rump family, a few celebs and former rivals round out GOP convention speaker list

RNC communications director shares preview of convention

Republican officials released the full list of national convention speakers on the eve of the weeklong party gathering in Cleveland – an agenda that includes several members of Donald Trump’s family, a handful of celebrities and a host of former campaign rivals.
One of the big headliners on Monday’s agenda is Trump’s wife Melania. Other Trump family members – including daughter Ivanka on the closing night – will speak later in the week.
Sen. Jeff Sessions, the first U.S. senator to endorse Trump and one of his most full-throated supporters in Congress, also is set to speak Monday, as are former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa.
A partial list of speakers was out earlier, but the full agenda was not made public until late Sunday afternoon.
The agenda is not exactly the celebrity-studded roster some had expected. The only professional athlete on the program is pro golfer Natalie Gulbis, after college football star Tim Tebow called his attendance "a rumor."
“Duck Dynasty” star Willie Robertson and actor Scott Baio plan to speak Monday.

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Campaign manager Paul Manafort defended the program at a briefing in Cleveland late Sunday.
“It will be a different kind of convention,” he said, noting there won’t be “wall to wall” speakers from Washington. He said the list includes people from Trump’s personal and business life, among others.
“The personal story of Donald Trump is something that needs to be told,” he said.
A number of former rivals will be on stage, however.
Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry is set to speak Monday, to be followed later in the week by several other ex-2016 candidates including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson.
Retired Navy SEAL and author of “Lone Survivor” Marcus Luttrell and other military figures also are set to speak. Pat Smith, the mother of Benghazi attack victim Sean Smith, is set to speak on Monday as well.