The first night of programming for the Republican National Convention will kick off Monday night — though some convention business will take place earlier in the day.
How to watch night 1 of the Republican National Convention
Here’s who’s speaking as Republican delegates renominate Trump and Pence.
Andrew Prokop is a senior politics correspondent at Vox, covering the White House, elections, and political scandals and investigations. He’s worked at Vox since the site’s launch in 2014, and before that, he worked as a research assistant at the New Yorker’s Washington, DC, bureau.
The GOP convention’s proceedings were scaled back, but the event isn’t all virtual — a relatively small group of delegates have gathered in Charlotte, North Carolina, to conduct convention business. On Monday morning, these delegates formally renominated Mike Pence as vice presidential candidate, and they will renominate Donald Trump as the party’s presidential candidate shortly. Trump is expected to appear and thank delegates for renominating him around midday.
Around 8:30 pm Eastern, the main primetime events will begin. They’ll end around 11 pm Eastern.
You can watch the whole proceedings online via C-SPAN and the Republican National Convention’s YouTube channel, among other streams. Cable news networks like Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC will also likely cover much of the programming. The major networks — CBS, NBC, and ABC — will only air the final hour’s worth of content. Donald Trump Jr. will be the headline speaker on night one.
One noteworthy speech will be from Nikki Haley, the former US ambassador to the United Nations and governor of South Carolina. Haley is widely believed to be considering a presidential run in 2024. Trump even mused to associates about the possibility of dropping Vice President Mike Pence from the 2020 ticket and naming Haley his running mate instead, but he did not end up doing this.
Red meat will likely be provided by Reps. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Matt Gaetz (R-FL), two of the president’s most energetic defenders in Congress. House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA), who was badly wounded in a 2017 shooting at a congressional baseball practice, will also speak, as will Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), the only Black Republican in the US Senate, and RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel (Mitt Romney’s niece).
Meanwhile, as a partial answer to the Democratic convention’s frequent touting of Republicans who have endorsed Joe Biden, one Democratic politician who has endorsed Trump will be featured — Vernon Jones, a state House representative from Georgia. Jones, who is Black, has praised Trump’s record on the economy. After criticism of his Trump endorsement, Jones said he would resign his office (saying he has “left the plantation”), but then reversed that decision.
The convention’s theme for Monday night is “A Land of Heroes.” Here’s the latest speaker list:
Republican convention speakers on night 1
Donald Trump Jr.
Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC)
House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (LA-01)
Rep. Matt Gaetz (FL-01)
Rep. Jim Jordan (OH-04)
Former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley
Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel
Georgia state Rep. Vernon Jones (D)
Kimberly Guilfoyle (former Fox host, dating Donald Trump Jr.)
Natalie Harp (millennial cancer patient who has praised Trump’s “Right to Try” Act)
Charlie Kirk (founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA)
Kim Klacik (Republican congressional candidate in Baltimore)
Sean Parnell (Republican congressional candidate in western Pennsylvania)
Mark and Patricia McCloskey (St. Louis couple who went viral for aiming guns at protesters)
Andrew Pollack (the father of a Parkland shooting victim)
Tanya Weinreis (a Montana coffee shop owner who got a PPP loan)
Amy Johnson Ford (a nurse)
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