Ted Johnson
Variety.com
CLEVELAND - Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker compared some of the security concerns over this year's Republican Convention in Cleveland to 2004, when the GOP held its gathering in New York less than three years after 9/11.
"I remember being in New York in 2004 not long after 9/11 and we had similar things out there, but the bottom line is we are not going to let terrorists stop us from doing what we do best in America, and that is talking about freedom, talking about our ideas," he told Variety. "You need to be cautious, certainly not be foolish, but the bottom line is we're not going to let terrorists stop us from doing what we need to do."
Walker was the first candidate to drop out of the presidential race, and had been critical of presumptive nominee Donald Trump for attacking the judge presiding over a class action lawsuit against Trump University.
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But Walker will speak at the convention, and said he hopes that by the end of the week the message that comes out of Cleveland is "unity."
"I hope people realize the party is united behind Donald Trump and Mike Pence and that America sees that there is a clear contrast between more of the same and a team that is going to take on and shake up Washington," he said.
Another rival for the GOP nomination, Jeb Bush, is not attending the convention and remains critical of Trump.
Walker said that the continued resistance among some of Trump's rivals "is normal.
"You got a 17-person heated primary so you had a number of candidates who may not have liked the whole process, but you have seen that in campaigns of the past," he said. "What is really important is where voters feel right after this week's convention, if they are going to see a clear contrast."
Walker attended a welcome party for delegates and other visitors to the convention. It was held on the shoreline of Lake Erie, in and around the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Among the performers was Three Dog Night, as well as acts such as Cats on Holiday and the Second Amendments.
