Pence will reprise the traditional role of vice presidents at nominating conventions on Wednesday and deliver the keynote speech, where he is expected to contrast the Trump administration’s record with that of Trump’s opponent, the Democratic nominee and former vice president Joe Biden.
As chairman of the president’s coronavirus task force, Pence is also expected to address the pandemic and defend the administration’s response. He will also likely touch on Hurricane Laura, a Category 4 storm which is slated to smash into the Louisiana and Texas Gulf Coast on Wednesday night and Thursday morning.
The last subject Pence is likely to address are the racial justice protests that have rocked U.S. cities this summer, some of which have turned violent. Kenosha, Wisconsin, is the most recent example, as demonstrators have taken to the streets to protest the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man who was shot in the back seven times by police last week. In response to the protests, armed militia members have appeared in Kenosha vowing to “defend” businesses. One of these people was arrested Wednesday for a double homicide Tuesday night.
Trump has taken a very hostile approach to the Black Lives Matter protests, referring to demonstrators as “thugs” and “criminals,” while celebrating police. It will be interesting to see how Pence frames both the protests and the killings of Black people by police.
Pence will be speaking from historic Fort McHenry near Baltimore. Organizers said his speech will be attended by more than 100 people, many of them military veterans. Fort McHenry is a national park, which has sparked controversy because it represents another taxpayer-funded location that’s being used as a political prop this year by the Trump campaign.
Convention coverage on cable news channels and CNBC.com will begin at 8:30 p.m. ET. Coverage on network prime time begins at 10 p.m.
Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/26/rnc-tonight-what-to-watch.html