Former President Donald Trump’s ex-rivals, including former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., are scheduled to speak Tuesday at the Republican National Convention—among a line-up of prominent Republicans set to take the stage on the second day of the convention.
Tenessee Gov. Bill Lee speaks during the second day of the Republican National Convention at the ... [+]
Rubio, DeSantis and Haley are rallying around Trump after previously criticizing him on the campaign trail (Rubio ran against him in 2016 and Haley and DeSantis ran against Trump for this year’s nomination).
Several Republican Senate candidates competing in closely contested races, including Kari Lake (Arizona), Bernie Moreno (Ohio), Dave McCormick (Pennsylvania) and Tim Sheehy (Montana), are set to speak during the 6 p.m. CST hour.
Other speakers Tuesday night will include: House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.; Trump’s daughter-in-law and RNC co-chair Lara Trump; GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik; Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas; Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark.; Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders; and former Housing and Urban Development secretary under Trump, Ben Carson.
Tuesday’s convention was themed “Make America Safe Once Again,” with a focus on crime, after Monday’s theme centered on the economy. The convention kicked off Monday in Milwaukee and was marked by several major moments, including a surprise appearance from Trump, hours after delegates officially voted to nominate him and he announced Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, as his running mate. The appearance was Trump’s first since he was shot at his rally Saturday in Pennsylvania. He entered the arena visibly emotional with a bandage covering the bullet wound to his right ear before taking his seat between Vance and Sen. Byron Donalds, R-Fla.
Rubio, who was a contender to be Trump’s running mate, has perhaps the most thorny history with Trump. The two traded barbs about their physical appearances during the 2016 GOP presidential primary race, and Rubio referred to Trump as a “con artist” while Trump gave Rubio the nickname “Little Marco.”
Trump is scheduled to speak Thursday to close out the convention and Vance is set to speak Wednesday. It’s unclear if Trump will make an appearance again prior to Thursday.
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