KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — After an assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump, questions linger about safety and security.
The Secret Service announced security plans were not changing ahead of the Republican National Convention, however a local security expert, Scott Johnson, said the campaign trail moving forward may look different.
"You have to slow the train down," Johnson said. "That might mean limited public appearances, limited campaign trail stops."
East Tennessean and Republican delegate Susan Richards Williamson said the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump has security on the top of minds, but she hasn't seen changes.
"We had an outdoor event last night. 15,000 people were there, there was security everywhere, you know, rooftops, mounted police on horses," Richards Williamson said. "You had to go through magnetometers just like always. But it's been that way for the past."
Now that the former president is okay, Richards Williamson said Republicans in Milwaukee are looking forward to the policy discussions at the convention.
"Those are the two things that I think our party is most concerned about is trying to get the economy back in good shape and closing the borders so that we feel secure in our country," she said.
The attempted assassination has signaled a shift in the political atmosphere, as parties from both sides ask for unity.
"I think it's certainly gotten the country's attention," Richards Williamson said. "I do think we'll see a lot more civil discourse."
Republican United States Representative Tim Burchett from Knoxville spoke with WBIR about his thoughts on political unity after the attempted assassination and calls from Trump and Biden to cut hot political discourse.
"President Trump is changing his speech and he was calling on unity, which I think is a very noble thing to do," Burchett said. "So, I salute the president, but I suspect the week after the Republican convention, the Left will take the gloves off and go after us again."
Chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party Scott Golden said the GOP wants to keep the momentum going after the Republican National Convention.
"We feel great about where the president is in his relationship in the campaign," Golden said. "I think people are beginning to see Donald Trump in the light that all of us in the Republican Party have seen him."