Among the list of speakers scheduled for the third day of the Republican National Convention are several individuals with Midwestern ties.
Ohio Senator and vice-presidential nominee JD Vance is expected to make his first address since officially receiving the nomination. He'll hit the stage at approximately 9:31 p.m. to close out the third night of the RNC.
Vance was elected to the Senate in 2023, and at age 39, he is one of the youngest vice-presidential nominees in history.
With tonight’s theme being “Make America Strong Once Again,” Vance will likely speak about U.S. foreign policies including restoring peace in Europe, increasing military spending, and more.
Prior to Vance taking the stage, his wife Usha Chilukuri Vance is expected to speak briefly. Usha is a corporate lawyer who served as a law clerk for big-name federal judges including Chief Justice John Roberts, Judge Brett Kavanaugh and Judge Amul Thapar. Once a registered Democrat, she is now becoming a major face on the Republican side of this election as the wife of the vice-presidential candidate. Usha is scheduled to speak at 9:27 p.m. CT.
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who was once in the conversation for being Trump’s running mate, is also scheduled to make a speech at 7:16 p.m. CT. Burgum has occasionally criticized and disagreed with Trump in the past, but has become a significant supporter of the former president. In Aug. 2023, Burgum told ABC News he believed President Joe Biden won the 2020 election, putting him at odds with Trump's stance on the matter.
Burgum’s campaigned has focused heavily on traditional Republican issues including energy, inflation and spending. With his previous criticisms of the Biden administration’s efforts in the war on Ukraine, Burgum’s speech will likely skew close to the evening's foreign policy theme.
RNC Milwaukee
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott will also speak at the convention at 7:02 p.m. CT. Abbott has been extremely critical of migrants entering the country, and since taking office, he’s paid to bus over 100,000 immigrants out of Texas to cities all over the country- including Chicago. Since Aug. 2022, Texas has bussed over 30,000 migrants to Chicago.
The governor is almost sure to address migration in his speech and echo his past sentiments of support for the GOP platform on immigration.
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Trent Conaway, mayor of East Palestine, Ohio, is scheduled to speak at approximately 7:13 p.m. CT. East Palestine was the location of the train carrying toxic chemicals which derailed in early 2023. Since the accident, the mayor has been critical of Biden for taking almost a year to visit the town.
While the crisis was unfolding, Biden visited Ukraine rather than East Palestine while Trump made his way to East Palestine weeks after the event- likely explaining why Conaway is scheduled to speak on the “Make America Strong Again” day.
When asked about Biden visiting Ukraine before East Palestine, Conaway told Fox News in an interview “That tells you right now he doesn’t care about us.”
The Biden administration deployed a team from the Environmental Protection Agency in the immediate aftermath of the derailment, and offered federal assistance to both Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.
Biden also called on Congress to pass legislation further regulating the railway industry after the derailment, with a bipartisan Railway Safety Act cosponsored by Vance.
