Donald Trump has shoved just about every tradition in modern presidential politics out the window, and now he’s preparing to trash one more — the dog and pony show known as the Republican National Convention.

From speaking slots to prime-time moments reserved for himself, the television celebrity and Manhattan billionaire is dealing directly in the details of his coronation as Republican nominee to maximize the drama and spectacle of the party’s four-night convention.


“This is the part of politics he would naturally enjoy, and he wants to control it 100 percent,” said a high-level Trump campaign source. “This is a massive television production, and he is a television star.”

Indeed, Trump is viewing the convention as a showcase for the brand he built in entertainment over three decades and then melded with a political persona developed over the past year. It’s an opportunity to fill a vacuum created by longtime Republican standard-bearers, from Mitt Romney and John McCain to the Bush family, who are opting not to attend, and to elevate a new coalition of conservatives, presenting a party refashioned, at least for the moment, in his own image.

And Trump plans to create news events too, not just line up speeches by up-and-coming members of the GOP. He’s toying with unveiling a running mate at the convention rather than before. He’s even considering whether to announce his would-be Cabinet.

“Announcing the vice-presidential nominee before the convention is like announcing the winner of ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ before the final show is on the air,” one Trump campaign source said. “This is one of the only opportunities to create tension and drama in the whole show. You better believe Mr. Trump understands that and is looking to maximize that.”

Whereas the vice-presidential nominee traditionally speaks on the third night of the convention and the presidential nominee takes the stage on the fourth and final night, Trump is considering a scenario that puts him on stage, delivering remarks, on all four nights, reaching millions of potential voters and driving ratings, according to one source.

“We’re past an era of thinking about this through the lens of C-SPAN and looking at this more like the networks would broadcast or cover an Olympics or reality TV programming,” said Kevin Madden, a GOP media consultant who worked for Mitt Romney in 2012 and is not affiliated with Trump’s campaign.

“One of the things that’s been unique about the Trump campaign is the candidate himself has had an ability to create suspense and also drive entire news cycles just with one tweet. I think I would bet on their ability to do it again through the platform of a convention.”

And as speculation continues to swirl around who is on the shortlist to be Trump’s running mate, campaign operatives are talking about playing the drama to the hilt by also pulling onstage others who might fill out his administration — picks typically not announced until after the general election.

“It’s not a bad idea, giving a fuller picture of what a Trump administration would look like,” said Ed Goeas, a GOP operative who was John McCain’s convention program director in 2008. “It’s a tight venue, but they are going to have an entertainment stage” separate from the main stage where the candidate and others will speak.

“It’s kind of a blank slate,” Goeas continued. “The only disadvantage they have is that not much has been put together yet with the program because there was so much uncertainty for so long about how this would resolve itself and whether there would be a contested convention or not.”

Trump’s ongoing conversations with House Speaker Paul Ryan, who is set to serve as convention chairman despite having yet to officially endorse the likely nominee, are also expected to focus increasingly on the show in Cleveland in July, which Trump is intent on controlling.

“If he wants control and to pick the speakers, then it’s going to be awkward, disjointed and an ugly convention,” said another operative working with Trump’s campaign. “This will not be the opportunity for people who have a contrarian view to come to the convention and start a fight.”





Trump's campaign did not respond to a POLITICO request to comment on the record about its convention plans.

The convention will be the ultimate draw for the television networks. Past conventions were dutifully covered, often in one-hour prime-time specials, for three nights by the broadcast networks, leaving their live streaming sites or the cable outlets to try to cover the rest — mostly speeches by young politicians, former or low-ranking party officials. Stories about the uselessness of the conventions and falling TV viewership abounded.

One of the few memorable moments of 2012 took place when actor Clint Eastwood spoke to an empty chair in prime time.

But in 2016, after a primary season marked by record ratings for primary debates and constant cable-TV countdown clocks, the media no longer see convention coverage as a rote tradition that will suck up money without any tangible news value; now it’s a shot in the arm.

“Other than election night, they’re the Super Bowl,” said Dafna Linzer, NBC and MSNBC managing editor for politics. “We’re excited and plan to go very big, but not because Trump is the nominee, but because the American public is completely engaged in this election. You see it in turnout and in tune-in.”

Whether the broadcast networks plan to ditch their requisite hourlong prime-time specials in favor of all-in coverage isn’t clear yet because the Trump campaign and convention planners have given no hints as to what to expect. But for an industry that this year has become accustomed to Trump’s by-the-seat-of-his-pants campaign and last-minute town halls and debates, an unpredictable convention is perhaps the most predictable aspect.

“He can put on a big show, but it could also be an opportunity to demonstrate a seriousness about his vision,” Goeas said, noting that McCain’s only national lead in 2008 came over the 10 days immediately following his convention in St. Paul, Minnesota.

“Can you move voters? Yes, you can,” he said. “Ultimately, it’s going to be what do he and his campaign want people to see of who Donald Trump really is.”

