CLEVELAND -- Donald Trump's campaign promised an extraordinary display of political entertainment at this month's Republican National Convention, with an emphasis on entertainment.

The former reality television star plans to feature his high-profile children at the summer gathering in Cleveland, with the hope they'll be joined by a number of celebrity supporters. Prospects include former Indiana basketball coach Bobby Knight, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and longtime boxing promoter Don King.

"I'm going to be involved, definitely," said King, who lives in Cleveland and is a supporter of the presumptive Republican nominee. "He's my man. I love him. He's going to be the next president."

As Trump's campaign tries to line up big names for the convention, many of the Republican Party's top politicians have said they aren't willing to appear on his behalf. The GOP's two living presidents, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush; its most recent presidential nominee, Mitt Romney; and Ohio's Republican governor, John Kasich, all said they plan to avoid the four-day event that traditionally serves as a display of party unity heading into the sprint toward Election Day.

"He's going to have to bring all his skills to bear to make this work, not just in Cleveland, but for the next four months," said Matt Borges, the Ohio Republican Party chairman. "It won't be easy, but that's what he's got to do."

Trump's team said he's up to the challenge.

"This is not going to be your typical party convention like years past," Trump spokesman Jason Miller said. "Donald Trump is better-suited than just about any candidate in memory to put together a program that's outside of Washington and can appeal directly to the American people."

At the Democratic National Convention the next week, Hillary Clinton will face a different concern: how to squeeze in the many prominent Democrats backing her campaign.

Along with the presumptive Democratic nominee and her vice presidential pick, speeches are likely from President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, first lady Michelle Obama and the candidate's husband, former President Bill Clinton.

There's also Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, a favorite of progressives and one of Trump's fiercest critics. Clinton aides have said Warren is on Clinton's running-mate shortlist.

There's no public sense yet of what role she'll give to Bernie Sanders, the Vermont senator whose strong challenge in the Democratic primary has yet to officially come to an end. Sanders has said he'll vote for Clinton, but he has yet to formally endorse her and is pushing for changes to the Democratic platform.

By necessity as much as preference, Trump's team is crafting a far different lineup. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who is being considered as a convention speaker, praised Trump's plan to use his celebrity connections to reach a broader audience.

"Trump understands that if he can appeal to consumer America, he drowns political America," Gingrich said.

Gingrich said he had little idea of what kind of event to expect, but he recalled a recent conversation with a Trump family member who confidently told him, "We know how to do conventions."

During an appearance Friday at the Western Conservative Summit in Denver, Trump said that his "children are all going to be speaking: Ivanka, Tiffany, Don, Eric. They're going to be speaking."

"My wife is going to be speaking at the convention," he added. "We're going to have a great time."

Trump's campaign has also been in touch with aides to his chief primary rival, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who has been trying to win a convention speaking slot. In addition to Gingrich, national leaders under consideration to speak include former United Nations Ambassador John Bolton, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington.

Some celebrities backing Trump have passed on the chance to be a part of the convention. Among them is former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka, who told the Chicago Tribune last week: "I spoke with Mr. Trump this afternoon, and he invited me. But I don't think I'm going to go."

Ivanka Trump predicted in a recent radio interview that the GOP convention would be "a great combination of our great politicians, but also great American businessmen and women and leaders across industry and leaders across really all sectors, from athletes to coaches and everything in between."

"I think it will be a convention unlike any we've ever seen," she said. "It will be substantive. It will be interesting. It will be different. It's not going to be a ho-hum lineup of, you know, the typical politicians."

And that will leave room for complaints from Trump's Republican skeptics.

"Whatever you want to say about Trump, he's been a showman," former Kasich adviser Jai Chabria said. "And I expect something completely different. I find it hard to believe that that's going to be enough to put him over the top."

Trump defends tweet

On Monday, Trump called Clinton's campaign "ridiculous" for portraying an anti-Clinton tweet as anti-Semitic. The image featured a picture of Clinton superimposed on a backdrop of $100 bills and what looked like a red Star of David emblazoned with the words "Most corrupt candidate ever!"

In a statement issued by his campaign Monday evening, Trump suggested Clinton and her allies were using the matter to distract from her recent campaign troubles.

Trump said the tweet portrayed "a basic star, often used by sheriffs who deal with criminals and criminal behavior," as part of an effort to convey that "Crooked Hillary is the most corrupt candidate ever."

It was Trump's most extensive comment since his official account tweeted -- then deleted -- the image Saturday, sparking uproar over its potentially anti-Semitic connotations. Trump's account later posted a new version with a circle in place of the six-point star.

It remained unclear where the campaign found the image, but it previously appeared on a white supremacist message board filled with anti-Semitic messages as well as the Twitter feed of a self-identified comedian who tweeted provocative and offensive images.

In a statement released Monday, Clinton said, "Donald Trump's use of a blatantly anti-Semitic image from racist websites to promote his campaign would be disturbing enough, but the fact that it's a part of a pattern should give voters major cause for concern.

"Now, not only won't he apologize for it, he's peddling lies and blaming others. Trump should be condemning hate, not offering more campaign behavior and rhetoric that engages extremists. The president should be someone who brings Americans together, not someone who sends signals and offers policies of division."

Information for this article was contributed by Steve Peoples, Julie Pace and Jill Colvin of The Associated Press and by David Knowles of Bloomberg News.

A Section on 07/05/2016