatality when I got there. I spoke to him and said, 'I'll see you at the hospital' and you get to the hospital and they passed away. So, nobody knows how bad it affected (Trump).

Can you paint me a picture of what Saturday night was like? You didn't know how this shooting would affect the man your party is set to nominate for president.

Hutchison: There weren't a lot of us here on Saturday yet. But my concern was, 'Did it hit the head behind the ear?' And it did not, so I wasn't concerned about blunt trauma to the brain.

But everyone was still very much upset that this happened, that someone attempted (to assassinate Trump), everyone was very upset about that. To many people's surprise, it didn't turn into any anger here. Everyone was just so glad that he survived.

Allie Feinberg reports on politics for Knox News. Email her: allie.feinberg@knoxnews.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @alliefeinberg.

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