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The Republican presidential ticket came together on Monday when Donald Trump named JD Vance as his running mate. In turning to the 39-year-old Ohio senator, the Republican nominee injected new energy into a campaign that has centered in recent weeks on questions of age following President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance.The Republican National Convention opened less than 48 hours after Trump was the subject of a shocking assassination attempt in Pennsylvania. The shooting, which left Trump injured and one man dead, loomed over the convention with speakers expressing gratitude for the former president’s survival and resolved to win back the White House in November.Here are some takeaways from the first day of the convention.Trump made a powerful entranceJust two days after a gunman tried to kill him, Trump walked into the convention hall with a bandage over his injured right ear as the singer Lee Greewood performed God Bless the USA, a regular feature of the former president’s rallies. Trump waved to the crowd and pumped his fist in the air, a regular gesture that has taken on new meaning after he made a similar motion from the stage as Secret Service agents whisked him to safety on Saturday.The crowd stood and cheered with delight at the sight of their nominee. Trump, who is rarely left without words, made no formal comments. But the sight of him said plenty, offering a palpable reminder of the former president’s narrow miss from tragedy.He then greeted his family before taking a seat between Vance and commentator Tucker Carlson.The GOP’s Trump-era evolution was on full displaySenate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell is arguably responsible for the GOP’s biggest policy accomplishments, particularly in installing conservative judges at all levels of the judiciary. But that didn’t matter much to the Trump-friendly crowd at the RNC, which greeted the Kentucky Republican with boos a tangible rejection of someone demonized as an establishment Republican who has insufficiently supported the former president.Just a short while later, Vance enjoyed a much different reception. The second-youngest U.S. senator and the first millennial to appear on a major party ticket received raucous applause when he walked onto the convention floor for the first time as Trump’s running mate.The dueling moments offered a window into the changes that have swept the GOP under Trump bookending an era in which McConnell has gone from one of his partys most powerful leaders and incisive tacticians to getting jeered on the convention floor by his own partys activists.Stylistically, McConnell and Vance couldnt be much more different. Vance, an outspoken MAGA warrior, is one of Trumps chief acolytes. McConnell, meanwhile, has an understated demeanor while his political sensibilities are rooted in the GOP of Ronald Reagan.Without McConnell, however, the 39-year-old Vances political rise might not have been possible.Two years ago, Vance was struggling to raise money and up against a well-funded Democratic opponent. McConnells super PAC swept in with more than $30 million in advertising spending.Vance won and began his climb to prominence. McConnell, now in the twilight of his political career, will step down as the GOPs Senate leader in November.Unions are the GOP’s new friend?For decades, Democrats have been the party of labor unions, while Republicans have been outwardly hostile to them.But on the opening night of the RNC, Trump threw the doors of the convention open to International Brotherhood of Teamsters President Sean OBrien, who delivered the final speech of the night and singled out both major political parties for not doing enough for working people.If it seems unusual for a president of a major labor union to address a major gathering of Republicans, thats because it is. For decades the party has pushed anti-labor laws intended to curtail the ability of unions to organize.But in his speech, which wasnt always warmly received by Republicans in attendance, OBrien said workers are being taken for granted and sold out to big banks, big tech, the corporate elite, as well as both parties in Washington.His speech amounted to criticism of Biden, who often likes to boast that hes the most pro-union president in history.As Trump continues to scramble American politics and position himself as a champion of working people, OBrien appeared to be making clear that Democrats shouldnt take labor for granted.We are not beholden to anyone or any party, OBrien said.Republicans spoke of unity but leaned into hot-button social issuesThe first night of the RNC was supposed to be about the economy, with the goal of uniting voters of all ideological persuasions who are frustrated by high prices. But some of the biggest applause lines came from harsh criticisms of transgender people.Its a reminder that cultural issues motivate the GOP base as much as financial ones. A trio of speakers unabashedly went after Democrats who have sought greater acceptance for transgender people. Of particular outrage to Republicans this year was Biden marking Transgender Day of Visibility. It happened to overlap with Easter in 2024, a byproduct of the Christian holiday being based off the lunar calendar.To many in the LGBTQ+ community, it was a coincidence. But to many Republicans, it was an insult.They promised normalcy and gave us Transgender Visibility Day on Easter Sunday, said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. And let me state this clearly, there are only two genders.Other Republicans sought to make the issue a matter of fairness. Their argument was that its wrong to ask girls to compete against transgender athletes. The Biden administration proposed a rule in April that would prevent schools and colleges from enacting outright bans on transgender athletes, a rule that was quickly challenged in court.Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said at the convention it was all part of a fringe agenda that includes biological males competing against girls.Rep. John James, R-Mich., tried to equate it to part of a broader critique of Democrats, saying that they promised to offer the country hope and had failed. Our daughters were sold on hope, and now theyre being forced on the playing fields and changing rooms with biological males, James said.Republicans hit Biden hard on inflationTo hear Republicans tell it, inflation had crushed the U.S. economy and its all Bidens fault.The argument is a key message for voters who may have doubts about Trumps ethics but still trust his economic judgment. None of the speeches at the convention offered much of a detailed explanation as to why prices went up. That would require acknowledging the broken supply chains after the pandemic as well as how Russias invasion of Ukraine pushed up food and energy costs. But Biden pushed through $1.9 trillion in pandemic aid and the GOP argued that Americans have suffered as a result by paying more for groceries and gasoline.This was all about taking the troubling inflation data and ignoring the positives in the economy such as a strong job market and solid growth as the economy has recovered.So many American families have to live with so much less, said Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala. This is too high a price to pay for an administration that has brought us to such lows.But how would the GOP fix inflation?The speakers never really gave a plan, other than simply returning Trump to the White House.