When Barack Obama gave his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in Denver eight years ago, he did so behind Styrofoam Greek columns in Denver, Colorado. When Donald Trump accepts the Republican Party’s nomination this year in Cleveland, however, he’s going to make that look like child’s play.
According to CNN, Trump is planning to give his acceptance speech this July at either First Energy Stadium or Progressive Field — the home of football’s Cleveland Browns and baseball’s Cleveland Indians, respectively.
An unnamed source within the Trump campaign told CNN that he’s closing in on a deal with one of the two stadia, with his preference being the larger First Energy Stadium.
“It’s going to be a big production,” the adviser told CNN. “Given Trump’s profile and how he handles things, nothing is off the table.
“And he’s going to be intimately involved in it,” the adviser added.
Trump has recently indicated that he would shake things up this year for the convention, noting that 2012’s Republican Party affair was so bland it gave Mitt Romney almost no boost going into the general election.
Insiders in Trump’s campaign have hinted that he might give major policy speeches in different cities on the nights leading up to his acceptance speech, a reversal of the usual tradition of the candidate only speaking on the night of the nomination.
One of the driving forces behind Trump seeking to move the event into a larger venue isn’t just the level of support and interest his campaign has garnered (although that’s certainly a factor).
The convention is being held in the Quicken Loans Arena, home of the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavaliers are currently in the NBA Finals; if the series goes long, it could hamper plans for the convention and make it more difficult to do anything elaborate.
However, I think Cleveland Browns fans might agree — it would certainly be nice to have a winner in their stadium for once.
(via: Conservative Tribune)
