2024 RNC Convention Trip

GU Politics took a cohort of students to the Republican National Convention July 14-19, 2024. We had the chance to meet with campaign strategists and operatives, get a behind-the-scenes look into the media operation and witness the convention live from the hall each night. We ran into no shortage of former Fellows, Hoyas and familiar faces and are so grateful to everyone who took the time to talk with our students. This summer we also took a cohort of students to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

The students who attended the RNC included: Raghav Akula (SFS’27), Natalie Cartwright (SFS’26), Madelyn Davis (MPP’25), Megan Engle (SCS’25), Jack Kaplan (COL’27), Michael Korvyakov (MSB’27), Kaitlin Kushner (COL’27), Ryan Qu (MSB’26),  Saroja Ramchandren (SFS’27), Howard Shen (MA’25), Briana Sparacino (SFS’25), Daniel Greilsheimer (SFS’26).

View RNC Day 1 Instagram Reel

View RNC Day 3 Instagram Reel

Read a blog post by Madelyn Davis (MPP’25) about her experience on the trip.

View #HoyasAtRNC photos on Flickr

Kaitlin: 

Despite the early morning wake-up call, our cohort seemed to buzz with excitement as we met at the GU Politics Living Room to depart for Milwaukee! We had a few surprise run-ins with politicians and reporters, like Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) and CNN’s Kasie Hunt at the airport. These quick meetings were just a preview for the many run-ins we would experience later in the week! 

After touching down in Milwaukee and settling into the UW Milwaukee dorm rooms, our cohort took a walk into the center of town to explore. We saw the main street and took a walk down to the lighthouse overlooking Lake Michigan. Despite the heat, we had a good time and even ran into some other people going to the convention!

Later, at dinner, we discussed what we sought to learn from attending the convention. I expressed my interest in gaining a deeper insight into the specific divisions within the Republican party. I have noticed drastic changes within the party’s messaging and leadership and wished to converse with Republicans in attendance at the RNC about such changes. We also discussed how the attempted assassination attempt will impact the rhetoric of the convention. 

Shortly after this meal, which featured some delicious Wisconsin cheese curds, we made our way to the official RNC welcome party by the city’s gorgeous waterfront. While enjoying some great food and interesting conversations, we also met House Speaker Mike Johnson and saw many other famous people on the grounds. The energy was very exciting. Everyone seemed to be pumped for the days of speeches and political action ahead. It was a busy day but a fantastic start to our week! 

Just hours later, Day 1 of the trip was upon us! I had the opportunity to volunteer for the CNN-Politico Grill for a few hours with some other students. We were tasked with ushering guest speakers from the security perimeter and into the grill before their panels with Politico reporters. It was fascinating to hear from Sen. Steve Gaines (R-MT) about his opinions regarding Trump’s potential VP pick (which was still to be announced), the assassination attempt and the Republican party’s success in upcoming senate elections. 

Getting a first-hand look at the CNN-Politico Grill operations and witnessing the speed at which reporters must write about current events and interviews was incredibly eye-opening. My understanding of the media’s role at conventions was shaped by this experience as I watched outlets quickly and accurately respond to the events of the day. 

Others had the opportunity to volunteer with the convention itself. They were tasked with staffing the media floor, where they directed employees of the media and their guests to their booths. During that time, many famous conservative figures were seen coming in, including Matt Schlapp, the chairman of the American Conservative Union, Mike Johnson, the current Speaker of the House, and Mike Lindell, the founder of MyPillow and close advisor to Donald Trump.

When our cohort reconvened in the afternoon, we attended the state roll call of votes and the official nomination of Donald Trump in the Fiserv Forum. As the roll call commenced, it was announced that J.D. Vance was Trump’s VP pick. The energy in the convention center seemed to soar as the news circulated. A few of the party delegates mentioned the VP pick as they announced their votes for the presidential nomination. Even states that initially had delegates vote in favor of other candidates, such as Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley, found themselves voting unanimously for Trump.

Later on that night, we listened to speakers such as Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL), Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) make their cases for electing Donald Trump as the next president. At the very end of the night, Trump walked into the arena, marking his first public appearance since his assassination attempt. He appeared a bit calmer and more subdued than usual, surrounded by his family and new running mate JD Vance. He also wore a bandage on his ear, a nod toward the Saturday events.

Being in the convention hall for such a long period was genuinely fascinating. I could sense the crowd’s opinions and reactions to specific politicians as they appeared. The convention space reflected a mega-church, with a lot of religious references, chanting and patriotic music. Everyone seemed to rally around Trump despite fears of a schism in the Republican party. Our Day 1 experience within Fiserv demonstrated how the convention is a performance to appeal to viewers watching in the arena and at home. 

Briana:

Day 2 of the convention began when my alarm rang at 3:00am. Despite the early hour, I was energized by my excitement: we were going to be on the CNN morning show. We arrived at the CNN-Politico Grill at 4:30am, racing to the coffee machines before sitting down on set behind CNN host Kasie Hunt, and the panel including GU Politics Executive Director Mo Elleithee and Fall ‘17 GU Politics Fellow Mike Dubke (P’21). As a student passionate about film and journalism, the opportunity to be on set was thrilling to me as it offered a glimpse into the world of media production. 

After concluding our morning at the grill (and receiving a pin entitled “Grillwaukee 2024”), we headed back to our dorms to rest before our next big event at 10am— a meeting with former White House Chief of Staff and RNC Chairman Reince Priebus. Priebus was quite frankly one of the most interesting off-the-record meetings we had thus far at the convention, giving us an inside look on campaign financing and marketing. 

We headed straight to a brunch hosted by the Brunswick Group and our very own Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service featuring senior advisor to Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign Chris LaCivita. Not only did I enjoy the eggs benedict we were served, I also enjoyed the opportunity to ask Mr. LaCivita a question about how he hoped to unify the Republican party to support President Trump in another term. He made sure to emphasize his confidence in the Trump campaign to unify Republicans and the country. 

Following the Brunswick event, we met with former Rep. Trey Gowdy and senior adviser to the RNC, Richard Walters. Gowdy gave us his perspective of modern-day political journalism and its role in facilitating bipartisan conversation to address today’s divisive political climate. Walters gave us an inside look into setting up for the RNC and the four years of hard work it takes to put on a convention that hosts tens of thousands of people, oftentimes fueling the economy of a city.

Our day ended with attending the convention. Here, I not only saw Republican stars up close— such as Fox News host Sean Hannity, former NY Knicks Center Enes Kanter, and Republican VP nominee J.D. Vance — but I was also able to talk to reporters from NBC, CNN and Fox. These reporters were so kind, taking the time to speak to us and give us advice as students looking to possibly work at one of these organizations. 

Overall, Day 2 provided me with a greater insight into the inner workings of political campaigns as well as invaluable insight from established leaders in the Republican Party. 

Raghav:

We probably could not have started off the day stronger.

As soon as we made it through the security perimeter, we were whisked straight into Fiserv Forum by Ashley Gunn, a former Trump administration official-turned-professional RNC volunteer who led us through VIP passages into the heart of the stadium. She and her team led us onto the stage in front of the actual podium where every speaker stands, and Howard Kolins, the RNC’s stage manager, generously lent us his time to detail exactly how the podium, screens and teleprompter worked. Most surprisingly of all, it turned out we were actively on live television while we were on stage. On our way back, we explored the rooms where speakers practice and stumbled upon the rehearsal room of none other than (Georgetown alum) Eric Trump, who came out to meet us and take a quick picture. By the end of the tour, we had witnessed more behind-the-scenes areas of the convention than even 90% of its volunteers.

Yet somehow, the morning wasn’t even over. Directly after the exclusive tour, we had a conversation with NBC’s Chuck Todd, who spoke about trends in major news companies. Aside from the pleasure of meeting one of media’s biggest household names, I was also thrilled to be able to scratch the “get political analysis from Chuck Todd” square off of my RNC bingo card.

Directly after this meeting, two other students and I split from the rest of the group to have lunch with PBS NewsHour host and Fall ‘21 GU Politics Fellow Amna Nawaz and take a private tour of all of PBS’s facilities, including a $10 million broadcasting truck, their below-stage editing rooms, and their personalized booth in which they televised live commentary. The staff was even gracious enough to let us giddy fans take pictures in the anchors’ chairs. While we were with PBS, others in the cohort visited the C-SPAN skybox and heard from incoming C-SPAN CEO Sam Feist (L’99). 

When we all reconvened, we met with former Governor of Kansas, Georgetown alum, and Fall ‘19 GU Politics Fellow Jeff Colyer (C’81, P’17). His commentary was candid and refreshingly substantive and fellow international relations nerds enjoyed a conversation on defense policy, foreign affairs and politics.

When it finally came time for the convention to begin, we learned that we got a bit of an upgrade for our seating. We were given passes for exclusive club access and allowed to watch the convention from a birds-eye view with special invitees and guests (and free food — trust me the regular concessions stand was nonsensically expensive).

That night, Senator J.D. Vance — Trump’s newly announced pick for Vice Presidential nominee — was set to speak, but it was Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and his staff coming to our suite that stole our attention minutes before Vance made his appearance. Senator Cruz sat just a few seats away from me at a long table overlooking the convention floor. Meanwhile, his political director was in a dilemma: He needed a way to charge his boss’s phone. Luckily, one of my fellow students offered his charger for Senator Cruz’s phone and earned us a conversation, group picture and individual photos with the senator after Vance’s speech.

Only in politics could all these insights and celebrity appearances manifest in a single day.

Howard:

Our cohort met the final day of the convention with much excitement and anticipation.

In the morning, the final list of almost 20 speakers was released as we entered the DNC’s rapid response center just outside the security perimeter. Among reporters, the list sparked chatter: “Mike Pompeo, Tucker Carlson, and Hulk Hogan?”

We heard Democrat heavyweights support the joint rapid response efforts of the DNC and the Biden-Harris campaign. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA), Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH) and Quentin Fulks from the Biden-Harris campaign responded to Senator J.D. Vance’s acceptance speech and made their case against the Republican ticket as a whole. Their vocal opposition to the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 formed the backbone of their strategy to stimulate voter turnout against the Trump-Vance campaign. It was incredibly interesting to see how the Biden-Harris communications team contrasted their narrative of national unity with the perceived disunity of a second Trump administration. Our conversation with Fulks also allowed us to see how the Biden-Harris ticket was responding to congressmen’s calls for the President to step down. 

We then debriefed the week with GU Politics Executive Director Mo Elleithee at the aptly named Mo’s Irish Pub. We recapped the week and discussed how our experience at the convention affected our view of the Republican and Democratic Parties. Some of us expressed excitement about their party’s platform while others spoke about their disillusionment with both parties. Ultimately, we considered how the messaging coming out of the RNC and Rapid Response Team would affect voters’ behavior, both nationally and amongst ourselves.

After lunch, we headed down to Media Row and spoke to reporters from both national news outlets, like The Daily Wire, and local outlets, like the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Then, we met with two reporters who were covering the RNC: Associated Press National Politics Reporter, Meg Kinnard (SFS‘02), and CNN Campaign Producer, Kate Sullivan (C’17). They shared their experiences covering national politics during this turbulent election season. Kinnard described her experience in the Spin Room after the memorable June 27th Presidential debate. Sullivan shared her experience following former President Trump on the campaign trail, recounting the harrowing assassination attempt and describing the immediate reactions of shock and bravery from the audience and staff.

Inside the security perimeter, the bustle of the convention continued: loud music, exciting outfits, and rousing speeches. Delegates, guests, and Georgetown students entered the Fiserv Forum for the last time, eagerly anticipating Trump’s speech. We watched as Hulk Hogan ripped his shirt in a display of support for former President Trump, and we heard Eric Trump step into his father’s 2016 and 2020 shoes as a prime-time firebrand. The night culminated in a long-awaited, supposedly unifying, speech by former President Trump. While the beginning of his speech was an emotional, prose-filled, description of the July 13th assassination attempt, the speech soon devolved into a familiar rant against the Biden administration and its policies. Although the hour-long speech culminated in a call for non-violence and unity, the overall message remained polarizing. 

The theme of the Republican National convention was supposedly reframed at the last minute to foster unity in the wake of the July 13th assassination attempt in Butler, PA. However, I felt that while the party had unified around its nominee, the country remained polarized. Leaving the convention center that night, I remained unsure of what a unified nation looked like under a second Trump administration. With President Biden dropping out of the 2024 race this week and the Democratic National Convention still to come, it remains to be seen how a Democratic vision of unity contrasts with the Republican vision.