The speakers, schedule and how to watch the Republican National Convention

Over 50,000 people are expected to travel to Milwaukee this week for the 2024 Republican National Convention, where more than 2,400 delegates will gather to approve a party platform and formally nominate their political party’s presidential ticket for the Nov. 5 election.

The televised event, held every four years, is largely expected to be a victory lap for former president Donald Trump and a party in lockstep with his policies as he accepts the nomination.

The four-day event also comes in the aftermath of what federal law enforcement is investigating as an attempted assassination of Trump that left the former president injured on Saturday, killed one attendee and critically injured two others. Several people with knowledge of convention planning said additional security measures were put in place to ensure that events, including those outside the hardened security perimeter in Milwaukee, would be safe to attend. Those people also said that they expected the program to go forward largely as planned.

Here’s what to know about the Republican convention:

When is it?

The main programming for the convention is taking place from Monday through Thursday, July 15-18.

Where is it?

The Republican convention is being held in Milwaukee, the largest city in the battleground state of Wisconsin. The main venue for the convention is Fiserv Forum, home of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks. Other spaces in Milwaukee will also host official convention-related events for delegates and guests.

Who are the speakers?

The main-stage speaker lineup includes everyday Americans and celebrities who have backed Trump, as well as friends of Trump’s, wealthy donors and politicians - but no Trump supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, according to a list of headliners and keynote speakers released on Saturday.

The lineup includes several GOP heavyweights, such as former secretary of state Mike Pompeo and former Trump challenger and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis; Sens. Marco Rubio (Fla.) and J.D. Vance (Ohio), who have been discussed inside the campaign as potential running mates; Turning Point USA CEO Charlie Kirk; RNC Chairman Michael Whatley; House Speaker Mike Johnson (La.); Govs. Kristie Noem (S.D.) and Glenn Youngkin (Va.); Rep. Byron Donalds (Fla.); and former Democrat and Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, as well as pop-culture surrogates like Amber Rose, a celebrity model who recently gave Trump a surprise endorsement.

Other expected speakers include evangelical leader Franklin Graham, Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White and former White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, who is currently in jail on contempt of Congress charges and is expected to be released Wednesday.

Members of the former president’s family who are scheduled to speak include his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, his daughter-in-law and RNC co-chair Lara Trump, and Kimberly Guilfoyle - Donald Trump Jr.’s fiancée. Notably, the list of speakers does not include former first lady Melania Trump.

Trump’s vice-presidential pick, who has yet to be announced, is set to speak on Wednesday.

How do I watch?

The convention will be streamed on YouTube, X, Facebook Live, Rumble, Amazon Prime, Twitch and Direct TV, according to an RNC spokesperson.

The Washington Post will have coverage of the convention beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern time Monday through Thursday. Programming will be anchored by Libby Casey, Rhonda Colvin and James Hohmann live from Milwaukee. You can watch here, on YouTube and on Washington Post Television available on connected TVs.

When will Trump speak?

Trump is slated to speak on Thursday, the final night of the convention, according to a person familiar with convention programming.

Do conventions matter?

The main work of the convention is for delegates to formally nominate a presidential candidate and approve a party platform, which party platform committee members voted in support of earlier this month.

[As Trump heads to GOP convention, two parties adjust to a changed campaign]

In some rare cases, no political candidate has a majority of delegates entering the convention. That’s what’s called a contested convention, and delegates select their party’s nominee through one or more rounds of voting. If a nominee withdraws, there would be a process known as an open convention, where a new nominee could be chosen on the fly, historically with behind-the-scenes negotiations and bargaining.

In this case, when a general-election candidate such as Trump has been determined as a presumptive nominee before a convention, the pageantry involved in the event may seem unnecessary. But politicos argue that while the actual work of a convention could be condensed, the multiday agenda provides major opportunities for lesser-known party members to introduce themselves to American voters and allows the party to energize their base and lay out its vision for the country.

- - -

Hannah Knowles and Josh Dawsey contributed to this report.