The president will be vying for a second term after securing more than the 1,276 delegates needed to win the GOP nomination during a roll-call vote on the first day of the Republican National Convention. Earlier in the convention, which was pared down due to the threat of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, delegates renominated Vice President Mike Pence for the second term in office.
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Trump, 74, who faces a formidable challenge from former Democratic vice president Joe Biden, 77, is scheduled to deliver his acceptance speech from the South Lawns of the White House on August 27.
The once in four-year GOP (Grand Old Party) convention is being held in virtual mode due to the coronavirus pandemic. A small part of the official business of the convention is being held at Charlotte in North Carolina.
Support for Trump's presidency dwindles: AP survey
In a survey conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, overall, just 31 percent of Americans approve of Trump’s leadership on the pandemic, a significant drop from 44 percent approval in March, when the virus began sweeping through the United States.
Republican Party officials say their convention — during which Trump is expected to speak every night in the 10 p.m. hour — will ultimately surpass the Democrats’ telethon-like show, which the president and his allies have repeatedly called “dark,” depressing and thin on policy proposals. “We’re going to have more of it live than what they did,” Trump told Fox News on Thursday. “I think it’s pretty boring when you do tapes.”