Sen. Ron Johnson attacks Democrats' 'fringe' agenda in opening night RNC speech

Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson opened a convention billed as one of unity Monday night in Milwaukee by leveling criticism squarely at Democrats.

The Democratic Party, Johnson said as he welcomed Republican delegates to Wisconsin, are the party of “open borders, reckless spending, weaponized government and weakness on the world stage.”

He called Democrats’ agenda “fringe” and attacked them for discussing gender-related issues. “Vice President Harris and President Biden,” Johnson said, “have made our lives less safe and more expensive.”

Johnson’s nearly 4-minute speech opened a nominating convention in Milwaukee that Republicans have attempted to center around “unity” following the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania that left one attendee dead and saw the former president grazed by a bullet.

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Trump following the shooting said he changed his upcoming convention speech to center around that message after originally planning to center it on Biden and his policies.

Johnson, however, attacked Democrats as he made the case for Republican governance.

“We repaired the damage done by Democrats before, and we will do it again,” Johnson said, noting Republicans want smaller government, less regulation and to secure the border.

After the speech, an aide to Johnson told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the speech Johnson read was not the final version he intended to deliver.

His final speech began with Johnson saying "we should all heed President Trump's call for unity, strength and determination," the aide said. And he read a line that he did not want in the final version: "Today's Democrat agenda, their policies, are a clear and present danger to America, to our institutions, our values and our people."

Asked who was responsible for the error, Johnson's staff replied: "Not us."

Johnson earlier in the day told the Journal Sentinel he was happy Trump changed his speech to one of unity. But he said Republicans were still “going to go after their ideology and policies, which are disruptive.”

“You have to do that,” he said in a brief interview. “This is a contest, an election between two visions for this country.”

On Monday, he pointed to Trump as the answer.

“We must complete the message President Trump first articulated in 2016,” Johnson told the crowd. “To Make America Great Again.”

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Ron Johnson attacks Democrats' 'fringe' agenda in RNC speech