Plans for the Republican National Convention are still mostly under wraps, and so far the only Georgian we know has a speaking slot is a Democrat.
The schedule for Monday lists state Rep. Vernon Jones, the Lithonia Democrat who angered his party leaders when he endorsed President Donald Trump in April. U.S. Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, and Congressman Doug Collins are among the state leaders who recorded videos, but it is not clear if they will be shown during any of the four nights of the convention.
The list of speakers also includes former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, U.S. Sens. Tim Scott of South Carolina and Tom Cotton of Arkansas, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, as well as Patricia and Mark McCloskey, the St. Louis couple who pointed guns at protesters marching through their neighborhood in June, and teenager Nick Sandmann, who became a conservative hero after accusing media organizations of reporting erroneous details about his viral face-off with a Native-American man.
President Donald Trump is scheduled to accept his nomination to a second term in office on Thursday, the final night, in a speech from the White House. Republican members of Congress have been invited to attend. CNN reports the president will be introduced by his daughter, Ivanka Trump.
First lady Melania Trump is expected to speak from the White House Rose Garden on Tuesday. Vice President Mike Pence’s acceptance speech is scheduled for Wednesday from Fort HcHenry in Baltimore, the site that inspired the National Anthem.
Roughly 350 delegates —including six from Georgia — will travel to Charlotte for business meetings this week, but most of those proceedings are not open to the public. The roll call of states casting nominating votes for Trump is scheduled for Monday morning.
It is not known whether Republicans will livestream their various caucuses and other daytime meetings as Democrats did last week.
How to watch:
The Republican convention primetime programming is scheduled from 8:30 to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Organizers said proceedings will be livestreamed on Facebook, YouTube, Twitch and Twitter. Uverse and Direct TV also have dedicated convention channels, and it can also be viewed on Amazon Prime Video.
C-SPAN has also committed to full “gavel-to-gavel” coverage each night without breaks or commentary.
The broadcast networks — NBC, CBS, PBS and ABC — are expected to provide at least an hour each night of convention coverage; likely starting at 10 p.m. Cable news networks, including MSNBC, CNN, and Fox News, will broadcast several hours of convention coverage each night.
The official website is 2020gopconvention.com.
Daily highlights:
Monday: Georgia Rep. Vernon Jones, a Democrat, will speak during primetime. The roll call of states casting votes to renominate President Donald Trump is scheduled for the morning. Other speakers include U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, former ambassador Nikki Haley, U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, right-wing pundit Charlie Kirk and St. Louis couple Patricia and Mark McCloskey.
Tuesday: First lady Melania Trump is the featured speaker. Others include Eric and Tiffany Trump, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron and Nick Sandmann, made famous after media coverage of a viral video led to questions about liberal bias.
Wednesday: Vice President Mike Pence will give his acceptance speech from Fort McHenry. Other speakers include second lady Karen Pence, Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Joni Ernst, Kellyanne Conway, and Lara Trump.
Thursday: President Donald Trump’s acceptance speech will likely be delivered at the White House. The schedule also lists Ivanka Trump, Housing Secretary Ben Carson, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy and former New York City Mayor Rudy Guiliani.
About the Author
