Trump, DeSantis, Pence: How to watch the 2023 NC GOP convention this week
Former President Donald Trump, Former Vice President Mike Pence and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis are among the featured speakers at the North Carolina Republican Party’s state convention in Greensboro this week.
All three speakers have launched or are set to launch presidential campaigns, with Trump as the frontrunner and DeSantis trailing in second place, according to most polls.
Jeff Moore, communications director for the NCGOP, told The News & Observer the state party would not live-stream the convention at the Koury Convention Center, but that Right Side Broadcasting Network would live-stream Trump’s speech on Saturday on its YouTube channel. Right Side Broadcasting Network is a politics media company that broadcasts Trump rallies and other events.
Moore wrote that he was checking whether the network or other organizations would be streaming other speeches, but did not provide further information Monday or Tuesday morning.
In addition to viewing the convention live, people can attend in person by buying tickets at ncgopconvention.org, with registration ending Tuesday at 5 p.m.
Republican presidential campaigns
DeSantis launched his campaign in late May, making this his first public appearance in North Carolina as a presidential candidate. He is scheduled to speak at ‘The Old North State Dinner’ on Friday at 6:30 p.m.
Meanwhile, Pence, who has filed paperwork to launch his campaign, is scheduled to speak at the “First in Freedom Luncheon” Saturday at 12:30 p.m. He is expected to formally announce his candidacy Wednesday on his 64th birthday, according to multiple media outlets.
Trump, who is running for president after losing reelection in 2020, closes the Saturday session at 6:30 p.m. as the speaker for the ‘Grand Old Party Dinner.’
Other candidates for the 2024 Republican nomination, with far less sway, are former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina.
In a sign that the campaign season is kicking off in the state, with North Carolina playing a pivotal role as a swing state where voters’ loyalties are not guaranteed for either party, Democratic President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will also be visiting the state on Friday.
Biden, who announced his reelection campaign in April, will make stops in Rocky Mount and Fort Liberty, formerly known as Fort Bragg.
