USA election: Donald Trump’s speech aims to unify party

After ascending the stage to the theme from the action film Air Force One, Trump said he “humbly and gratefully” accepted the Republican nomination to the presidency, then launched into a prepared teleprompter speech peppered with caustic asides about career politicians.

Ian Bremmer, a political analyst, told Al Jazeera before the speech that there were many Americans who believed that the U.S. got “very little out of American allies”, and Trump’s statement appealed to them.

Accusing illegal immigrants of taking jobs from American citizens and committing crimes, Trump vowed to build a “great border wall” against the border-crossers.

Trump will also blame her policies for the rise of Islamic State militants, a situation many Democrats blame on Obama’s predecessor, George W. Bush, for launching the Iraq war.

“This is the legacy of Hillary Clinton: death, destruction and weakness”.

“The crime and violence that today afflicts our nation will soon, and I mean soon, come to an end”.

He called for an “immediate suspension” of immigration from “any nation compromised by terrorism” until “proven vetting mechanisms have been put in place”, he said.

The Trump campaign sent out excerpts of the speech shortly before the scheduled start of the Thursday evening program. They also cited Republican infighting over Trump, including the refusal of many high-profile Republicans to endorse the party’s new standard-bearer.

He continued: “Let’s review the record”.

Trump’s past statements on women in the workplace have included calling pregnancy “an inconvenience” and telling a voter in New Hampshire a year ago that women will receive the same pay as men “if they do as good a job”.

“I will fight for you, and I will win for you”, Trump said.

At one point in the speech, there were chants of “build a wall” from the audience.

Trump paused, acknowledging the crowd’s chanting.

But the real-estate mogul spent considerable time criticizing President Barack Obama and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. The only hiccup was during the middle of Trump’s speech when a lone protester was removed from the arena.

The acceptance speech by Trump, 70, closed out a four-day convention that underscored his struggle to heal cracks in the Republican Party over his anti-illegal-immigrant rhetoric and concerns about his temperament.

Instead, the United States must work with all of its allies who share the goal of destroying ISIS and stamping out Islamic terror.

Warming up the crowd before Trump took to the stage Friday, his daughter Ivanka tried to soften her father’s image.

Trump’s campaign has defied political norms – fuelling racial tensions, offending key voting blocs, eschewing big-spending ad buys and an elaborate campaign organisation.

“I love the media”, Trump said with a smile as he tested the microphone.

“It is true that the United States overall will suffer under a Trump presidency from a foreign policy perspective”. And there was no mention of making Mexico pay for it, as Trump has said throughout his run.

The choice of music played at the convention and its association with Trump also angered another musician, for the second time this week.

Cruz’s defiance follows a week of drama, including plagiarism charges against Mr Trump’s wife, Melania.

Sanders, however, immediately responded to Trump’s inclusion on Twitter: “Those who voted for me will not support Trump who has made bigotry and divisiveness the cornerstone of his campaign”, Sanders tweeted.

On the eve of his address, Trump suggested a new course for USA foreign policy, saying he would set different conditions before coming to the defense of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies. When GOP leaders blocked that effort, the anti-Trump delegates staged a noisy protest on the floor.

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