Noted sports fan Donald Trump said Friday night he wants to have a night for sports heroes at the Republican National Convention.
“I’m thinking about getting some of the great sports people I know, who like me a lot,” Trump said at a rally in Richmond, Virginia. “We may call it ‘The Winners’ evening.”
Trump also said the night could include others, like Brian France, the owner of NASCAR, who backed Trump in February.
“Do we all love NASCAR? Because I do,” Trump said.
The Republican presumptive nominee has trumpeted his tight bonds with sports figures throughout his bid for the presidency, including former Indiana basketball coach Bobby Knight and Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
In interviews and speeches since clinching the Republican nomination, Trump has said he wanted to spice up his party’s nominating convention — historically a formal, week-long celebration consisting of speeches from party members all over the country, culminating with a speech from the party’s presidential nominee.
The former reality TV star with a penchant for spectacle said in an interview after clinching the party’s nomination that he was talking to Hollywood superagent Ari Emanuel about creating a film to showcase his candidacy at the convention.
There are also indications Trump has looked to set the scene at the convention. Two GOP sources told CNN in late May that Trump’s campaign was considering using a large sports venue for his acceptance speech in Cleveland.