Donald Trump’s children, members of Congress and critics of Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama will speak at next week’s Republican National Convention in Cleveland.
Despite Trump’s proclamations that the convention would break the mold, the list of speakers includes plenty of establishment speakers, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and various members of Congress. It also includes New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich -- both of whom Trump is considering for vice president -- but not Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, one of the leading candidates.
Trump plans to announce his vice presidential pick at 11 a..m. on Friday in New York. The convention opens Monday; Trump is expected to speak on Thursday.
Also not on the speakers’ list: former Republicans presidents George H.W. or George W. Bush nor any of the former Republican presidential nominees. Neither Mitt Romney nor John McCain say they plan to attend the convention. Former Kansas Sen. Bob Dole, the Republican nominee in 1996, plans to attend, but is not listed as a speaker.
Ryan, who has publicly criticized Trump and initially held off on endorsing him and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz who said last week he agreed to speak, but stopped short of endorsing Trump, will speak. Other former rivals for the nomination including Christie, Ben Carson, Ohio Gov. Scott Walker and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee are also scheduled to speak.
Trump’s four adult children, Ivanka, Don Jr., Eric and Tiffany are scheduled to speak, along with his wife, Melania and Mark Burns, a South Carolina pastor who has been a prominent speaker at many Trump campaign events.
Also speaking: two survivors of the 2012 attack on the American diplomatic consulate in Benghazi, Libya; Wisconsin sheriff David Clark, who has called Obama’s tenure a “reign of teror” that has divided the country; former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani; Florida Gov. Rick Scott, Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin.
Other speakers include Jerry Falwell, Jr., the Liberty University president who endorsed Trump, giving him a boost among evangelical voters and Rabbi Haskel Lookstein, the New York rabbi who performed Ivanka's conversion to the Jewish faith when she married Jared Kushner in 2009.
The Republican National Convention billed what it said was a partial list as a “non-conventional speakers line-up emphasizing real world experience” and said a final list of speakers will follow.
Lesley Clark: 202-383-6054, @lesleyclark
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