5 Things to Watch on the Second Day of the Republican National Convention
Roll calls, political heavy hitters and Tiffany Trump.
-- With one day down and three days to go, the first real clues about how the Republican National Convention will unfold were seen with the surprising chaos over a vote on the convention's rules.
While it is expected to be a week filled with the unexpected, one particularly unusual move came when Donald Trump decided to call into a news program while his nominating convention was underway. Also, after introducing his wife, Melania, he gave a hint of what his capstone speech will be like on Thursday night.
Even more surprises should be in store for today.
Here are five key storylines to keep an eye on:
Fallout From the Failed Final Stand of Never-Trump
The vote to adopt the convention rules proved the most controversial moment in the convention so far, when the final members of the never-Trump movement were thwarted on the convention floor.
The floor vote was the last remaining hope for those who wanted the Republican Party to nominate someone other than Trump, and their fate was sealed by some procedural wrangling last week.
Ultimately, the pro-Trump forces and the very establishment he once openly criticized joined forces — some to save Trump, some to preserve the integrity of the voting process that made Trump the presumptive nominee.
It was an ugly start to the convention and suggestive of how Trump may not have control of his convention.
A Rowdy Roll Call
There’s a chance for a different kind of floor fight today when the delegations go state by state in the roll call vote for the nomination.
Even though the result is preordained, there’s still an opportunity for delegates to vent and go against the grain when given their time at the mic.
Considering today’s theme is "Make America work again," it will be particularly interesting to see how everything works inside the Quicken Loans Arena.
The Vanquished Take the Stage
Two of Trump’s former rivals — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Dr. Ben Carson — will be speaking on his behalf this evening.
Their inclusion in the lineup should come as little surprise, since they both endorsed Trump shortly after they dropped out and have regularly touted his achievements on the campaign trail.
This won’t be the first time Christie addresses a convention. He was given a prime speaking slot at Mitt Romney’s convention in 2012, and many took issue with it at the time because he appeared to speak more about himself than Romney. It will be worth seeing if history repeats this year.
The Beginning of the Trump Relative Parade
While Melania Trump’s speech Monday night was a rarity because she has largely stayed out of the campaign spotlight, an even rarer event is on the docket tonight.
Tiffany Trump, the real estate magnate’s 22-year-old daughter with his second wife, Marla Maples, has never given a speech on the campaign trail. Thus far, that has made sense, since she graduated only in May from the University of Pennsylvania, her father’s alma mater.
She has appeared at only two or three campaign events where all her older siblings were also involved — including her father’s presidential announcement — and rarely gives interviews.
Her older brother Donald Trump Jr. will also take the stage in Cleveland tonight, but his inclusion should not come as a surprise because he has been an active presence during his father’s campaign.
How Paul Ryan Jumps the Hurdles
On a more political note, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan is scheduled to speak tonight, and he’s expected to do something of a tightrope act.
Ryan endorsed Trump after it became clear that Trump would be the party’s nominee, but Ryan hasn’t hesitated to criticize Trump since then.
Rather than solely praise Trump, Ryan is expected to focus his speech on the House Republicans’ agenda.