The Republican National Convention is starting this week and there is a lot to expect.
What We Know:
- Last week was the Democratic National Convention. This week is the Republican National Convention, where President Donald Trump accepts the Republican nomination and Vice President Mike Pence accepts his re-nomination.
- The RNC lasts four days and has an overall theme of “Honoring the Great American Story,” where each day has its own chapter. Day 1 (Monday) is the “Land of Promise,” day 2 (Tuesday) “Land of Opportunity,” day 3 (Wednesday) “Land of Heroes,” and day 4 (Thursday) “Land of Greatness,” the night where Trump makes his formal acceptance speech.
- Day one consists of high-profile supporters like Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., the only Black Republican in the Senate, Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the couple who aimed their gun at protesters, Andrew Pollack, a gun-rights supporter who lost his daughter in the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., and many more.
- Mike Pence will make his acceptance speech at Fort McHenry in Baltimore, where the War of 1812 took place and inspired the making of The Star-Spangled Banner. President Donald Trump will make his speech Thursday night on the South Lawn of the White House, where 1,000 invited guests will gather to hear. First Lady Melania Trump will speak from the new landscaped Rose Garden.
- But, a lot of people, like Jordan Libowitz, Communications Director with Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, disagree with politicians using the Executive Mansion and national parks for political use. Libowitz decided to see how things unfold before filing a complaint. “Giving a political speech of this magnitude and visibility on the White House grounds creates the appearance that it’s a government-sanctioned event, mutiple laws were written to avoid,” Libowitz said.
- Trump will not only be speaking on Tuesday night, he also plans on addressing the convention every night, which drew a lot of criticism. Former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci called the convention a “one-man Broadway show,” claiming that Trump will make the convention all about him. Tim Perez, chairman of the Democratic National Convention said that the convention will consist of Trump lying, dividing, distracting, and scaring.
- The event was supposed to be in-person in Charlotte but it was pulled because the state government refused to lift it’s state restrictions on mass gatherings due to the coronavirus. Other plans were made for the event to take place in Jacksonville, Fla., but because of the spike in COVID cases, it was pulled, which means the event will be virtual.
Viewers can catch the convention on YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, Twitter, and Amazon Prime. But as for news channels, ABC, CBS, and NBC will air the convention live at 10 p.m. EST. PBS and CNN will begin their coverage at 8 p.m., MSBNC’s coverage starts at 7 p.m., and Fox News’ coverage is at 10 p.m.
