Convention to feature less glitz, more family

Associated Press

CLEVELAND

Donald Trump once promised a “showbiz” convention, packed with flash, celebrities and a “winner’s night” featuring sports stars and champion coaches.

Instead, the Republican National Convention kicking off today is shaping up to be a staid family-focused affair, with a lineup that features everyday Americans, successful business people and four of his five children.

“The plan for the Trump campaign for this convention is to help the American people understand more about Donald Trump the man, not just the candidate that they’ve seen on the campaign trail,” his campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, told reporters gathered in Cleveland ahead of the convention’s kickoff.

Instead of featuring “a bunch of Washington politicians,” Manafort said the goal was to focus on ordinary people impacted by the current president’s policies, along with friends, employees and others who’ve worked with Trump over the years who can talk about his “business acumen and his personal life, his ability to solve problems. “

“I think the historic nature of the convention will be the impact that family members have in talking about the candidate because we feel that the personal story of Donald Trump is something that needs to be told and it’ll be told from their eyes best,” he said.

As for star power, the offerings are unexpectedly dim. There’s Willie Robertson from “Duck Dynasty,” along with actor Scott Baio, star of “Charles In Charge,” “Joanie Loves Chachi” and “Happy Days.” Soap operas get their nods in the form of actor and former Calvin Klein underwear model Antonio Sabato Jr. and Kimberlin Brown, a California avocado farmer best known for her roles on “The Bold and the Beautiful” and “The Young and the Restless.”