December 23, 2024
Former President Donald Trump is set to officially accept the Republican nomination for president next week in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Here's what to know.

The 2024 Republican National Convention starts its celebratory programming Monday as Republicans officially nominate President Trump for the third time and will spend four nights in Milwaukee, Wisconsin rallying support ahead of November’s election.

Where the action will take place

The main action for the quadrennial event will be held from July 15-18 at the Fiserv Forum, an arena that is the home of the Milwaukee Bucks professional basketball team. More than 50,000 people, including hundreds of journalists from around the world, are expected to attend.

There will be the usual convention tasks throughout the four days. Delegates, almost 2,400 of them, must approve a platform and formally designate the presidential ticket: Trump and his yet-to-be-named running mate. They’ll hear from both national candidates and a slew of others rallying support for Trump and taking aim at Democrats.

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An exterior view of the Fiserv Forum, where the Republican National Convention gets underway in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Monday July 15, 2024

An exterior view of the Fiserv Forum, where the Republican National Convention gets underway in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Monday July 15, 2024

Who are the speakers?

The RNC has not yet released the full detailed schedule for the event, but several speakers have already been announced including Donald Trump Jr. who reportedly will occupy the speaking slot directly in front of his father.

Also speaking at the convention, Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, former First Lady Melania Trump, Teamsters President Sean O’Brien, UFC President Dana White, model Amber Rose, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, and Indiana Congressman Jim Banks.

There will also be several everyday Americans impacted by President Biden’s disastrous economic and border policies, in addition to skyrocketing crime, slated to speak. 

Michael Morin, the brother of Rachel Morin, the Maryland mother of 5 who was brutally murdered by an illegal immigrant, will be speaking. Fraternity brothers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who went viral for saving the American flag at an anti-Israel protest are also expected to speak, among others.

Trump is expected to accept the nomination with a speech on July 18, the final night of the convention, and his vice presidential pick is expected to be announced by July 15. Trump’s VP will then address the convention on July 17.

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Donald Trump arrives to Trump Tower after being found guilty

Donald Trump arrives to Trump Tower, Thursday, May 30, 2024 after being found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. (Felipe Ramales for Fox News Digital)

How to watch

Fox News Media will present special live coverage of the 2024 Republican National Convention beginning Sunday, July 14th through Thursday, July 18th.

“Originating from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the network’s convention coverage will be available across all of FOX News Media’s platforms, including FOX News Channel (FNC), FOX Business Network (FBN), FOX News Audio, FOX News Digital and FOX Nation,” a press release said.

What are the themes?

“Make America Wealthy Again” is the theme for Monday’s program, which will focus on how “President Trump’s America First economic policies slashed cumbersome regulations, cut tax rates, and reworked trade deals to create a fairer playing field for American industry and workers.”

Tuesday’s theme will be “Make America Safe Once Again” where the focus will be on skyrocketing crime in many cities causing them to become what the campaign calls “hollowed out, dystopian nightmares thanks to Joe Biden and Democrats’ woke soft-on-crime and open border policies.

“Make America Strong Once Again” will highlight Trump’s foreign policy accomplishments and agenda as the theme for Wednesday.

On Thursday, the final day, the theme will be, “Make America Great Once Again.”

“President Donald J. Trump will usher in a new golden age for America. At home and abroad, America’s standing will be restored,” the campaign says.

“American families will once again experience prosperity, safety, and strength. Our decaying and decrepit cities and communities will experience a resurgence. Americans will once again have reason to harbor hope and optimism for the future of our country. President Trump will Make America Great Once Again!”

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Donald Trump wearing a red make america great again hat

Presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump at rally (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

What’s happening with the party platform?

The Republican Party’s platform, a formal statement of policy positions, was approved by its platform committee and released on Monday. It is expected to be approved on the first day of the national convention next week.

The 16-page platform embraces Trump’s position that the issue of abortion is to be determined by individual U.S. states. It makes no mention of a federal ban or protecting a fetus as a person under the U.S. Constitution – tenets that have been included in past platforms and were demanded by a cadre of influential evangelicals.

The platform, which is not binding, also pledges that Trump and Republicans will build a missile defense shield over the United States, carry out “the largest deportation in American history” of people in the country illegally, make permanent Trump’s signature tax cuts and pass “large tax cuts for workers.” It says they will demolish foreign drug cartels, protect Medicare and Social Security benefits, and support public funds being used for private school tuition.

Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report