At the just-concluded Democratic National Convention—a virtual event that attracted surprisingly strong viewing numbers, particularly online—the organizers went to great lengths to honor their party’s history. They gave prime-time speaking slots to the last three men elected to the presidency on the Democratic ticket (Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama); the last two people to receive the party’s nomination but who failed to win that year’s election (John Kerry and Hillary Rodham Clinton); and all three of the living first ladies (Rosalynn Carter, Michelle Obama and, of course, HRC). And in a show of unity, almost every single rival to Joe Biden in this year’s primaries, from Elizabeth Warren to Pete Buttigieg to Andrew Yang, also got a speaking slot.
That, apparently, is not how the Republicans roll.
At this year’s Republican National Convention, which begins on Monday, there will be a conspicuous number of high-profile no-shows. George W. Bush, the two-term president and the only one of Donald Trump’s Republican predecessors who is still alive, is not coming. (Nor is Laura Bush.) Mitt Romney, the 2012 nominee and now a U.S. senator from Utah? Not coming. (Of course, his impeachment vote against Trump earlier this year might have made him something of a persona non grata at the convention.) Romney’s 2012 running mate, Paul Ryan, the former Speaker of the House? Nope. Nor Dick Cheney, who served for eight years as Bush’s vice president, or apparently his daughter, Liz Cheney, now a congresswoman from Wyoming and the House Republican Conference Chair, the third-highest position in GOP House leadership. John McCain, the 2008 nominee, died in 2018, of course, but perhaps his widow, Cindy McCain, will be invited to honor his memory and long service? Not happening. (Oh, wait, she actually made a virtual appearance at the DNC, narrating a video that detailed the friendship between her husband and Biden, the Democratic nominee.) Well, to show the diversity of the party, how about a speaking slot for Colin Powell, who under Bush became the first Black man to serve as secretary of state? No again. (And, yes, along with Cindy McCain and John Kasich, the Republican former governor of Ohio, Powell also spoke at this year’s DNC).
So who will be on the speakers list at this year’s Republican National Convention? Well, to begin with, expect to see a lot of Trump, with possible appearances by the president on all four nights. Although the official agenda was still in flux this weekend, White House aides have indicated that on Monday the president may travel to Charlotte, North Carolina, where a stripped-down convention is being held, to personally address the small number of delegates allowed to gather there. He is then expected to make at least brief TV appearances on Tuesday and Wednesday nights before delivering his acceptance speech on the South Lawn of the White House on Thursday.
It will also be a family affair. Melania Trump, the first lady, will speak on Tuesday night, perhaps from the revamped Rose Garden that she recently announced was her latest project. And though the days and times have not been confirmed, all three of Trump’s adult children from his first marriage—Donald Jr., Eric, and Ivanka—are expected to speak, as may Tiffany Trump, the president’s daughter with Marla Maples, wife number two. And don’t be surprised if speaking slots also go to Jared Kushner, Ivanka’s husband, who reportedly has taken over much of the convention planning in recent days; Lara Trump, wife of Eric and a frequent commentator on Fox News; and Kimberley Guilfoyle, Donald Jr.’s girlfriend, a former Fox News host and now the national chair of the Trump Victory Finance Committee 2020.
Among the other confirmed speakers are Vice President Mike Pence, who will make his acceptance speech from Fort McHenry in Baltimore on Wednesday night; Tim Scott, the senator from South Carolina and the only Black Republican in the upper chamber; Joni Ernst, the first-term Iowa senator who is a tough reelection fight; House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy; and former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley. (And after initially telling reporters that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell—also in a surprisingly tight race for reelection—was skipping the RNC this year, McConnell’s staff reversed course on Thursday to say he would now submit a recorded address.)
And there will be some “surprise” guests. (Well, that’s one way of putting it.) According to published reports, among those invited to speak are Nick Sandmann, the former Covington Catholic High School student who sued several media outlets for libel over their portrayal of his role in a confrontation with a Native American group on the National Mall in 2019; and Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the St. Louis couple who garnered national attention in June for brandishing their guns at Black Lives Matter protesters when they passed by their home. (The couple now faces felony charges over that incident.)
Originally, all four days of the convention were set for Charlotte. But in June, Trump moved the majority of the convention events to Jacksonville, Florida, after a dispute with North Carolina’s governor over social distancing protocols. Then in July, following a spike in coronavirus cases in Florida, Trump canceled the Jacksonville events.
The official party business, including the nomination of Trump to represent the party on the presidential ballot, will take place in Charlotte at the Charlotte Convention Center. (Just six delegates from each state will attend.) Attendees were sent self-swab coronavirus tests before going to the convention and are being tested again with a nasal swab test when they arrive. Masks are mandatory, and social distancing measures, including chairs placed six feet apart, will be observed. In addition, the RNC will give each convention attendee badges to assist with contact tracing.
According to a report on CNN this weekend, President Trump—“a television producer at heart”—wants his own convention to look dramatically different than the virtual one the Democrats just staged, with more of an emphasis on live events and in-person audiences. “Calling aides at all hours from Air Force One or the White House residence,” CNN reported, “Trump has conveyed last-minute ideas on venues or gimmicks and demanded progress reports on the speakers he wants during his nominating extravaganza.”
Like the DNC, the RNC will schedule two hours of programming each of the four nights, from 9 p.m to 11 p.m. ET, with cable networks and PBS committed to covering all two hours and major networks coming on the air at 10.