WASHINGTON, D.C. — Vice President Mike Pence will get his turn in the spotlight Wednesday night, closing out the 3rd night of the RNC with a speech from Fort McHenry in Baltimore, the site that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem that would eventually become the U.S. national anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner.”
Critics, notably the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, have questioned the appropriateness of holding a political event at a National Park, citing damage to the historic monument believed to be related to setting up the event.
“It is relatively rare, if not unprecedented, for the National Park Service to use parks as staging areas for partisan political campaign events. We are very concerned about the appropriateness of such use,” Phil Francis, chair of the Coalition, wrote in a letter to National Park Service’s acting director, Margaret Everson.
The location of Pence’s speech is the latest unprecedented move at the 2020 convention: Night 2 featured a speech from first lady Melania Trump at the White House Rose Garden, believed to be the first time a First Lady has spoken at a political convention from the White House; a speech from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo from Jerusalem amid a sensitive diplomatic mission; and a naturalization ceremony at the White House featuring the acting seceretary of the Department of Homeland Security, which briefly showed two members of the military.
Also set to speak on Night 3 of the RNC: White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, who announced Sunday that she will be departing her role at the end of the month to focus on her family.
Here is a list of what to expect at Night 3 of the Republican National Convention:
Time
Theme
- “America, Land of Heroes”
Expected Speakers
- Vice President Mike Pence
- Second Lady Karen Pence
- Sen. Marsha Blackburn
- Sen. Joni Ernst
- South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem
- Rep. Dan Crenshaw
- Rep. Elise Stefanik
- Rep. Lee Zeldin
- Richard Grenell, former acting Director of National Intelligence
- Kellyanne Conway, Counselor to President Trump
- Keith Kellogg, national security adviser to Vice President Mike Pence
- Former NFL player Jack Brewer
- Former NFL player and congressional candidate Burgess Owens
- Sister Dede Byrne
- Congressional candidate Madison Cawthorn
- Scott Dane
- Clarence Henderson
- Ryan Holets
- Michael McHale, National Association of Police Organizations president
- Lara Trump, wife of Eric Trump
