He is a likeable person, Priebus said of a candidate to whom he now speaks at least twice a day. I think as people get to see the person that some of us have gotten to know, thats going to help him in the general election, because I think people actually want to like him. Theyre intrigued by him. Theyre interested in him. And him becoming likeable will make him unstoppable.
To that end, the convention producers plan to showcase the celebrity billionaires family. His wife, Melania, a Slovenia-born former fashion model who rarely speaks publicly on her husbands behalf, will deliver prime-time remarks, as will Trumps four oldest children from his first two marriages, Donald Jr., Ivanka, Eric and Tiffany.
Beyond his personal side, Trump hopes the convention projects an image of toughness and resolve to a nation on edge from a harrowing few months that have included terrorist attacks on the homeland and abroad, as well as the gunning down of five police officers in Dallas.
Several scheduled speakers could help reinforce Trumps claim to be the law-and-order candidate. Among them are former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, two women state attorneys general and Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke, an African American Democrat who is an outspoken critic of the Black Lives Matter movement.
There also will be plenty of Clinton bashing. One evening will be dedicated in part to replaying the former secretary of states handling of the 2012 attacks on a U.S. diplomatic outpost in Benghazi, Libya. Two survivors, Mark Geist and John Tiegen, will speak.
...
The lineup of Republican speakers is eclectic for a political convention and is intended to root Trumps candidacy in a culture beyond the political establishment. They include Eileen Collins, the first woman to command a space shuttle mission; Antonio Sabato Jr., a former Calvin Klein underwear model and soap-opera actor; pro golfer Natalie Gulbis; and Dana White, president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
One of the biggest stars was to have been Tim Tebow, the deeply religious, Heisman Trophy-winning football quarterback. But anticipation turned into awkwardness. After Republican officials said Tebow would speak at the convention, he put out a video on Facebook saying that those were just rumors and that he would not be taking the stage.
In addition, Haskel Lookstein, a prominent New York rabbi who converted Ivanka Trump to Judaism, faced political backlash within his congregation once it was announced he would be speaking. He too decided to back out.
Reaching beyond the usual roster of speakers is partly a necessity, given how many party elders and rising stars declared themselves no-shows in Cleveland including the GOPs past two nominees, Mitt Romney and John McCain; its only two living former presidents, George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush; and a number of Republican senators whose reelection prospects have been endangered by the prospect of such a divisive figure at the top of the ticket. Ohio Gov. John Kasich will be in town but provocatively has indicated he would not step foot in Trumps convention hall.
