Trump’s Big Donors, Vice Presidential Candidates Will Headline Republican National Convention
Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Doral, Florida, on July 9, 2024.
Giorgio Viera | AFP | Getty Images
The trumpet campaign and Republican National Convention on Saturday jointly announced the list of speakers for the nominations conference that begins on Monday, including celebrities, wealthy DonorsDozens of Capitol Hill lawmakers and nine politicians have emerged as running mates could be vice presidents.
Trump’s current vice presidential nominees — Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum — will speak, along with six vice presidential candidates considered less likely, including South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and former Republican presidential candidate Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy.
In the week leading up to the RNC, Trump repeatedly teased VP select announcements and fundraising efforts to escape the suspense, including in a campaign memo on Saturday.
Several major Trump donors are also on the RNC roster, including venture capitalists David Sacks and investors Steve and Zach Witkoff.
They will be joined by a host of Republican Senate candidates and lawmakers including House Speaker Mike JohnsonR-La.
Conservative TV hosts Tucker Carlson and Savannah Chrisley are also expected to speak, along with rapper Amber Rose.
In total, the RNC will feature more than 80 speakers rallying support for Trump before the convention officially nominates him as the Republican presidential nominee.
Notably absent from the RNC’s speaker lineup were former First Lady Melania Trump, as well as Trump’s daughter and former White House adviser Ivanka Trump.
Melania has been noticeably absent from Trump’s campaign so far, drawing ridicule from President Joe Biden.
Other members of the Trump family, from son Eric Trump to daughter-in-law Lara Trump, who is also a co-chair of the RNC, are scheduled to speak.
The convention in Milwaukee runs from Monday to Thursday and is expected to be a more fervently pro-Trump rally than in previous years as the former president takes control of the Republican Party in 2024. The RNC’s energy may also be fueled by post-pandemic excitement about convening in person after holding it virtually in 2020.
Despite Trump’s rhetoric, the convention also poses a unique challenge for a former president who is facing multiple lawsuits. Trump is barred from speaking to witnesses and alleged co-defendants in those cases, many of whom will be in Milwaukee.
