Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Scott Golden said he is confident in the security measures being taken for attendees of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
Milwaukee will host the Republican National Convention from July 15-18, during which tens of thousands of delegates, guests, and press members will gather to officially nominate Donald Trump for president and his yet-to-be-announced running mate for vice president.
Golden said approximately 225-250 individuals from Tennessee – including delegates, alternate delegates, elected officials, and media members – will represent the Volunteer State at the convention.
“We’re pedaling very much internally trying to get everything ready for [the convention],” Golden said on Wednesday’s episode of The Michael Patrick Leahy Show.
“It is a great opportunity for us as a state. We come together because, obviously, these people are willing to invest- this is a political vacation. So, to be there, you have to absolutely love it…In a lot of ways, it sets the next decade of politics for us,” Golden added.
When it comes to security concerns, especially in the wake of pro-Palestine protests that have taken place across the nation on college campuses, Golden said he’s confident in the security measures taken to protect attendees from any kind of threat.
Golden said the mayor of Milwaukee had to apply for a security grant as the convention is a national security event.
“[The mayor] had to get a Department of Justice grant, so the federal government pays for the overtime of policemen and firemen and everything. Then, of course, the National Guard comes in, there is security fencing. We’ve been to these conventions and they’ve been contentious in the past. They do a fantastic job with the amount of law enforcement and military there,” Golden said.
“It is a national security event. Even our buses that go inside the security perimeter have a secret service designee on them. The buses that we use to go inside the perimeter are locked up each night. So, literally, it is Fort Knox and it has to be because it’s obviously a very high profile event,” Golden added.
Golden, noting how he is on the committee on arrangements, said that while he is mindful of the protests happening across the country, he said he believes the organizers for the convention are “prepared to make sure that nothing’s going to get out of hand at this convention.”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Republican National Convention” by Walt Disney Television. CC BY-ND 2.0.
