What Time Does Trump Speak At The RNC? How To Watch His Speech

Despite being shot at a rally in Pennsylvania last weekend, Donald Trump has confirmed that he will still give his long-awaited speech in Milwaukee at the Republic National Convention this week.

While the weekend’s events may have not deterred Trump from his original plans, he has said he will rewrite his speech after the attempted assassination on July 13, telling the Washington Examiner that the shooting had provided him a “chance to bring the whole country, even the whole world, together” at the RNC later this week.  

“The speech I was going to give on Thursday was going to be a humdinger,” Trump said.“The speech will be a lot different, a lot different than it would’ve been two days ago.”

Trump said that his original speech mostly addressed President Joe Biden’s policy record.

Looking to watch Trump’s speech at the 2024 RNC? We’ve got you covered. Here is everything you need to know, including when Trump is speaking, what time his speech begins and how to live stream it.

Trump RNC Speech Time: What Time Is Trump Speaking At RNC?

As of right now, Trump’s official speech at the RNC is slated to take place this evening (July 18). Tonight’s official session will begin at 6:45 P.M. ET and is expected to end at 11:30 P.M. ET. It is believed that Trump will likely speak last, in order to close out the convention. Check the GOP Convention website for an updated schedule as the event progresses.

If past years are any indication, the former president could potentially take the stage as late as 11 p.m.

How Long Does The RNC Last?

The RNC takes place over four days: from Monday, July 15, to Thursday, July 18. The event officially kicks off at 1:45 p.m. ET today and will continue through Thursday evening. The RNC is taking place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a key battleground state in this year’s presidential election.

RNC Livestream: Where Can I Watch Trump’s Speech Live?

While not all networks and streaming services will stream every part of the conference, Trump’s nominee speech is considered to be one of the most important of the convention.

The entire conference is streaming live on YouTube from the Republican National Convention’s account. This livestream can be accessed directly from their website.

The New York Times will also stream the convention speeches during primetime on its website, alongside real-time commentary and analysis from reporters.

• C-SPAN will broadcast the entire convention, uninterrupted, for all four days.
• CBS Television Network will feature live coverage of the convention from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET all four nights.
• NBC News will broadcast “Decision 2024” live during the same time frame that it streams the program.
• ABC News will present live coverage from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET each night on its main broadcast network.
• Fox Business Network will carry speeches uninterrupted. This is a separate broadcast from Fox News, and will be on at 10/9c Thursday night.
• CNN will mix coverage and analysis, anchored by Jake Tapper and Anderson Cooper, each night from 8 p.m. to midnight ET.
• MSNBC will have extended team coverage on Thursday from 8 p.m. to midnight ET. The platform has historically carried the full acceptance speech of the presidential nominee, and this year is not expected to be any different.

Where Can I Watch Trump’s Speech On The Go?

For those who may not be able to watch Trump’s Thursday night speech live or from their living room, there are a multitude of other streaming options that will be available after the fact.

As previously mentioned, both the RNC and The New York Times will have coverage on their websites.

• C-SPAN will stream the convention at C-SPAN.org and on the C-SPAN Now mobile app.
• CBS News 24/7, CBS’s streaming service, will start its nightly coverage at 7/6c but it will not carry the convention from start to finish — however, Trump’s speech will still likely be included in the coverage.
• NBC News Now will carry coverage as part of its Decision 2024 broadcast with Lester Holt and Savannah Guthrie. Their coverage will stream from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET on Thursday.
• ABC News Live, ABC News’ streaming platform, will have coverage from 7 p.m. to midnight ET.

All streaming services including a live TV subscription— including Hulu+Live TV, FuboTV and DirecTV Stream — will also broadcast the speech on any channel covering the 2024 RNC. The listed platforms also all offer free trials if you do not already hold a subscription.

UPDATED 7/18/24 AT 9:34 A.M. EST: This story has been updated to include new details about when Donald Trump is expected to speak at the RNC.