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| - Donald Trump's devoutly evangelical Christian vice president, Mike Pence, takes center stage at the Republican convention Wednesday with a speech likely aimed at voters worried about the president's moral standing and leadership during the Covid-19 crisis. Pence will speak from Fort McHenry in Baltimore, the site of an 1814 British bombardment against American revolutionaries that inspired the poem later turned into the US national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner." That backdrop will give Pence a cinematic opportunity to make the patriotic case for Trump getting a second term in the November 3 elections, when he faces Democrat Joe Biden. A former congressman and governor of the Midwestern state of Indiana, Pence has taken on the role of a calm counterweight to Trump's constant drama, one who is impeccably conservative and manifestly religious. Trump needs the well-organized evangelical Christian community to turn out to vote in what likely will be a tight election. But as the administration official who has worked assiduously to reassure old-school Republicans and please those in thrall to Trump, Pence's prime-time appearance could well be a preview of the delicate dance that Republicans will be challenged to perform in the subsequent presidential election, in 2024. When Trump's 2016 candidacy was almost derailed by the emergence of an old recording of him boasting about grabbing women by their genitals, it was Pence who helped stem the damage. Trump carries the baggage of a former playboy real estate tycoon -- one who has faced multiple accusations of harassment and sexual assault. But Pence has the comportment of a pious man, who reportedly refuses so much as to eat alone with a woman other than his wife, Karen. The Second Lady will also address the convention, which -- like the Democratic event -- has gone largely virtual in order to fight the spread of coronavirus. Also set to speak is Kellyanne Conway, a longtime close Trump advisor who announced she will be leaving the White House in late August. A Florida police officer will deliver remarks, as well, a potentially tense moment as protests rage in Wisconsin after Kenosha police shot an African-American man multiple times in the back. A 17-year-old was arrested on murder charges after two people in anti-police protests were shot dead in Kenosha on Tuesday. Trump said he was sending in additional federal forces. Pence is playing an important part in Trump's reelection, crisscrossing the country -- with an emphasis on swing states such as Wisconsin -- to drum up support. He has similarly served as the White House's sober pointman on the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed nearly 180,000 Americans since Trump's initial, erroneous prediction that it would disappear without trouble. Where Trump has veered radically between dismissing the crisis and grimly embracing a self-declared role as a "wartime president," Pence has shouldered the unglamorous role of White House coronavirus task force coordinator. Polls show almost two-thirds of Americans are unhappy with Trump's performance during the pandemic. Pence's opponent in the race, Democratic vice presidential pick Kamala Harris, will be attacking Trump on his coronavirus record at a speech Thursday in Washington, the same day Trump gives his main acceptance speech of the Republican convention at the White House. In a preview of sorts on Wednesday, Harris said in a message to prospective donors that Pence's remarks will be "nothing but lies." Pence is likely to use his speech to reassure voters that Trump has done everything possible to get the contagion under control and to care for an economy severely damaged by anti-virus shutdowns. The Baltimore speech follows two days of appearances by Trump boosters at the Republican convention, including First Lady Melania Trump, who on Tuesday defended the president as "an authentic person who loves this country." Trump has dipped repeatedly into his reality TV background to keep convention viewers on their toes -- and himself in the camera frame. On Tuesday, he made appearances in the White House, handing out a pardon and attending a surprise naturalization ceremony for new citizens. There was no word from the White House on how Trump will get on stage Wednesday, but Thursday he will have it all to himself, live from the White House. sms-mlm/to
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