The List Of The GOP Convention Speakers Will Include Some Questionable Individuals
Photo Courtesy of AP Photo/Matt Rourke
The Republican National Convention is expected to have controversial figures speaking during the assembly next week.
Although a full list of speakers hasn’t been released yet, certain names started to slip out to the public. As most would presume, Vice President Mike Pence, first lady Melania Trump, and a few of President Trump’s children are expected to deliver a few remarks at the convention. According to US News, added to the list are a few people who have been under public scrutiny at some point during the current administration.
Patricia and Mark McCloskey, the couple who went viral for brandishing guns while a Black Lives Matter protest passed by their private property, will be speaking at the convention as well. The McCloskeys held both a pistol and a rifle as they yelled at the demonstrators who were on their way to the mayor’s home. The couple was charged with a felony for unlawful use of the weapons, but Trump denounced those charges. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said that he would pardon the couple if they were convicted.
Along with the couple, Nick Sandmann will also be speaking during the RNC. Sandmann was a high school junior at the time when he went viral for standing in the way of a Native American, Nathan Phillips, who claimed to be walking up to the Lincoln Memorial to complete his prayer. At the time there were three groups protesting, an indigenous group, a group of Black Israelites, and students from Covington Catholic High School. Both Sandmann and Phillips claimed to be diffusing the tension that arose between the groups.
Sandmann and the McCloskeys were condemned by the public after footage of the incidents went viral. However, Trump has been supportive of them all. As Sandmann could be seen wearing a “MAGA” hat during the video, Trump said that the boys of the high school will “bring people together”.
During the DNC, Democrats had speakers such as the Obamas, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Clintons, and many more. The choice for Republicans to include figures who have little to no political background shows how polarized politics have become. Many democrats called for urgency as they expressed their uneasiness regarding the future of democracy.
The list of speakers that are known so far for the RNC is causing discomfort in the public to the point where many broadcasters say that they fear giving the Republicans too much airtime, according to The Daily Beast.