Republican convention to kick off in North Carolina to nominate Trump

In Charlotte, North Carolina, the stage is set for a pared-down Republican National Convention to kick off on Monday.

"This is obviously not what we expected two plus years ago," said Sarah Reidy-Jones, vice-chair of the Mecklenburg County GOP.

While thousands aren't descending on the city as originally planned, a small number of delegates will vote in person Monday to re-nominate President Donald Trump.

"Unlike the Democratic Convention, where they had people all over the country Zooming in, they are going to have they are going to have the ritual roll call of the states, it's just going to be much smaller than usual," John Holder, professor of political science at Winthrop University told The Associated Press.

Trump is expected to travel to the Tar Heel state to address delegates, a move Holder says sends a clear message regarding the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

"By putting several hundred people in a room in Charlotte, they're saying this is no big deal," Holder says. "So, it's essentially a display of what they're going to argue is the administration's effectiveness in dealing with this."

Each night will include nearly 20 virtual convention speakers from various locations, including former Ambassador Nikki Haley, Franklin Graham and Melania Trump, who will speak from the newly renovated rose garden Tuesday evening.

"I'm going to see a sharp contrast with what we saw this past week with the DNC," Reidy-Jones said.

Trump plans to speak every night, but is expected to make his formal acceptance speech from the White House on Thursday.