What to Expect at the GOP Convention

Four nights of speakers begins Monday
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 15, 2024 10:29 AM CDT
What to Expect at the GOP Convention
People walk past the Fiserv Forum ahead of the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.   (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

With the exception of beefed-up security, the Republican National Convention will go on as planned starting Monday in Milwaukee. The convention is to culminate Thursday with a speech by Donald Trump accepting the nomination. What to expect:

  • Monday: The day's theme is "Make America Wealthy Again," with the goal of telling people that Trump's "America First" economic policies are better than President Biden's initiatives, reports NPR.

  • Tuesday: The theme is "Make America Safe Once Again," and speakers will make the case that Biden's "soft-on-crime and open border policies" are hurting the nation.
  • Wednesday: The theme is "Make America Strong Once Again," which will focus on foreign policy and global hot spots.
  • Thursday: The final night's theme is "Make America Great Once Again," and the big focus will be on Trump himself. The former president says he is changing the focus of speech from criticizing Biden to uniting America.
  • Speakers: The list of speakers includes Trump sons Donald Jr. and Eric; daughter-in-law Lara Trump, wife of Eric; and Kimberly Guilfoyle, fiancee of Donald Jr. and a conservative media personality. CBS News has the full list, which includes Tucker Carlson, Franklin Graham, country music stars Lee Greenwood and Chris Janson, and Vivek Ramaswamy. (Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis also have speaking slots that were added late.)

  • The veep: At some point between Monday and Thursday, Trump will name his running mate, with Sens. JD Vance and Marco Rubio and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum on the short list, per the Hill.
  • Security: Trump already has arrived in Milwaukee, and the RNC security coordinator with the Secret Service said the agency was "ready to go," per the New York Times. One unknown is how close protesters will be allowed to get to the convention itself. As for the former president, he wrote on Truth Social on Sunday that "I cannot allow a 'shooter,' or potential assassin, to force change to scheduling, or anything else."
  • Full schedule, streaming: The RNC master schedule is here. USA Today spells out various ways to watch.
(More Republican National Convention stories.)

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