NC delegates arrive at RNC amid news of assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump

Sunday, July 14, 2024
MILWAUKEE, Wis. (WTVD) -- The shooting involving former President Donald Trump all came amid a pivotal time with the Republican National Convention set to begin on Monday.

Delegates from North Carolina are already on their way to the convention, and some were already there.

Michele Woodhouse, a Republican delegate from western North Carolina's 11th Congressional District had just arrived in Milwaukee Saturday morning. She was exploring the convention center with fellow RNC delegates when their phones start buzzing, hearing former President Trump had been shot.

"Was it a ricochet? What was the situation? But he was obviously hit and injured. But in typical President Trump fashion, he stood up fist in the air and you could hear the chants of USA, but it was an incredibly scary moment for all Americans, no matter Republican or Democrat," Woodhouse says.

She says she's already seen heightened security ahead of the convention in Wisconsin, and while delegates haven't been given any guidance yet since this is still unfolding, they're planning on moving forward this week, but she says things may look different.



"The barricades are already going up. We've seen just today incredible security measures. But I anticipate we'll see higher security. That remains to be seen. And but I do think it probably changes the tone and the tenor of the speeches and just the atmosphere in general," she says.

She says for her it solidified her support for the former president, but she says this goes beyond politics.

"I think any time you're in a group setting now, we had a college football game or as a parent, any time you send your child to school, you're terrified that anything like this can happen. And obviously the very best and the brightest with the Secret Service and the SWAT team were there guarding President Trump. But even something like this can happen when there is someone who wants to do ill, they're going to find a way to do it," she says.

North Carolina has a large contingent of delegates, around 300 of them either on their way to Wisconsin. In a statement, Trump says he looks forward to make it the convention this week as planned, where he's also expected to announce his running mate.
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