TALLAHASSEE, FL—In a sudden twist in the days leading up to the Republican National Convention, Governor Ron DeSantis will now be given a speaking slot at the Milwaukee event; a far cry from a report two days ago alleging the Florida Governor would simply be attending.
"I will confirm a change in schedule that means he will now be speaking,” a source familiar with the decision told NBC News, who first reported the switch-up. The convention will be held in Milwaukee from July 15th-July 18th, though it is unknown which day DeSantis is slated for.
While CNN reported two days ago that DeSantis, a former presidential candidate, would not be given a speaking role—unusual considering the second and third-place finishers in 2016, Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, spoke at the RNC—a source close to DeSantis told NBC they were always under the impression that he would be allowed to speak.
"We have been told for a while we had a speaking slot and have never been told we do not," the source said.
There is no word yet on whether presumed nominee Donald Trump's other former competitor, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, will also be granted a speaking role. However, unlike DeSantis, she hasn't been invited to attend the event. The difference here is the attitudes following the presidential drop-outs: after DeSantis left the race, he pledged to raise money for the Trump campaign. Haley, meanwhile, refused to "kiss the ring" after dropping out.
Nevertheless, in May she bent the knee and announced she would vote for Trump come November, despite him calling her "Nimbra"—an allegedly racist play on her birth name, Nimarata, and on Tuesday released her 97 pledged delegates to Trump, in hopes of a unified front at the convention.
But that doesn't mean she'll get an invite.
"She's fine with that," said Charley Denton, a senior aide to Haley. "Trump deserves the convention he wants. She's made it clear she's voting for him and wishes him the best."
