The Republican National Convention officially kicked off on Monday afternoon and expectations are high that the event will be filled with drama — inside and outside the convention hall in Cleveland. With his blunt rhetoric, seen by critics as racially charged, Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, has attracted large, rowdy protests at campaign events, and many groups have vowed to stage protests in Cleveland.
The former reality TV star also has promised that the convention, normally filled with sober political speeches, will be an entertaining event; his campaign has lined up an unusual mix of B-list celebrities and politicians as speakers, along with his family members, including wife Melania Trump and daughter Ivanka Trump, who have been given prime speaking slots.
The official theme for the first day of the Republican Party gathering, “Make America Safe Again,” echoes Trump’s official campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.” Each day of the convention has a theme. Below are photos that the tell the story of RNC 2016. This story will be updated throughout the convention.