Unusual Speaker Roster At RNC Includes Melania Trump, Pro Golfer, Ex-Model

FILE - In this June 28, 2016 file photo, work continues on the main stage for the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Donald Trump’s team promises an extraordinary display of political entertainment at the... FILE - In this June 28, 2016 file photo, work continues on the main stage for the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Donald Trump’s team promises an extraordinary display of political entertainment at the Republican National Convention, with the accent on entertainment.(AP Photo/Mark Gillispie, File) MORE LESS
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While Donald Trump has dialed back his plan to prioritize “showbiz” at next week’s Republican National Convention, the speaker list remains plenty unconventional.

Those scheduled to address the audience in Cleveland include all four of Trump’s adult children and his wife Melania, professional golfer Natalie Gulbis, and former Calvin Klein underwear model Antonio Sabato Jr., according to a list released by the Republican Party on Thursday. Conservative former football star Tim Tebow, Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White, and Peter Thiel, the billionaire Silicon Valley entrepreneur whose lawsuits pushed Gawker Media to bankruptcy, will all be in attendance.

Though many Republican rank-and-file members have bowed out of this year’s convention, a selection who have allied themselves with or defended Trump will be present. Those who will speak include six senators, seven House representatives, and a handful of Republican governors including Oklahoma’s Mary Fallin, Wisconsin’s Scott Walker, and Florida’s Rick Scott. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI), and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) are all scheduled to address the convention.

The Trump campaign has for months promised to offer voters a convention befitting a former reality TV star, with Trump’s daughter Ivanka promising that the Cleveland summit will be “unlike any we’ve ever seen.”

Details included in a New York Times write-up of the convention schedule suggest these predictions will be accurate. The first night of the convention will be devoted to the 2012 terrorist attacks in Benghazi, Libya, and the Times reported that an entire presentation will be dedicated to detailing the sexual dalliances of former President Bill Clinton.

The third night will feature remarks from Trump’s vice presidential pick, who the real estate mogul said will be announced this Friday.

See the initial list of speakers, which is subject to change, below:

Pastor Mark Burns
Phil Ruffin
Congressman Ryan Zinke
Pat Smith
Mark Geist
John Tiegen
Congressman Michael McCaul
Sheriff David Clarke
Congressman Sean Duffy
Darryl Glenn
Senator Tom Cotton
Karen Vaughn
Governor Mike Huckabee
Mayor Rudy Giuliani
Melania Trump
Senator Joni Ernst
Kathryn Gates-Skipper
Marcus Luttrell
Dana White
Governor Asa Hutchinson
Attorney General Leslie Rutledge
Michael Mukasey
Andy Wist
Senator Jeff Sessions
Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn
Alex Smith
Speaker Paul Ryan
Congressman Kevin McCarthy
Kerry Woolard .
Senator Shelley Moore Capito
Dr. Ben Carson
Co-Chair Sharon Day
Natalie Gulbis
Kimberlin Brown
Antonio Sabato, Jr.
Peter Thiel
Eileen Collins
Senator Ted Cruz
Newt Gingrich
Michelle Van Etten
Lynne Patton
Eric Trump
Harold Hamm
Congressman Chris Collins
Brock Mealer
Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn
Governor Mary Fallin
Darrell Scott
Lisa Shin
Governor Rick Scott
Chairman Reince Priebus
Tom Barrack
Ivanka Trump
Attorney General Pam Bondi
Jerry Falwell Jr.
Rabbi Haskel Lookstein
Chris Cox
Senator Mitch McConnell
Tiffany Trump
Governor Chris Christie
Donald J. Trump Jr.
Governor Scott Walker

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Notable Replies

  1. Sounds very “showbizzy,” Donzy. Will there also be a performance of La Cage aux Folles? Oh, your lineup of speakers is LCaF*? How surprising.

    *Edit: Lunatic asylum

  2. Wow, it that’s not the most massive list of losers, miscreants, fools, sharks, con men and anti-American values RW stalwarts, I’m the proverbial monkey’s uncle!

    Amazing, simply amazing.

  3. Avatar for sjk sjk says:

    And zero former presidents, and most former presidential candidates and most of all corporate sponsors avoiding like the plague.

  4. Avatar for zsak zsak says:

    But it’s Diversity!

  5. What’s so unusual about his wife speaking? ALL presidential nominees’ wives are given an opportunity to speak at the conventions.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

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