Good morning from Milwaukee, where Day 4 of the Republican National Convention is underway. Meanwhile, Democrats are battling the latest calamity to befall President Joe Biden, who has paused his campaign after contracting Covid and facing fresh calls to withdraw from the race. Man of the moment: The headline event today is the speech by the Republican Party’s nominee for president, Donald J. Trump. The former president is due to deliver a prime-time address this evening, with TV networks prepping for a blockbuster night. Imperial perch: Not that Trump has been keeping a low profile. The former president has been surveying proceedings every night from a red VIP box above the convention floor, watching as speaker after speaker pays homage. Tonight will be the first time we hear directly from the president. Keeping it in the family: The Trump clan was out in force last night. Trump’s eldest son Donald Trump Jr.introduced vice president nominee J.D. Vance. Don Jr.’s fiancé Kimberly Guilfoyle (former wife of one of the Democrats’ rising stars, California Governor Gavin Newsom) delivered her usual high-octane speech to the masses; while Trump’s eldest granddaughter Kai made her first political appearance, setting off a mini internet sensation as followers flocked to her social media accounts. Melania-watch: A notable absence was Melania Trump. The former first lady is expected to make an appearance when her husband accepts the presidential nomination tonight, along with their son Barron. No word yet on whether Ivanka Trump and husband Jared Kushner — who have taken a back seat since their stint in the White House — will make an appearance. Things get testy: Meanwhile, things got heated outside the convention hall Wednesday as the head of the Secret Service Kimberly Cheatle was accosted by a group of Republican senators who called on her to resign over last Saturday’s attempted assassination on Trump. “She can run, but she cannot hide,” Tennessee senator Martha Blackburn said in a video posted on X. VANCE MEETS AMERICA CALL ME J.D.: As a first-term senator, J.D. Vance is a relative political newcomer. Last night he brought his story to the country, as the author of “Hillbilly Elegy” set out his political agenda as he prepares to possibly become the country’s next vice president. 2016 Redux: In many ways, his speech was a flashback to the 2016 campaign, more Trumpy than Trump, as he painted a dark picture of a lost America, and pledged to revive America’s factories and craftsmanship in the Rust Belt states where he was raised. “Tonight is a night of hope. A celebration of what America once was — and with God’s grace, what it soon will be again,” he told the crowd as he railed against globalization, and promised to bring jobs and energy production back to American shores. Calling out Biden: Trump’s newly minted running mate picked apart “career politician” Joe Biden’s political past, from his support for the war in Iraq to endorsing trade deals that paved the way for Chinese imports. Throughout the speech, he contrasted his own youth with a president who has been a politician “longer than I have been alive” — Trump, in contrast, was praised as an outsider who stood up to the elite (despite being just three years younger than Biden). Pay up, allies: Vance, a committed isolationist who opposes further aid for Ukraine, only briefly touched on foreign policy despite his lengthy speech. He warned that allies must pay their way. “No more free rides for nations that betray the generosity of the American taxpayer,” he intoned. A former marine, he also pledged to “send our kids to war only when we must.” Personal touch: While much of his speech set out a policy platform, a large part of his pitch was autobiographical as he sketched his rags-to-riches life story. At one point he turned to his mother, who has battled addiction throughout her life and is now sober. “I love you, mom,” he said to rapturous applause. Second lady in waiting: Vance was not the only one making his debut on a national convention stage. Introducing him was his wife Usha Vance, a 38-year-old Yale- and Cambridge-educated lawyer who was born to Indian parents in California. Earlier this week, she resigned from her job as a trial lawyer at the firm Munger, Tolles & Olson to focus on the campaign. View from the Biden camp: “J.D. Vance is unprepared, unqualified, and willing to do anything Donald Trump demands,” said Biden campaign communications director Michael Tyler following the speech. View from the convention floor: “He’s a good complement to Trump,” said Linda Kelly, a 77-year-old delegate and Trump supporter from Tennessee. “It’s about time we looked to the new generation.” SEEN AND HEARD QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I went to prison so you don’t have to” — former Trump official Peter Navarro addressing the convention last night, hours after his release from prison after serving a four-month term for contempt of court. ‘Honk if you know what a woman is’: The slogan of the pink “Women for America” tour bus parked outside the Baird Center in the heart of the convention zone. Madam President: America is ready for a female president — a Republican one. That’s according to Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who previously served as White House press secretary. “I think there is a long list of people that are capable and could certainly take that on,” she told Jonathan Martin at the POLITICO-CNN Grill Thursday. (Sanders herself has been tipped as a possible GOP nominee in 2028.) Madam Secretary: The Republican National Convention is not the typical hangout for Hollywood stars, but one actor has been spotted among the Trump faithful. Tim Daly, who in the CBS television series “Madam Secretary” played the husband of fictional Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord, hosted a reception in the outdoor garden of the Brewhouse Inn in his capacity as president of the Creative Coalition, a nonprofit organization championing arts and education. His message? In an era where identities are getting sliced thinner and thinner like “deli meat,” it’s important to find the connections uniting all human beings whatever their political background. Amen. Spotted: Rupert Murdoch watching J.D. Vance’s speech from a box in the convention center alongside Senator Lindsey Graham. DEMS IN PANIC MODE RACE TO NOVEMBER: With Joe Biden forced to abandon a campaign visit in the swing state of Nevada after contracting Covid, panic is continuing to ripple through parts of the Democratic Party about his chances in November. An Associated Press-NORC poll Wednesday found that two-thirds of Democrats want Biden to withdraw. Shiff gets shirty: California Democrat Adam Schiff, in a bombshell development, called on the president to step down, expressing “serious concerns” about his ability to beat Trump. His intervention was viewed as particularly significant given his close relationship with party grandee Nancy Pelosi. Reading Pelosi: CNN reported overnight that Pelosi privately told Biden that he risks losing to Donald Trump in November in a recent meeting, but that the president pushed back. Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer also warned Biden about the views of some of the party’s members over the weekend. DNC slows nomination process: In a sign that Democratic power brokers are cognizant of dissent within the ranks, the Democratic National Committee delayed by a week a virtual nominating process that is likely to seal President Biden’s status at the top of the Democratic ticket. The virtual roll call will take place the first week of August — not long before the Democratic National Convention, which opens August 19 in Chicago. The Biden team says this is necessary to ensure that the incumbent adheres to an Ohio law requiring candidates to be on the ballot by August 7. Chink in the armor: Biden’s statement that he would reevaluate his decision to run if “some medical condition emerged” also opened up a possible exit route for the president if his health situation deteriorates. Republican thinking: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis articulated Wednesday what many Democrats privately suspect — that Republicans are relishing the prospect of Trump facing Biden, rather than any alternative, on the ballot. He told members of the Florida Republican Party in Milwaukee he hopes Biden will stay as the Democratic nominee, POLITICO’s Kimberly Leonard reports. “If the Democrats want to go down this road, I think that’s the best possible scenario for Republicans,” DeSantis said. “I hope he sticks it out.” Tongue in cheek: But the Trump campaign revealed how it really feels in a statement on a possible Vance versus Harris debate. “We don’t know who the Democrat nominee for Vice President is going to be, so we can’t lock in a date before their convention. To do so would be unfair to Gavin Newsom, JB Pritzker, Gretchen Whitmer, or whoever Kamala Harris picks as her running mate.” Concern about down-ballot races: It’s not just the presidential election that is spooking Democrats. Many are concerned that Biden’s poor ratings could negatively impact other races in the Senate and House of Representatives, particularly in swing districts. Quietly confident: For their part, Republicans are eying a triple whammy in November. “I think Republicans will win the White House, the Senate and the House,” North Carolina Congressman Richard Hudson told our own Ryan Lizza in an interview at the POLITICO-CNN grill. Although he added that he didn’t expect a “red wave” in the House because there is a narrow number of swing seats. Kemp warning: But not all are so confident. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said that Republicans were in danger of becoming overconfident. “I absolutely do not think this is a done deal,” he told POLITICO this week. “Four or five months is an eternity in politics, and a lot of things can happen,” he said, predicting a “dog fight” in November. AROUND TOWN WHERE ARE ALL THE PROTESTORS? The city of Milwaukee had been bracing for demonstrations in the run-up to the convention — but protests have been pretty muted. While a few thousand people marched on Monday through the downtown area, this was a lower turnout than expected. “The fearmongering leading up to the protests definitely did not help, especially after the shooting on Saturday,” Omar Flores, co-chair of the Coalition to March on the RNC 2024, told POLITICO’s Shia Kapos, referring to the assassination attempt on former President Trump. Nonetheless, signs of dissent have been popping up along the convention center periphery. — Billboards on the freeway into Milwaukee scream: “Your nominee is a convicted felon.” — The Lincoln Project, a high-profile anti-Trump Republican group, is slow-driving billboard trucks around the city, running footage of Trump with adult film star Stormy Daniels. — Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein addressed demonstrators, calling for more public investment in health care and less in the military. Meanwhile, Democrat Cory Booker represented the Biden-Harris ticket in Milwaukee along with senior Wisconsin Democrats, warning at a press conference of a “dystopian world” if Trump wins in November. Homeless man shot: Out-of-state officers shot dead a man several blocks away from the convention’s outer security perimeter Tuesday, prompting outrage from some local residents. The deceased, who according to police had been wielding knives, was a homeless man from the Milwaukee area. Trump merch: The official Trump merchandise store in the Fiserv Forum is running a roaring trade, offering everything from Trump-themed golf balls to Make America Great Again red T-shirts — starting at $36 a shirt. Not on sale: the makeshift ear bandages that many delegates are wearing in solidarity with Trump. Poetry greats: Also on sale at the Baird Center is the “Collected Poems of Donald J. Trump,” a collection of Trump tweets bound in a moss-green hardcover book. An addition to the pantheon of American writing giants, no doubt. Convention listening: Check out the latest edition of Power Play, where host Anne McElvoy takes the pulse of the convention with POLITICO’s global Editor-in-Chief John Harris and Playbook co-author Eugene Daniels, and hears from former Trump staffer Hogan Ridley. TODAY’S AGENDA On Day 4 of the Republican convention, today’s theme is “Make America Great Once Again,” culminating with the acceptance speech of Donald Trump. This morning, Vance will speak at the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s God and country breakfast — along with South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin and House Speaker Mike Johnson. Among the speakers expected to address the convention are former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, UFC chief Dana White, and former president Donald Trump. The CNN-POLITICO Grill also has a host of speakers throughout the day. Here’s a rundown: — 11 a.m.: A conversation with New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu — 11.30 a.m.: A conversation with Chris LaCivita, co-manager for the Trump campaign and chief of staff of the Republican National Committee — 12: 15 p.m.: A conversation with NATO ambassadors. Dame Karen Pierce, British ambassador to the United States; Swedish Ambassador Urban Ahlin; Canadian Ambassador Kirsten Hillman; German Ambassador Andreas Michaelis — 1.30 p.m.: A conversation with House Speaker Mike Johnson — 5:45 p.m.: RNC Official Convention Watch Party, Drink Wisconsinbly Pub, Milwaukee. — 8 p.m.: CNN-POLITICO closing night party. You can follow live at POLITICO.com/RNC PROGRAMMING NOTE — Global Playbook will next be in your inbox Friday morning 7 a.m. CDT from the Republican National Convention. — Thanks to editor Sonya Diehn. | 
