Former President Donald Trump will be formally accepting his party’s nomination at the 2024 Republican National Convention this week, and an array of GOP leaders, rising stars, celebrities and Trump family members will be among those addressing the RNC from Monday through Thursday. Trump is expected to receive a rousing welcome from supporters and delegates after escaping a shocking assassination attempt on Saturday at a rally in Pennsylvania.
The GOP convention is also taking place as many Democrats are questioning whether President Biden should be their nominee, after his shaky performance in the debate last month raised questions about his fitness for another four years in office and his ability to defeat Trump in November.
Speakers for the 2024 Republican National Convention
Each day of the convention has a theme: Monday, the opening day, will emphasize the economy; Tuesday focuses on crime and the border; America’s foreign policy is Wednesday’s theme; and the final night, when Trump speaks, will be about Trump’s promise to “usher in a new golden age for America,” according to an RNC news release.
Here’s the Republican convention’s list of speakers for the week:
Family members
- Donald Trump Jr.
- Eric Trump
- Co-Chairman and Trump daughter-in-law Lara Trump
- Kimberly Guilfoyle
Entertainers, celebrities, industry leaders
- Matt Brooks, CEO of the Republican Jewish Coalition
- Tucker Carlson, commentator
- Savannah Chrisley, TV personality and criminal justice reform advocate
- Franklin Graham, faith leader
- Lee Greenwood, country music singer
- Alina Habba, Trump campaign senior adviser
- Diane Hendricks, owner of ABC Supply
- Tom Homan, former acting ICE director
- Chris Janson, country music singer
- Perry Johnson, businessman
- Charlie Kirk, CEO of TPUSA
- Sean O’Brien, Teamsters president
- Vivek Ramaswamy, businessman
- Amber Rose, rapper and influencer
- David Sacks, CEO of Yammer
- Bob Unanue, CEO of Goya Foods
- Dana White, CEO of UFC
- Steven and Zach Witkoff, businessman
RNC leadership
- RNC Chairman Michael Whatley
- COA Chairwoman Anne Hathaway
- Host Committee Chairman Reince Priebus
GOP officials and candidates:
- Senator Katie Britt (R-AL)
- Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR)
- Senator Rick Scott (R-FL)
- Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL)
- Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO)
- Senator Steve Daines (R-MT), NRSC chairman
- Senator JD Vance (R-OH)
- Senator Tim Scott (R-SC)
- Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)
- Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX)
- Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI)
- Senate candidate Kari Lake (R-AZ)
- Senate candidate Jim Banks (R-IN)
- Senate candidate Mike Rogers (R-MI)
- Senate candidate Tim Sheehy (R-MT)
- Senate candidate Sam Brown (R- NV)
- Senate candidate Bernie Moreno (R-OH)
- Senate candidate Dave McCormick (R-PA)
- Senate candidate Hung Cao (R-VA)
- Senate candidate Eric Hovde (R-WI)
- Senate candidate Gov. Jim Justice (WV) & Babydog
- House Speaker Mike Johnson (LA-4)
- House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (LA-1)
- House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (MN-6)
- Rep. Richard Hudson (NC-9), NRCC Chairman
- Rep. Elise Stefanik (NY-21), House GOP Conference Chair
- Rep. Matt Gaetz (FL-1)
- Rep. Michael Waltz (FL-6)
- Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (FL-13)
- Rep. Byron Donalds (FL-19)
- Rep. Brian Mast (FL-21)
- Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA-14)
- Rep. John James (MI-10)
- Rep. Jeff Van Drew (NJ-2)
- Rep. Nancy Mace (SC-1)
- Rep. Ronny Jackson (TX-13)
- Rep. Monica De La Cruz (TX-15)
- Rep. Wesley Hunt (TX-38)
- Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R-AR)
- Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL)
- Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND)
- Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD)
- Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX)
- Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA)
- Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird
- North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson
- Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, a former Democrat
- East Palestine, Ohio, Mayor Trent Conaway
- Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Dr. Ben Carson
- Former counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway
- Former Acting Director of National Intelligence Ric Grenell
- Peter Navarro, former director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy
- Mike Pompeo, Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
- Former Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley
- Former Small Business Administrator Linda McMahon
- Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich
- Former Rep. Lee Zeldin
How do they choose the speakers for the RNC?
The people who are addressing the convention include members of Trump’s family, Republican officials and candidates, officials from Trump’s administration, and entertainers, celebrities and business leaders who support Trump. The convention will also feature everyday Americans who highlight its themes this week, including a decorated military veteran, a teacher who used to be a Democrat but now supports Trump, a union worker who backs Trump, an Arizona rancher worried about border security, legal Latino immigrants who are still feeling the financial sting of inflation, a community activist whose town has been overrun by homelessness, and a number of others.
Who spoke at the 2020 Republican National Convention?
While several of the scheduled 2024 convention speakers also appeared at the 2020 convention, there are some notable absences this year, in particular, former Vice President Mike Pence, who ran against Trump for the 2024 nomination and has said he is not endorsing him this year. Nikki Haley, another Trump primary rival, originally was not slated to speak at the convention, her spokesperson said, but she has also accepted an invitation to speak, two sources familiar with the planning told CBS News. Before the convention, Haley released the several dozen delegates she won in the primaries and encouraged them to vote for Trump, in the interest of party unity.
The 2020 list of speakers can be found here.
Arden Farhi and Hunter Woodall contributed to this report.