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Trump campaign releases RNC schedule

The 2020 Republican National convention is set to kick off Monday, August 24, and run through Thursday, August 27. After being introduced by his daughter Ivanka, President Trump will take the stage to officially accept his party’s nomination on Thursday at the White House, precisely one week after former Vice President Joe Biden accepted the Democratic Party nomination.

The Trump campaign released the RNC schedule of speakers Sunday afternoon, though many venues and details of the convention’s shifting plans remain under wraps. The four-day event, according to the Trump campaign, will aim to “honor the great American story.” 

Originally slated to take place in person in Charlotte, North Carolina, the president moved parts of the convention to Jacksonville, Florida in June after a disagreement with North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper over coronavirus containment measures. The Jacksonville plan was later scrapped due to high COVID-19 numbers in Florida. The event will now take place with a small number of Republican leaders and a few hundred delegates in Charlotte and many other Republican speakers and leaders will join virtually. 

“They’re going to try to make it look a little more like a real convention,” Special Correspondent Jeff Greenfield told NewsHour Weekend on Sunday, comparing the RNC to last week’s virtual Democratic National Convention. “Trump will be speaking to audiences.”

The President’s decision to accept his party’s nomination from the White House has caused controversy, with some critics saying it violates the Hatch Act, a federal law that bars executive branch employees from campaigning and other political activities while on government time. The Hatch act does not apply to the president or vice president, and President Trump has not enforced staff violations of the law in the past.  

“The president means to talk every night in primetime,” Greenfield said, calling the move “unprecedented. Presidents usually show up every night to just wave and say, hi, I’ll see you Thursday night,” he said.

Other speakers slated to pump up Republican voters for November’s election run the gamut, from recognizable party names, like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, to Trump’s children and family, to viral figures in conservative media, like Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the St. Louis couple who waved guns at BLM protesters this summer.

The RNC’s full roster can be found here. A list of notable of expected speakers below.

 

RNC Day-by-day breakdown

Monday speakers include:

House Minority Whip Steve Scalise

Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley

RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel

Mark and Patricia McCloskey—St. Louis, MO couple seen aiming guns at protesters this summer

Donald Trump Jr.

Kimberly Guilfoyle—former Fox News Host

Charlie Kirk—founder of Turning Point USA

 

Tuesday speakers include:

First lady Melania Trump

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

Senator Rand Paul 

Nicholas Sandmann—Covington Catholic student

Eric Trump

Tiffany Trump

 

Wednesday speakers include:

Vice President Mike Pence

Second Lady Karen Pence

White House counselor Kellyanne Conway

Burgess Owens—former NFL player

Jack Brewer—former NFL player

Madison Cawthorn—the 25-year-old House representative candidate from western North Carolina who President Trump originally opposed

Lara Trump

 

Thursday speakers include:

President Trump

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell 

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy 

Ivanka Trump

Rudy Giuliani

Alice Johnson — Granted clemency by President Trump after meeting with Kim Kardashian-West

Dana White—Ultimate Fighting Championship President