RNC chair on Trump's convention appearance: 'It is a miracle that he's here'

The first night of the Republican National Convention featured former President Donald Trump’s first public appearance since he was nearly killed. Amna Nawaz spoke with Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley about Trump’s appearance and the selection of JD Vance as his running mate.

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Amna Nawaz: All right, let’s hear now from the chairman of the Republican National Committee. I spoke with Michael Whatley earlier today, and I began by asking him about former President Trump’s appearance right here last night in this hall.

Michael Whatley, Chairman, Republican National Committee: When I had talked to him prior to him coming out there, I said: “Sir, this place is going to melt for you.”

People are relieved. It is a miracle that he’s here. It’s a miracle that we are holding this convention. And I think that he wanted to send that signal. He didn’t need to be here until Thursday. And he was like: No, I’m coming to Milwaukee. I want to send a signal to the people here, but to the people all across the country, I’m here.

Amna Nawaz: You mentioned you spoke with him after the assassination attempt. I talked to Senator Ron Johnson yesterday, who said, in speaking with him, he seemed like a changed person.

Did you get that sense too?

Michael Whatley: You know, he is very focused, right? And I think that he understands that he has a very unique opportunity to help lead this country, and that’s something that is driving him.

And so, again, you have to stop and reflect on what happened on Saturday. You have to take stock of that. And you really need to step back and say, why are we doing this? What is this about? And it really is…

Amna Nawaz: You think that day changed everything?

Michael Whatley: I think so. I know it changed my speech. I think it changed everybody’s speech to be able to have that conversation and that focus on every American family.

But we are very blessed to have him here.

Amna Nawaz: He did say he changed his speech, trying, I think he says, intends to call for more unity and tamping down some of the political rhetoric. Did you ask all the other speakers to change their speeches?

Michael Whatley: No, we didn’t have to.

Amna Nawaz: Are you reviewing them?

Michael Whatley: We have had conversations with everybody. I think, obviously, you want to make sure that we continue to focus on the messages for the convention.

And the thing that’s really remarkable, I guess, is that we had always planned this convention to really focus on every American family, to talk about everyday Americans and the experience that they’re having right now in the world and what Donald Trump can do to help make it better for everybody.

Amna Nawaz: But the calls for unity, to be fair, that’s a change in tone and rhetoric. Was that something you have asked speakers to try to work into their speeches more?

Michael Whatley: Again, I think that people are following the lead of the president, right? And, certainly, I changed my speech and made sure that we had that conversation in there.

And I think the president really wants to focus on it. We have unified the Republican Party. But now it’s time to unify this country.

Amna Nawaz: Speaking of unifying the Republican Party, Nikki Haley is expected to speak tonight. Why is it important for her to take the stage? What’s the message that you hope she delivers and who she brings further into the fold?

Michael Whatley: Well, look, I think the fact that we have Ron DeSantis here, we have Nikki Haley here, we are a unified Republican Party.

I think that we are unified in a way that, frankly, we have not been for generations as a party behind Donald Trump. That is tremendously important, because, right now, this nation is at an inflection point. This election cycle is going to determine not just where we go for the next four years, but for generations to come.

And, again, we have an opportunity here to reset our standing in the world, to restore our economy and to secure our southern border. That’s what matters for the American people.

Amna Nawaz: In naming J.D. Vance, his running mate, there’s a clear strategy approach there. It seems to be Midwest, Rust Belt, blue wall.

This is someone who appeals to a lot of key voters there, for Republicans as well. Tell me a little bit about the appeal that you think he brings to other people too. Is this sort of room for people who were previously skeptical of President Trump, as was J.D. Vance, to come into the fold?

Michael Whatley: Absolutely.

You know, and when you think about it, there are really two criterion that the president is considering when he thinks about it, right? One, who is somebody he can work with every single day? And, secondly, who is somebody that can step up and be the president of the United States?

This is a great pick. And I think it sends the signals that you were talking about to the Rust Belt. I think that it sends the signals to working Americans every single day. This is a guy who grew up poor. This is a guy who grew up in Appalachia, who managed to work his way into the Senate.

And when he ran for the Senate, he did it by talking to every family in Ohio. And now he’s in a big position to talk to every American and talk to every American family about his experience and how America gives us the opportunity to do better, but we need to do better.

Amna Nawaz: He’s also exactly half Mr. Trump’s age. Is he the heir apparent here?

Michael Whatley: Look, I think we have such a strong bench here in the Republican Party. I think that we have a future of young leaders. You think about guys like Wesley Hunt or Byron Donaldson and, obviously, Senator Vance.

Amna Nawaz: But he didn’t pick them for V.P. He picked J.D. Vance.

Michael Whatley: He did pick J.D. Vance.

Amna Nawaz: Yes.

Michael Whatley: I think it is the face of the party. I think it is the future of this country. And I think that it’s because we’re addressing the issues that every American family cares about, things like jobs and the economy, safety and security, that every family cares about, whether they’re urban or they’re suburban or they’re rural, whether they’re in the north or they’re in the south.

And so his ability to connect directly with American voters is something that’s matched only by the president.

Amna Nawaz: The theme for tonight is make America safe again.

It’s worth noting former President Trump is now himself a victim of gun violence, like millions of Americans, an experience that they can relate to. Is that something we should expect to hear about tonight?

Michael Whatley: I think what we want to talk about is making sure that there is a community that is going to be safe in every community.

We want to talk about making sure the American people are safe, talk about the fact that we have had 10 million illegal immigrants who have come across our southern border.

(Crosstalk)

Amna Nawaz: But with regards to safety and gun violence, in particular, is that something you expect to come up?

Michael Whatley: All of that matters. I think everything is on the table. What we want to talk about is the everyday American experience, and we need to support our law enforcement officers, and we need to have a number of conversations at every level.

Amna Nawaz: You have had a decades-long career in Republican politics. Tell me about how you’re thinking about the strategy ahead in terms of, on election night, if there’s one state that you think former President Trump wins that tells you he’s won it or one state he potentially loses that says to you it’s game over?

Michael Whatley: You know, look, I think we have got a series of battleground states that we have been focused on since the campaign opened up, places like Arizona and Nevada, North Carolina and Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan.

We’re — we have opened up our map to places that Republicans have not competed in for a long time, places like Minnesota, Virginia, New Hampshire, even New Jersey that we’re seeing that we’re now competitive in.

So we’re hoping that, if we do our job, we get out the vote and we protect the ballot, that we’re going to be able to have an early night on election night. But I think that when we see how those battleground states go that decided ’16, that decided ’20, then we’re going to have a sense of where we’re going here.

Amna Nawaz: RNC Chairman Michael Whatley, thank you so much for your time. Good to speak with you.

Michael Whatley: Absolutely. Thank you.