B-List Extravaganza? Trump Convention Will Be ‘Unlike Any We’ve Ever Seen’

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump smiles as he speaks in New York, Wednesday, June 22, 2016. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Not just run-of-the-mill political speeches for Donald Trump’s gold-plated convention in Cleveland.

Trump aides are reportedly lining up a schedule of speakers that include former athletes and celebrities to share his spotlight at the Republican National Convention next month.

Bloomberg News, citing “people familiar with the planning,” reported Tuesday that those on Trump’s list include former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka, college basketball legend Bobby Knight and NASCAR chairman Brian France.

Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump’s daughter, confirmed in a radio interview Wednesday on WHTK that some athletes and coaches would be invited to speak. She said that it would be a convention “unlike any we’ve ever seen.”

“It’s not gonna be a ho-hum lineup of, you know, the typical politicians,” she said, as first flagged by BuzzFeed News. “It’s gonna be a great combination of our great politicians, but also great American businessmen and women and leaders across industry and leaders across really all the sectors, from athletes to coaches and everything in between.”

Donald Trump tweeted Tuesday that Tyson was not asked to speak at the convention and suggested that the media made it up. Trump has supported Tyson after the boxer was convicted of rape in 1992. France was met with considerable criticism after he endorsed Trump in March. Knight has also endorsed Trump.

Ditka has before praised Trump, saying that he had what it takes to make America great again.” In response to the praise, Trump said he’d “love to have Mike involved in some capacity.”

“Why? Because Mike knows how to win and our politicians don’t,” Trump said at the time.

Listen to Ivanka Trump’s comments:

Latest Livewire

Notable Replies

  1. “B-List Extravaganza”
    Could not have predicted this… /s

  2. He should get Clint Eastwood.

  3. Avatar for yskov yskov says:

    "…across really all the sectors, from athletes to coaches and everything in between.”

    Kinda says it all right there, doesn’t it.

  4. He should geT OMAROSA to TALK to aN Empty CHAIR. ClaSSIC dis ON HITLARY. You KNow. BEIng and Empty Chair. BecaUSe she’s an EMPTY chair, right? AND omaROSA would BE talking to AN empty chair, which would be an aNALOGY for HITLARY. OR a similie. LIKE HItlary IS AN empty CHAIR. or is THE CHAIR A physical manifestation OF THE idea OF hITLARY. anyway, YOU’D GET IT IF YOU weren’t LIBtards because LIBtards IS dumb and without hUmor.

  5. those on Trump’s list include former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson

    who will not autograph your “Make Murica Great Agin” cap but will, for a small donation, bite your ear lobe off.

    Hell, i’ll tune in just to hear Tyson talk, that should be worth waiting for :joy_cat:

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

150 more replies

Participants

Avatar for druid800 Avatar for littlegirlblue Avatar for brooklyndweller Avatar for mattinpa Avatar for leftflank Avatar for humpback Avatar for bluestatedon Avatar for chammy Avatar for kilgoretrout Avatar for fourlegsgood Avatar for yskov Avatar for ralph_vonholst Avatar for theghostofeustacetilley Avatar for magical_panda Avatar for serendipitoussomnambulist Avatar for twowolves Avatar for ronbyers Avatar for tena Avatar for beattycat Avatar for dommyluc Avatar for misterneutron Avatar for spencersmom Avatar for pmaroneyb Avatar for dannydorko

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: