DENVER — Former President Donald Trump is officially in Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention. Just days after an assassination attempt, Trump said on social media he would delay his trip to the convention but decided he could not allow the shooter to change his schedule. During the convention, Trump is expected to become the Republican nominee for president.
With Saturday's assassination attempt still fresh on people’s minds, Denver7 went to the University of Denver to speak with the Dean of International Studies about what this means for both parties.
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"I think there will be an even more energized Republican Convention," said Dean of the Josef Korbel School of International Studies Fritz Mayer. "The themes will be the same that they would have been, but even now, sharper in a lot of ways, that this is the consequence, in their view, of rhetoric on the left condemning Trump."
Mayer added that Democrats could be in a tough spot because of the events that happened over the weekend.
"It's very difficult for the Democratic party and for Biden's campaign, as if they needed another complication," Mayer said. "Yes, it has shifted the narrative. Obviously, the focus is now on Trump and for the moment away from 'Is Biden too old?' which has been the central narrative. But it deeply undercuts the Biden strategy. You can see that they pulled their ads, they cannot attack at the moment. That's the whole thrust, really, of the Biden campaign."
In terms of the political landscape of the country, this may be a moment of unity for a country otherwise deeply divided.
"We are incredibly polarized. The rhetoric is pretty hot on both sides," Mayer said. "There's less of a sense of awareness of a 'we' in American politics today. There's a lot of talk about them and us. So, it's a really difficult moment and this is not going to help, I don't think."
As we look ahead to the November election, Mayer said the recent debate did not help Biden, while Trump’s base may be getting more energized now.
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"I don't think we'll see huge swings, but it further cements the majority that he, that Trump, seems to have at the moment, and it certainly energizes his base. Much is about turnout — Trump's base will be further energized. We'll see what the Democrats do, but if Biden is the candidate, the great fear is there's no enthusiasm, or less enthusiasm, in the Democratic party than there is in the Republican party," Mayer said.
