Republicans opened their scaled-back national convention Monday with a roll call vote to formally renominate President Donald Trump to top the Republican ticket in November.
The overall theme of the convention, "Honoring the Great American Story," will highlight "the promise and greatness of America" and Trump's "leadership and what he has planned for the future," a Trump campaign official said.
Each night will also have a sub-theme; on Monday, it is "Land of Promise."
Before attention turns to primetime programming, the presidential nomination, seconding speeches and roll call took place in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Monday morning.
As previously reported by ABC News, Trump is expected to be a part of the programming for each night of the convention.
ABC News Live will kick off primetime coverage each day at 7 p.m. ET on the network's streaming news channel, and primetime coverage will air from 10-11 p.m. ET each night of the convention on the ABC Television Network. Check back here for live updates starting at 7 p.m.
Here's how the day is unfolding:
1:50 p.m. Republicans nominate Trump to second term
The Republican Party has officially renominated Trump for president with a total of 2,550 delegates -- all of the delegates available.
RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel took the stage to officially declare Trump and Pence as the Republican nominees for president and vice president.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy then took a swipe at Biden, saying, "The difference between our convention and the DNC is that our nominees show up."
Biden and other speakers at last week's Democratic National Convention did not travel to the host city of Milwaukee due to coronavirus concerns.
The president will formally accept the nomination from the White House on Thursday night.
12:45 p.m. Trumps makes first RNC appearance
Just before Trump arrived at the Charlotte Convention Center, Florida State Sen. Joe Gruters, chairman of the Florida Republican Party, announced the state's 122 votes for Trump. Though Trump was already well over the top when Florida announced its delegates, the RNC put up a graphic prepared for the moment when Trump secured the required number.
Then Trump took the stage.
After suggesting his supporters chant "12 more years" instead of "four more years," the president declared the country's economic recovery was in a "super V-shape" and fired off attacks against mail-in voting, claiming Democrats are "trying to steal the election from the Republicans" by expanding access to mail-in ballots, which millions of Americans are relying on amid the pandemic.
"This is the greatest scam in the history of politics, I think, and I'm talking about beyond our nation. They act like they are aggrieved by saying this, saying such a horrible thing, we are not patriotic by saying this. No," Trump said. "We voted during World War I. We voted at the voting booth during World War II. The pandemic we are doing very well -- and people know how to handle it -- look at the crowds. They are doing very well. It's very safe."
Trump's accusations came while Democratic lawmakers back in Washington grilled Postmaster General Louis DeJoy over controversial operational changes to the Postal Service which Democrats argue were designed to slow the mail and help him win reelection.
"What they're doing is using COVID to steal an election. They're using COVID to defraud the American people -- all of our people -- of a fair and free election," Trump claimed. "We can't do that. Don't let them give you the post office stuff."
The president also said that "China will own our country" if Biden is elected, before repeating a familiar claim that he has done for the Black community than anyone.
"Nobody has done more for the historically Black colleges and universities than Donald Trump. Nobody, nobody has done more for the African-American community," Trump said, with the exception of President Abraham Lincoln, he added.
Notably, Trump's political opponent Sen. Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for vice president, is the first HBCU graduate to be nominated for national office by a major political party.
Before he concluded his remarks, Trump again hinted that Democrats will take the election away -- the same claim Democrats make about Republicans.
"This is the most important election in the history of our country. Don't let them take it away from you," he said.
12:15 p.m. Republicans reach threshold to renominate Trump for president
After Pence wrapped his remarks, the roll call vote continued with Nevada, whose 25 delegates technically put Trump over the top to have enough votes to once again secure the nomination.
Florida, Trump's adopted home state, was the only state moved out of alphabetical order, which would have allowed for the state to put Trump over the top -- but it was Nevada's delegate on the screen when Trump surpassed the 1,276 delegate threshold to win the nomination.
With Nevada, 1,284 delegates have renominated Trump as the party's nominee, surpassing the 1,276 delegate threshold to win the nomination, based on an ABC News analysis of the delegate count.
Despite Florida not being seen at the microphone to announce the state's 122 delegates, nor the secretary officially announcing a record of the votes, those votes were included in the RNC's delegate tally.
The president is expected to speak briefly in Charlotte but will formally accept the nomination on Thursday night, when he delivers his speech from the White House South Lawn.
11:48 a.m. Trump touches down in Charlotte, Pence takes the stage
As Trump touched down in Charlotte, Vice President Mike Pence took the stage in the convention center to deliver remarks.
"It is a joy to be with you at the 2020 Republican National Convention here in North Carolina," Pence said. "I heard there a unanimous vote a little bit earlier, and I'll have more to say that at Fort McHenry on Wednesday night."
Pence also teased Trump's incoming appearance, saying, "You might just see a friend of mine at the Republican National Convention today because we wanted to say 'thank you.'"
Pence's speech was primarily a call to action to vote in November to preserve conservative values.
"This movement led our nation back in 2016. And I just know each and every one of you, we're going to do your part this year to reelect this president and reelected Republicans with strong sound conservative principles every day," he said.
11:00 a.m. Roll call vote to renominate Trump underway
The convention has begun a state-by-state roll call vote on the renomination of the president.
After tests and temperature checks, 336 delegates representing 50 states, five territories and Washington, D.C., are participating in the process from inside the ballroom of the Charlotte Convention Center. They have been asked to wear masks and practice social distancing.
Trump was nominated by Michael Whatley, the chairman of the North Carolina GOP, and Florida State Sen. Joe Gruters, the chairman of the Florida Republican Party.
Mike Lindell, founder and CEO of My Pillow who recently said he met with Trump in the White House in July and discussed an unproven COVID-19 therapeutic, cast Minnesota's delegates for Trump in the roll call.
Trump and Pence are scheduled to land in Charlotte around the time delegates plan to announce the results of their vote and are expected to make an appearance at the convention.
10:14 a.m. Republicans renominate Pence for VP
Delegates renominate Pence with a unanimous vote Monday morning ahead of their roll call vote on Trump.
Former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker delivered a brief speech making the nomination.
The unanimous voice vote received a standing ovation from RNC delegates.
8:00 a.m. GOP forgoes party platform, to 'enthusiastically support' Trump agenda
The Republican National Committee will go without a traditional policy platform at the GOP convention, saying it will instead "continue to enthusiastically support the president's America-first agenda."
In a statement issued Sunday, the RNC said it adopted a resolution Saturday to go without a platform citing difficulties presented by the coronavirus pandemic.
"The RNC has unanimously voted to forego the Convention Committee on Platform, in appreciation of the fact that it did not want a small contingent of delegates formulating a new platform without the breadth of perspectives within the ever-growing Republican movement," the RNC said.
The decision is roiling some Republicans who argue that the old platform is outdated and not reflective of the current views of the president or the party. Four years ago in Cleveland, Ohio, the party adopted a strict, conservative platform around issues of gender and sexual orientation against the efforts by some of the party's more moderate faction to soften the language.
The announcement also follows a vote in June, where the committee decided to adopt the 2016 platform for November's presidential election.
Convention speakers:
Those scheduled to speak on the first night include:
ABC News' Kendall Karson, Terrance Smith, Rachel Scott, Will Steakin and Elizabeth Thomas contributed to this report.
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