GOP convention speaker list: Gingrich and Christie, but no Pence – Politico
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence met with Trump on Wednesday. | AP
Two of Donald Trump’s possible vice-presidential picks are slated to speak at next week’s Republican convention in Cleveland next week, but one much-talked about VP contender is noticeably absent from the list of speakers.
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, who met with Trump on Wednesday at his Indianapolis home, is not on the convention speakers list unveiled Thursday. Newt Gingrich and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, however, are both on the list.
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Other primary rivals scheduled to speak include former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Ben Carson.
Members of Congress speaking in Cleveland include House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky; Reps. Michael McCaul of Texas, Ryan Zinke of Montana, Chris Collins of New York and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee; and Sens. Joni Ernst of Iowa, Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Jeff Sessions of Alabama.
Also scheduled to speak are Govs. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas, Mary Fallin of Oklahoma, and Rick Scott of Florida; Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, along with former U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey and retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, who was seen as one of the finalists on Trump’s vice-presidential shortlist.
Two survivors of the 2012 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, are also set take the stage.
Mark Geist and John Tiegen will appear at Quicken Loans Arena, The Associated Press reported early Thursday, along with speakers who had already been reported, including Donald Trump’s wife and four adult children, and former primary rivals Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin. Marcus Luttrell, author of “Lone Survivor,” will also appear.
Also speaking at the convention will be Las Vegas casino owner Phil Ruffin, actor Antonio Sabàto Jr. and football player Tim Tebow. Absent from the list are former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, former college basketball coach Bobby Knight and boxing promoter Don King, all of whom had been rumored to be under consideration.
The list instead includes pro golfer Natalie Gulbis, retired astronaut Eileen Collins and Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White, as well as Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke, an outspoken critic of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Evangelical leader and Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr., who endorsed Trump months ago, will also speak, along with Haskel Lookstein, the rabbi who converted Ivanka Trump to Judaism when she married her husband, Jared Kushner.
On the business side, venture capitalist Peter Thiel, real estate investor Tom Barrack and Kerry Woolard, general manager for Trump Winery in Virginia, are all slated to speak.
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