Covington Catholic School student Nicholas Sandmann set to speak at the RNC

The Democratic National Convention started on Monday, with a powerful speech from Michelle Obama grabbing the headlines. And its Republican alternative will be starting next week.

The RNC has already begun to reveal who will be speaking at their convention and amongst them is reportedly Nicholas Sandmann, formerly of Covington Catholic High School who was at the centre of controversy in January 2019.

Sandmann and his fellow classmates, who were wearing Trump MAGA hats, were filmed as part of a confrontation with a Native American elder Nathan Phillips, of the Black Hebrew Israelites, who was beating a drum and singing while Sandmann was smiling just inches away from each other. The incident, which took place on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC, became an international news story, with many accusing the students of acting disrespectfully towards the Native Americans.

However, as further footage from the day was revealed it looked as though the students might have been provoked themselves, and stories of what really happened varied greatly. This led to Sandmann's lawyers filing several defamation lawsuits against outlets including CNN and the Washington Post, who both settled for undisclosed fees.

Sandmann is now being brought to the RNC to discuss the dangers of 'cancel culture', as reported by Breitbart. Sandmann also confirmed the news on Twitter, saying that he was 'excited' to be part of this year's convention.

Other speakers that have been confirmed to be talking at the RNC include Andrew Pollack, whose daughter was killed in the Parkland shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February 2018. Abby Johnson – a former Planned Parenthood director turned pro-life activist – the governor of South Dakota Kristi Noem and Mark and Patricia McCloskey – the St Louis couple who pointed guns at Black Lives Matter protesters in June – will also reportedly be speaking.

According to the Washington Post, a GOP source has said that these speakers have been recruited to the virtual event to try and galvanize Trump's supporter base and kick start his campaign which has mostly struggled so far, with most major polls placing the president behind his Democratic opponent Joe Biden.