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Scott County Republicans attend RNC, share thoughts
SIKESTON — Sikeston Republicans Carrie Yanson and Leechia Wilder from the Bootheel Conservative Republicans represented Scott County during this week’s Republican National Convention, or RNC, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
According to Yanson and Wilder, who were visiting the RNC for the first time, there were plenty of exciting moments this week. This year’s convention took place July 15-18 at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.
The RNC is the major event hosted by the Republican Party of the United States every four years and serves several functions.
The convention includes the nomination of presidential and vice presidential candidates, as well as the gathering of delegates from all states and territories to vote and finalize nominations.
The RNC also provides an opportunity for the party to discuss its long-term goals and plans.
Yanson said there were numerous speeches from prominent figures, including Donald Trump and JD Vance, who accepted their nominations as president and vice president candidates of the Republican Party.
According to Wilder, one of the convention’s highlights was Trump’s arrival Monday, July 15, which marked his first public appearance since the assassination attempt on his life Saturday, July 13.
“The electricity of when we all knew Trump was in the building, whether you were close to him or not, it just was just amazing,” Wilder said.
Yanson agreed.
“You know, the attempted assassination just happened on Saturday, and to see former president Trump at the RNC in person a few days later with his ear bandage, you could just tell by the reaction he got from the crowd, he was so humbled by it,” Yanson said.
Wilder said many people spoke at the convention, and she commented on one of the speakers, American rapper and model Amber Rose.
“I was present when she spoke, and I was pleasantly surprised,” Wilder said. “It just means her priorities have switched a little bit.”
Rose said she initially believed left-wing propaganda that said Trump was a racist, but after conducting her own research, she realized Rose told the crowd she was mistaken. Rose also addressed the country’s inflation and high gas and grocery prices, stating that things were not like this when Trump was president.
Another speaker at the convention was Vivek Ramaswamy, and Yanson and Wilder both said they enjoyed his speech.
“Ramaswamy was one of the candidates for president and is an American entrepreneur,” Yanson said. “He’s a very bright and intelligent guy.”
Wilder agreed.
“He basically had all the statistics of various demographics to prove that everything under Trump did better,” Wilder said. “He had all the evidence, and he had the room electrified.”
Wilder and Yanson said they enjoyed so many speeches at the convention and were excited about Trump’s announcing Vance as his vice presidential candidate.
Yanson and Wilder said Trump spoke on the final night of the convention, which was Thursday, July 18, and his speech lasted about an hour and a half, which they also enjoyed.
“You know after the assassination attempt, it seems that Trump is a bit of a changed man,” Wilder said. “A lot of the nature of his rallies that you normally would feel in the room whenever he speaks, it wasn’t there, but his speech was still great. There was a lot of gratitude and some humbleness in his speech.”
According to Yanson and Wilder, Trump mentioned the border and inflation during his speech, but he also reiterated how close he came to death several times throughout.
“He’s a changed man for sure, and I think him just being up there fighting for us still gives me a little bit of chills,” Wilder said.