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Speakers at Donald Trump’s Convention: Tim Tebow, Peter Thiel, but No Sarah Palin?

Donald J. Trump spoke at a campaign event in Westfield, Ind., on Tuesday.Credit...Damon Winter/The New York Times

CLEVELAND — A night highlighting the tragedy in Benghazi, Libya. An appearance by onetime football star Tim Tebow. A presentation detailing former President Bill Clinton’s sexual misconduct.

Donald J. Trump, the presumptive nominee, has been promising a different kind of Republican National Convention, and plans obtained by The New York Times show that he is eager to put his showbiz stamp on the party’s gathering, even as he struggles to attract A-list talent.

The roster of speakers obtained by The Times, and confirmed by two people with direct knowledge of the convention planning, reveals a lineup lacking many of the party’s rising stars. Instead, it features some of Mr. Trump’s eclectic collection of friends, celebrities and relatives, from his Slovenian supermodel wife, Melania, to the professional golfer Natalie Gulbis.

The parade of people seems to have been selected to broaden Mr. Trump’s demographic reach.

There are several notable women speaking. They include Pam Bondi, the Florida attorney general, who tangled on television with the CNN anchor Anderson Cooper after the Orlando, Fla., nightclub massacre; Eileen Collins, the first woman to command a space shuttle mission; Gov. Mary Fallin of Oklahoma; Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa; and Mr. Trump’s wife, Melania.

There are a few African-Americans, like Jamiel Shaw Sr., who became an outspoken advocate for tougher immigration laws after his son was killed in 2008 by an undocumented immigrant; and Darryl Glenn, who is running for the Senate in Colorado.

From sports there is Mr. Tebow, the former quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner who is known for his conservative views; Dana White, the president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, a mixed martial arts organization; and Ms. Gulbis.

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Tim Tebow, a former N.F.L. quarterback who played for the Philadelphia Eagles last year, is scheduled to speak on the fourth night of the Republican National Convention.Credit...Mel Evans/Associated Press

Peter Thiel, a billionaire Silicon Valley entrepreneur, will represent the business community, along with Thomas J. Barrack Jr., who helped start a pro-Trump “super PAC.” In what could be an awkward juxtaposition, Mr. Thiel is openly gay and the convention is set to adopt a platform that opposed gay and transgender rights.

The list of politicians scheduled to appear include people who have been out of office for some time, like Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former New York mayor, and newcomers like Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas.

There are plans to emphasize different themes each night of the convention. Mr. Trump wants to touch on a few of his favorite hot-button issues, like the 2012 attack on the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, former President Clinton’s infidelities and border security. All four of Mr. Trump’s adult children are scheduled to speak.

There also will be governors like Rick Scott of Florida and Scott Walker of Wisconsin, and members of Congress like Representatives Sean P. Duffy of Wisconsin and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee. The National Rifle Association will be represented by Chris Cox, executive director of the group’s political arm. Antonio Sabato Jr. is one Hollywood star who has been confirmed by the Trump campaign.

Mr. Trump is still inviting people, his aides have said. And the people who spoke about his list of speakers cautioned that it could still grow.

But what is striking, as much as who is on the list, is who is not. Several figures Mr. Trump had said he would invite to speak, like the boxing promoter Don King and Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor, were not included. Neither was Tom Brady, the New England Patriots quarterback, a hugely popular figure in the key state of New Hampshire.

The list, which is subject to change, as obtained by The New York Times:

Night 1: A Benghazi focus, followed by border patrol agents and Mr. Shaw, whose son was killed by an undocumented immigrant. Senator Cotton, Mr. Giuliani, Melania Trump, Ms. Ernst and others.

Night 2: A focus on the economy: Mr. White, president of the U.F.C.; Asa Hutchinson, the governor of Arkansas; Michael Mukasey, the former United States attorney general; Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, a vice-presidential possibility; Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader; Mr. Trump’s daughter Tiffany; his son Donald Jr.; and Governor Walker.

Night 3: Ms. Bondi; Ms. Collins; Newt Gingrich, a former House speaker; Senator Ted Cruz of Texas; Mr. Trump’s son Eric; Ms. Gulbis; and the nominee for vice president.

Night 4: Mr. Tebow; Representative Blackburn; Governor Fallin; Reince Priebus, the Republican National Committee chairman; Governor Scott; Mr. Thiel; Mr. Barrack; Mr. Trump’s daughter Ivanka; and Mr. Trump.

Even as they finalized the list this week, Mr. Trump’s campaign aides and party officials were also working behind the scenes to stave off any challenges to Mr. Trump’s nomination on the convention floor next week.

Mr. Priebus was blunt about the need for party leaders to support Mr. Trump and defeat Hillary Clinton — even if the reasoning he offered appeared to be less than a full-throated endorsement.

“If we don’t stick together as a party and stop her, then the only alternative is to get comfortable with the phrase President Hillary Clinton,” Mr. Priebus said in remarks to party leaders on Wednesday.

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Donald J. Trump, left, speaking with Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former mayor of New York, at a fund-raising event in the Bronx last year.Credit...Seth Wenig/Associated Press

An extended and confrontational debate could reopen doubts about Mr. Trump’s candidacy and cast a shadow over what is supposed to be a triumphant moment of party unity.

The prospect of multiple delegate votes with unknown outcomes and unforeseeable consequences is something Mr. Trump’s campaign and Mr. Priebus are intent on preventing. What is ordinarily a carefully choreographed event — planned to conform neatly to the prime-time schedules of the television networks — could slip into chaos.

Still, the chance that Mr. Trump’s opponents could muster enough support to deny him the nomination is remote. The biggest hazard that Mr. Trump and the leaders of the Republican National Committee are trying to contain is how messy the process could become — and how much damage Mr. Trump’s campaign could sustain.

Starting on Thursday morning, delegates will begin to debate a series of proposals to change the party’s rules. They could include a provision that would allow delegates to vote their consciences in selecting the Republican presidential nominee, instead of voting in accordance with the outcomes of the primaries and caucuses in their states, as most state party rules require.

Find out what you need to know about the 2016 presidential race today, and get politics news updates via Facebook, Twitter and the First Draft newsletter.

A version of this article appears in print on  , Section A, Page 16 of the New York edition with the headline: Speakers at Trump’s Convention: An Astronaut, a Quarterback, but No Palin. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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