Republican convention to anoint Trump: What's it about?

Former US President Donald Trump. [AFP]

Republicans are set to gather in Milwaukee to select Donald Trump as their presidential nominee at the party's four-day convention starting on Monday.

The Republican National Convention (RNC) comes as Democrats are engulfed in turmoil, with President Joe Biden facing calls to drop out of the race after a disastrous debate performance against Trump raised questions about his mental acuity.

Here are some key facts about the gathering: 

Fired up

Political conventions are a stage for party delegates to select their presidential nominees and to adopt a party platform.

Drawing large television and online audiences, next week's convention is likely to fire up core Republican supporters ahead of the November election.

Trump's campaign has outlined themes for each day of the convention that riff on his red-hat rallying cry: "Make America Great Again."

 Faces in the crowd 

Over 50,000 people are expected to attend.

That includes some 2,429 "delegates" -- a mix of politicians and grassroots activists – who will vote for the candidate who won their state's nominating contest earlier this year. In almost every part of America, that's Trump.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Arizona Senate hopeful Kari Lake, TV personality Savannah Chrisley, as well as rapper and model Amber Rose are expected to attend or speak at the event, according to multiple reports.

Former first lady Melania Trump is expected to be in attendance, but it is not clear whether she will speak.

Scores of protesters are expected to demonstrate near the venue, although reports say they will not be permitted within the security zone established around the tightly guarded convention arena.

 Battleground

The convention puts a spotlight on Wisconsin's importance to both parties as a key battleground that Trump has in his sights after losing the state by 20,000 votes in 2020.

The state - which was also the venue for the 2020 Democratic convention - has hosted several campaign stops from both the Biden and Trump campaigns in the first half of 2024.

'New golden age'

The convention - a celebration of all things Trump - opens on Monday with a focus on the economy called "Make America Wealthy Once Again" before shifting to crime on Tuesday to "Make America Safe Once Again."

Wednesday, labeled "Make America Strong Once Again," will zero in on Biden's foreign policy and how "America has become a global laughing stock."

Trump formally accepts the nomination on Thursday in a speech that will be followed by millions, closing the convention by ushering in "a new golden age for America," according to the campaign.

 Running mate 

An announcement of Trump's running mate is anticipated as early as the opening day on Monday.

The billionaire appears to have zeroed in on two US senators, J.D. Vance of Ohio and Marco Rubio of Florida, as well as North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, who initially ran against Trump for the nomination before falling in line.

 Media coverage 

Comprehensive media coverage is expected, with major American TV networks offering live updates from the event. It will also be live streamed on platforms such as YouTube, X, Facebook and Rumble.

The RNC is set to live stream events on its website, gopconvention2024.com

Political conventions were once a TV ratings hit. But ratings for both Republican and Democratic conventions were down in 2020 compared to 2016 due to what analysts describe as increasing partisanship and competing streaming options.

Viewership for the RNC was down about 21 percent on average in 2020 across all four nights compared with 2016, news site Axios reported, citing figures from ratings agency Nielsen.