Thus far, when Ted Cruz hasn’t been sabotaging the proceedings, the convention has focused less on why Donald Trump should be president and more on why Hillary Clinton shouldn’t be. As Alex Shephard points out, the reasons for this are pretty clear: Republican elites don’t really like Trump, but they have to say something while they’re on national TV. But tonight, the Trumps will occupy centerstage themselves—and by the Trumps, of course, I don’t mean Melania, Eric, Tiffany, or Donald Jr., who all spoke earlier this week, but the two main attractions, Donald and Ivanka, the latter having acted like a kind of surrogate first lady for much of her father’s campaign.
It’s likely that Ivanka’s remarks will focus on helping Trump with his women problem, namely, that women don’t like him all that much. She has defended her father previously on this issue, saying that he has “empowered women, including me, his whole life.” As for Donald, there is no question that his remarks will center around himself, but it remains to be seen whether he will be able to deliver a “presidential” speech or give into the urge to ditch the teleprompter and savage Ted Cruz for his treachery.
Other prime-time speakers to look out for tonight include Silicon Valley’s Peter Thiel, who was last seen trying to bankrupt Gawker; RNC chairman Reince Priebus, who is probably pouring Baileys into his cereal at this very moment; and Jerry Falwell Jr., president of Liberty University and an early Trump supporter.