This week, Republicans across the US are descending on the blue collar city of Cleveland, in the swing state of Ohio, so they can formally nominate Donald Trump as their presidential candidate at the Republican National Convention.
While many on both sides of the aisle never thought this day would come, it’s finally arrived. And it’s going to be anything other than dull. The speaker lineup is more suited for a late-night talk show than a serious political gathering. Cleveland is bracing for mass protests and arrests. Which could be made even worse, given Ohio’s open-carry laws.
Global Citizen is here to help you wade through the torrent of news stories and tweets to decipher what of actual importance is happening at the RNC, as well as show you how Global Citizen is experiencing the event.
The Platform
First, the platform. While a party’s platform is non-binding, it does serve as a bellwether for the general mood of the party on certain issues. This year’s Republican Party platform is more conservative that previous years.
Per the New York Times, the platform calls for a “traditionalist view of the family and child rearing, bars military women from combat, describes coal as a 'clean' energy source and declares pornography a 'public health crisis.'” They are also taking a stronger anti-abortion stance than ever before.
The Podium
The days of the convention are organized by theme: Monday is “Make America Safe Again”; Tuesday is “Make America Work Again”; Wednesday is “Make America First Again”; and Thursday is “Make America One Again.”
Trump will formally accept the nomination Thursday, and his VP choice, Mike Pence, will speak Wednesday night. While many Republicans who are up for reelection will skip the convention, others will have time at the podium, including N.J. Gov. Chris Christie, Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry and Mike Huckabee.
Otherwise the roster is full of celebrities like Willie Robertson of “Duck Dynasty,” Scott Baio, of “Charles in Charge,” and Trump’s own family, including wife Melania and his children Donald Trump, Ivanka, and Eric. You can read the full lineup here.
The Protests
Protests were inevitable in Cleveland during the RNC. It's the 11th most liberal city in the entire country. Plus the recent shootings by cops of African Americans has given new energy to the Black Lives Matter movement. Police in Cleveland prepared by creating restrictions around the downtown area, and clearing out its jail cells. Some protests kicked off over the weekend, including this collective of naked women who posed for a photo together. Watch for more protests to spring up each evening.
Day 1
The first day of the RNC was not without chaos. First, there was controversy after the Never Trump movement attempted to have the rules of the convention changed so that delegates were not bound to vote by their state's caucus or primary results. This resulted in a shouting match on the floor of the Quickens Loan arena, and the Never Trump supporters did not succeed. In the evening, a string of speakers addresssed the audience, including TV stars Scott Baio and Antonio Sabato Jr. An emotional address by Patricia Smith, the mother of Sean, who was killed in the attacks in Benghazi, moved many in the audience to tears.
Finally, the headliner of the event took the stage — Melania Trump, Donald Trump's wife. After a brief introduction by the candidate himself, Melania delivered what many initally called a well-written speech. The accolades did not last long, however. A journalist noticed that several passages of Melania's speech were very similar to the speech given by Michelle Obama at the 2008 DNC.
Day 2
The controversy over Melania's speech spilled into the second day of the convention. Donald Trump tweeted support for his wife's speech, while others in the campaign said it was "absurd"" to say the speech had been cribbed. Meanwhile videos circulated on social media comparing the two versions of the speech.
Day two's speakers included his daughter, Tiffany Trump, who tried to show a more personal side of her father. His son Donald Trump Jr. gave what was the most traditional convention speech thus far, and used his time to attack Hillary Clinton. Chris Christy gave a rousing speech that whipped the crowd into a frenzy shouting. He pretended to be the prosecutor in a trial against her, with the crowd chanting "guilty" with each of his charges. The evening ended with Dr. Ben Carson, who connected Clinton to Lucifer.
Day 3
The controversy over Melania's speech continued to dominate headlines as the Trump campaign reversed course and admitted part of the speech had been inpsired by Michelle Obama's words. A Trump employee, Meredith McIver, took responsibility for the mishap and resigned her job.
Ted Cruz told a stirring story of the daughter of one of the fallen Dallas police officers, but as his speech wore on, and he failed to fully endorse Trump, the crowd booed him and yelled Trump’s name.
Day 4
Ivanka Trump took the stage to introduce her father and presented two new woman-friendly initiatives she vowed to work with her father on if he is elected: equal pay for equal work, and affordable childcare. Then Trump took the stage and spoke for more than an hour on his policies, platform, and his opponent Hillary Clinton. Read more about his remarks here.
Global Citizen at the RNC
What’s happening inside the walls of the RNC? Global Citizen is there in the middle of the action. Here’s what Global Citizen has gotten up to so far.
Global Citizen staffers ran into Newt Gingrich and were able to take a photo with him.
We also attened a talk with former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour.
Global Citizen caught a glimpse of Caitlin Jenner while attending an event at the Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame.
The Global Citizen crew took in a performancy by Rascal Flatts on Monday night.
Our Global Citizen team poses in Politico's lounge at the Quicken Loans Arena.
The Global Citizen policy team ran into Anderson Cooper while he was charging his cellphone and managed to get a selfie.
The team also ran into Dr. Ben Carson. Global Citizen was happy to find out Carson had lived and worked in Perth, Australia, at the same hospital as our own Mick Sheldrick’s father. His son was even born there and has duel citizenship.
We also had a chat with Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska). He discussed US investment in efforts to treat HIV/AIDs, malaria, tuberculosis, and polio. He told Global Citizen that the key to getting funding for AIDS at G8 was having strong political leadership and being able to show the outcome of such funding.
By taking action on Global Citizen, you will have a chance to win tickets to this year's Global Citizen Festival in New York City on Sept. 24, 2016. Learn more about the Global Citizen Festival here.