Hulk Hogan spoke, though’: Don’t remind Donald Trump that this staggering list of people who didn’t speak at the RNC exists

As the fanfare around the DNC reaches fever pitch, political junkies have taken to social media to remind us of those who were notably quiet during its counterpart, the Republican National Convention. 

The buzz emanating from the DNC, which is taking place in Chicago and is expected to draw in some 50,000 people, has glaringly contrasted with the RNC. 

That convention took place in Milwaukee last month, and it’s safe to say it didn’t generate as much hype as Trump might have hoped, at least in comparison to the electrifying speeches and star-studded appearances we’ve already seen out of Chicago. 

As one person has noted on X, the lackluster performance of the RNC might have boiled down to the staggering list of those who either didn’t speak at the event or were missing entirely, some of whom were absent because of their opposition to Republican nominee, Donald Trump.

Writing on X yesterday, user Alex Cole sorted through all the names who would usually speak at the RNC but didn’t, listing everyone from former First Lady Melania Trump to his relatives like his daughter, Ivanka. Cole also noted that former Vice President Mike Pence didn’t speak (you know, since he’s feuding with Trump), and nor did Pence’s wife or the former chief of staff, John F. Kelly (who’s also on the outs with Trump).

Given their fraught history with Trump, the latter two names skipped the event entirely, along with a whole host of high-profile Republicans — from Liz Cheney to Mitt Romney — who likewise didn’t appear at the RNC. I’m sensing a pattern here. 

“The people who knew Trump best didn’t speak,” Cole wrote. 

For contrast, almost all of the counterparts to that RNC list either have, or will, speak at the DNC, with both Jill Biden and Ashley Biden already appearing at the event and former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle also set to take to the DNC stage. Biden also had his VP bases covered, with the now-nominee, Kamala Harris, making a surprise speech on Monday night. 

With such a long list of names who went speechless at the RNC, Cole reminded us of how the convention chose to fill out its roster of appearances. While we might have hoped it was just a scary fever dream, Hulk Hogan did, in fact, appear at the convention, and so did fellow celebrities (using that term loosely) like Kid Rock and Amber Rose. 

“Hulk Hogan spoke, though,” Cole quipped, unfairly reminding us of when he ripped his shirt off on stage. Does Hogan hold as much power for a rousing speech as Pence might have? I guess wrestling fans would think so.