Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Trump speaks at a rally in Doral, Florida on July 9, 2024.
George Vieira | AFP | Getty Images
The Trump campaign and the Republican National Convention jointly announced Saturday a lineup of speakers for the nominating convention that begins Monday, including celebrities, high-dollar donors, dozens of Capitol Hill lawmakers and nine politicians who could be the vice president’s running mates. .
The front-runners for Trump’s current vice president include Ohio Republican Senator J.D. Vance and Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio. and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum will speak, along with six vice presidential candidates considered long odds, including South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and former Republican President Candidates Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C) and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
In the week leading up to the Republican National Committee meeting, Trump repeatedly teased his vice presidential pick announcement and tried to raise money to lift the suspense, including in a campaign memo on Saturday.
Several of Trump’s biggest donors are also on the RNC roster, including venture capitalist David Sacks and investors Steve and Zach Witkoff.
They will be joined by numerous Republican Senate candidates and lawmakers, including House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Conservative TV personalities Tucker Carlson and Savannah Chrisley will also speak, as will rapper Amber Rose.
In total, the Republican National Committee will have more than 80 speakers to drum up support for Trump before the convention finally formally designates him as the Republican presidential candidate.
Notable among the list of RNC speakers are former first lady Melania Trump and Trump’s daughter and former White House adviser Ivanka Trump.
Melania has been conspicuously absent from Trump’s campaign so far, drawing derision from President Joe Biden.
Other members of the Trump family, from son Eric Trump to daughter-in-law and Republican National Committee co-chair Laura Trump, are scheduled to speak.
The Milwaukee convention runs from Monday to Thursday, and Trump’s rallies are expected to be more intense than in previous years due to the former president’s control of the Republican Party in 2024. The excitement of an in-person meeting could also boost the RNC’s energy after holding it virtually in 2020.
Despite Trump’s hype, the convention also presents unique challenges for the former president, who has been sued in multiple lawsuits. Trump is barred from speaking to witnesses and alleged co-conspirators related to the legal cases, many of whom are scheduled to appear in court in Milwaukee.
