Billie Eilish, John Legend to execute at the Democratic convention
Democrats will showcase some musical star power at their convention in a few days, during the four-night event that starts on Monday.
Vice President Mike Pence will deliver remarks from historic Fort McHenry in Maryland through the Republican National Convention, a campaign official said on Friday, while President Donald Trump said he will likely give his address from the White House.
The plans for the convention, which starts on August 24, have previously drawn criticism from Democrats and ethics experts, who have raised concerns about the application of federal property for partisan advantage.
Meanwhile, Democrats will showcase some musical star power at their own convention in a few days, with the likes of John Legend, Common, Billie Eilish and the Chicks - formerly the Dixie Chicks - all set to perform during the four-night event that starts on Monday, officials said on Friday.
Both conventions, which are typically raucous affairs inside packed arenas, have been turned almost totally into virtual affairs because of the coronavirus pandemic. The two events kick off exactly what will be a frenetic 8 weeks of campaigning prior to the Nov. 3 election between Trump and Democrat Joe Biden.
Biden, the former vice president, and Senator Kamala Harris of California will formally accept the Democratic nominations for president and vice president at next week's convention, while Trump and Pence will be nominated for another four-year term a week later.
Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, among only two African-American Republicans in Congress, will be a featured speaker, along with former US Ambassador to the US Nikki Haley, first lady Melania Trump and Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa, according to a Trump campaign official.
By tradition, Trump will speak on Aug. 27, the convention's final night. He told the New York Post on Thursday he planned to provide his acceptance speech from the South Lawn of the White House after also considering the Civil War battlefield at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
Pence can make his acceptance speech on Aug. 26 from another historic site: the Fort McHenry National Monument and Shrine in Baltimore. An unsuccessful British attack on the fort was the inspiration for the national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner."
Democrats have prearranged the party's leading lights because of their convention, including former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, and 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton.
Billionaire former presidential applicant Michael Bloomberg, a late addition, will speak on one of the nights, though the schedule hasn't yet been finalized, according to a source acquainted with the programming who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The former New York City mayor, who spent $1 billion of his own money on his abbreviated campaign, has vowed to invest heavily to defeat Trump, though he hasn't yet announced any specific plans.
Several other former contenders for the nomination may also appear, as the party seeks to provide a unified front prior to the Nov. 3 election. The list includes Senators Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Cory Booker of NJ and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg. Biden will speak from his home state of Delaware on Thursday, the convention's final night, while Harris can do so on Wednesday.
In order to counterprogram the Democratic convention, Trump will travel to the main element battleground states of Minnesota, Arizona and Wisconsin on Monday and Tuesday and give speeches attacking Biden, the campaign said.
