St. Louis couple, Covington Catholic student to speak at Republican National Convention
WASHINGTON – Speakers at the Republican National Convention next week include a St. Louis couple who brandished guns as protesters of police brutality marched through their gated community; a high school student maligned for his interaction with a Native American man; the father of a student killed in the Parkland, Florida, shooting of 2018; and at least one prominent anti-abortion activist.
The lineup underscores the issues behind President Donald Trump's attacks on former Vice President Joe Biden and the Democrats, who are holding their convention this week.
Democrats want to "confiscate the guns of law-abiding Americans," as well as "protect the criminals" and "force taxpayers to fund extreme late-term abortion," Trump said Monday in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
"We are in a fight for the survival of our nation and civilization itself," Trump said.
Democrats said Trump and his allies are fear-mongering because they have no issues to run on. Strategist Jesse Ferguson said his party's convention this week is "about improving people's lives," while the Republican gathering "is about improving Donald Trump's mood."
"Democrats are talking about combating coronavirus and healing the country while Republicans are just holding an airing of grievances," Ferguson said.
More: Prosecutor launches investigation after white couple seen pointing guns at St. Louis protesters
More: CNN confirms a settlement has been reached with Covington Catholic student Nick Sandmann
Because of COVID-19, Trump and the Republican Party will hold a weeklong virtual convention in two cities: Charlotte, North Carolina, and Washington.
There will be four days of Republican meetings in Charlotte – including one to formally renominate Trump – and four days of speeches and other events intended to energize Trump's core supporters in and around Washington.
It will all be capped by Trump's acceptance speech Aug. 27, probably from the White House, a venue choice that has drawn criticism from lawmakers who said he shouldn't use an iconic government building for a political campaign speech.
The Republicans plan to use several historic sites in and near Washington for the convention, which has the theme "Honoring the Great American Story."
Vice President Mike Pence is likely to give his acceptance speech at Fort McHenry in Baltimore, site of a battle between the Americans and British in the War of 1812 that inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The Star Spangled Banner."
As part of the hoopla, the Republican National Committee requested a permit for a fireworks display at the Washington Monument after Trump's acceptance speech.
The list of speakers, according to Trump aides who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the schedule has not been announced, includes Mark and Patricia McCloskey. The St. Louis couple faced felony charges of unlawful use of weapons after displaying them at a Black Lives Matter march in their neighborhood. Prosecutors dropped those charges.
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Another scheduled speaker is Nick Sandmann, the high school student who was criticized for a video showing a confrontation between him and Native American elder Nathan Phillips during a demonstration in 2019. Sandmann, who said he was simply greeting Phillips, sued news organizations for defamation and received settlements.
Andrew Pollack, a gun rights advocate and father of a student killed at the Parkland shooting, is also on the Republican speakers' list. So is anti-abortion activist Abby Johnson, a former director at Planned Parenthood.
The president is busy during the Democrats' virtual convention this week. Trump is visiting at least five battleground states – Wisconsin, Minnesota, Arizona, Pennsylvania and Iowa – as the Democrats convene via video to nominate Joe Biden.
The Republicans will begin convention activities Friday in Charlotte, North Carolina, the city once tapped for a more traditional convention.
State officials declined Republican requests to lift restrictions on large gatherings. They said holding a traditional political convention, which would draw thousands of people flying to Charlotte from across the country, might spread COVID-19.
More: Republicans fear coronavirus will force scaling back Trump's Florida convention
The White House? Gettysburg? Florida? Trump team looks at options for nomination speech
The Republicans improvised, scheduling party business meetings of small numbers of delegates in Charlotte.
Monday's meeting is the biggest of them: the session to formally nominate Trump for a second term.
The president is to fly to Charlotte that day to claim his nomination. He will not deliver a formal acceptance speech, aides said, but will express thanks to the delegates for their work under challenging circumstances.
That same Monday, the Republicans will start their online convention featuring speakers and other special events in Washington. That will lead into Trump's acceptance speech on Thursday.
When the Republicans canceled their traditional convention, they moved Trump's prime-time acceptance Aug. 27 to a venue in Jacksonville, Florida. They had to cancel those plans, too, as cases of COVID-19 spiked in the area.
Trump aides explored the idea of having the president accept the nomination at some "historic site." They narrowed the choices down to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, site of a pivotal Civil War battle and an iconic Abraham Lincoln speech, and the White House.
Trump said he will probably choose the White House, despite protests that it violates laws prohibiting political campaign activity on taxpayer-funded government property.
More: Trump cancels Jacksonville portion of Republican convention planned for August because of COVID-19
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: RNC: St. Louis couple, Covington Catholic student to speak
