RNC Night 4: Donald Trump, Hulk Hogan and Annette Albright speak

MILWAUKEE — The Republican National Convention concludes Thursday in Milwaukee. Former President Donald Trump will address the nation for the first time since surviving an assassination attempt. The Thursday speaker lineup also included Hulk Hogan and former CMS administrator and school board candidate Annette Albright. 9th District Rep. Richard Hudson of Southern Pines and Franklin Graham also spoke.

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On Sunday, Trump told the Washington Examiner he rewrote his speech to focus on unity.

In an interview with Channel 9, Senator Thom Tillis called it a smart move.

“I think both sides have spent so much time dividing, that this is a great opportunity for our president, our presidential nominee and Republican Party to be the ones saying let’s focus on the issues,” he said.

Senator Tillis says both sides should tone down the rhetoric.

“No one should be surprised that that happened,” he said. “If you take a look at how the hyperbolic language over the past several years this just continued to escalate.”

Today, Senator Tillis called on the director of the Secret Service to resign. He said there was a massive security failure in Butler and there needs to be accountability.

“We want to we want to hold the right person accountable,” he said. “It could be a combination of the federal agencies, on the ground local agencies, but somebody has to be held accountable.”

As Trump takes the stage Thursday night, the Democratic Party is publicly and privately debating whether President Joe Biden should take him on.

Senator Tillis says it doesn’t matter to him.

“Whether it’s Biden or whether it’s Harris, we’re gonna win in November,” he said. “It’s a matter of the margin.”

Annette Albright speaks at RNC

RNC Night 4: Former CMS administrator Annette Albright speaks

The announcement stunned Charlotte residents and political observers. Annette Albright, a former CMS administrator and school board candidate, was a featured speaker at the Republican National Convention.

In June 2016, Albright was attacked by a group of students at Harding High. It was a traumatic incident that she says made her passionate about making schools safer.

“I don’t carry what happened,” she said. “But I do carry my passion for improving school safety, for not only the educators and students, but anybody that walks on a CMS campus. That’s how I kind of got on this journey.”

After leaving the district, she ran for the CMS Board three times. In her most recent race, she ran as an unaffiliated candidate with Claire Covington and Michael Johnson in a unity slate. Democratic groups called her a trojan horse to elect Republicans. She still denies this is the case. But she says the entire experience made her evaluate whether she wants to continue to vote for Democrats.

“I had to sit down and I had to think, why am I still a part of this party,” she said. “I don’t align with their core values. They feel like that I’m too conservative.”

She says she then started to attend Republican events and found their views on education and school safety align more with hers. As for how she got to Milwaukee. Brooke Weiss of Charlotte’s Moms for Liberty chapter recommended her as a speaker. Albright did two interviews and found out last week she was selected. She says she still can’t believe she was selected.

“Not In my wildest dreams,” she said.

She talked about violence in schools in her speech and being attacked by students. She said she will be voting for Trump for the first time.

>> Bruno will have LIVE coverage from the RNC all week. Stick with Channel 9 as he explains everything voters across the Carolinas need to know.

Night 4 speaker lineup:

All times are subject to change and listed in Central Time.

5:30-6PM

• Sen. Steve Daines (MT)
• Rep. Richard Hudson (NC), Chair of National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC)

6-6:30PM

• Diane Hendricks, everyday American
• Diane Evans, everyday American
• Linda McMahon, former Administrator of Small Business Administration
• Mike Pompeo, former Secretary of State

6:30-7PM

• Pastor Lorenzo Sewell
• John Nieporte, everyday American
• Steve & Zach Witkoff

7-7:30PM

• Alina Habba, President Donald J. Trump’s attorney
• Tucker Carlson, founder of Tucker Carlson Network

7:30-8PM

• Carrie Ruiz, everyday American
• Hulk Hogan, professional entertainer and wrestler
• Annette Albright, everyday American

8-9PM

• Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
• Eric Trump
• Dana White, CEO of Ultimate Fighting Championship

9-10:30PM

• President Donald J. Trump

(WATCH BELOW: Donald Trump, Hulk Hogan and Annette Albright to speak)

RNC Night 4: Donald Trump, Hulk Hogan and Annette Albright to speak

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