Drew Angerer/Getty ImagesBy LIBBY CATHEY, ABC News
(CHARLOTTE, N.C.) — The Republican National Convention concludes Thursday and the fall campaign season officially kicks off when President Donald Trump formally accepts the GOP nomination for a second term as president in a speech he will deliver from the White House West Lawn.
A fireworks display is expected to light up the sky above the Washington Monument at the conclusion of his remarks.
Senior adviser Ivanka Trump will introduce her father on the final night of what’s become a norms-busting political convention, which has showcased the pageantry of the presidency in unprecedented ways and transformed the White House into a backdrop for Trump’s campaign — despite some of the proceedings appearing to violate ethics laws.
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton and the president’s personal attorney and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani are also expected to speak Thursday.
In addition, convention watchers will hear from the parents of humanitarian aid worker Kayla Mueller, who was killed by the Islamic State while a hostage, and Alice Johnson, a woman who was serving a life sentence in federal prison until Trump commuted her sentence — an effort in part pushed by Kim Kardashian West.
Trump and Vice President Mike Pence will face Democratic nominees Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in the general election on Nov. 3, though some Americans are expecting to receive their ballots as early as next week.
Thursday’s scheduled speakers include:
- President Donald Trump
- Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson
- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
- Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton
- House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy
- New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew
- Ivanka Trump, Trump’s daughter and senior adviser
- Ja’Ron Smith, deputy assistant to the president
- Ann Dorn, widow of slain retired police Capt. David Dorn
- Debbie Flood, president of a Wisconsin manufacturing and steel company
- Rudy Giuliani, former New York City mayor and Trump’s personal attorney
- Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse
- Alice Johnson, criminal justice reform advocate and former federal inmate
- Carl and Marsha Mueller, parents of American hostage Kayla Mueller, who was killed by ISIS
- Wade Mayfield
- Dana White, president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship
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