August 26, 2020 — Eighth-generation lobsterman Jason Joyce of Swan’s Island will address the Republican National Convention on Tuesday as President Donald Trump prioritizes Maine and its most iconic industry in an election year.
Joyce, 50, is the only Mainer with a speaking slot at the convention, according to a list provided by the Trump campaign on Sunday. He will speak on the second day of the four-day convention, to be officially held in Charlotte, North Carolina though much of the programming will be remote because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump will formally accept his party’s nomination to run for re-election on Thursday a week after former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee, did the same at his party’s convention. Biden has led Trump in national polls since becoming the presumptive nominee in April and has led the Republican president by more in Maine.