Trump trails former Secretary of State Clinton in many opinion polls after he inflicted almost as much damage on himself as on his more than 16 Republican opponents – many of whom boast more impressive electoral resumes than he does – in the scorched-earth 2016 primary campaign.
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Party officials hope to use the convention to smooth out some of Trump’s rough edges and present him as a job creator and a strong hand to combat security threats at home and overseas.
Wilson said Ben Carson was her first choice as the GOP nominee but said she’s excited to see Republicans start to pull together for Trump.
Trump “married an immigrant, he’s not anti-immigrant”, Goldberg said, adding that Trump insists “he just doesn’t want to let anybody in if we don’t really know who they are and why they’re coming”, Goldberg said.
But her speech was quickly overtaken by charges that it included two passages- each 30 words or longer – that matched a 2008 Democratic convention address by Michelle Obama almost word-for-word. “She spoke from the heart and her experience. she’s lived it; she’s the real deal”, one delegate said.
“I don’t think Donald Trump or Melania had anything to do with it”.
Sarah Hurwitz, a White House speechwriter who composed Michelle Obama’s 2008 address, did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
Donald Trump had promised a “monumentally magnificent” display at the convention, and he didn’t disappoint as he emerged, Hollywood-style, through a fog to introduce his wife.
“He is a warrior and a victor”, said Senator Jeff Sessions, who represents the Southern state of Alabama in the upper chamber of the US’s bicameral legislature. The event will now be held at Hofstra University in NY.
His supporters clung to hope that that the convention would adopt rules that would free delegates to disregard the results of state contests and swing behind Cruz at the 11th hour.
Trump’s team monitored delegates to quell any kind of rebellion, with a team of whips on the floor and eyes in the sky. He called Kasich “petulant” and “embarrassing” for not endorsing Trump or attending the convention, drawing quick condemnation from other GOP leaders anxious about angering the popular governor of one of the most important election states.
Trump’s campaign offered no apologies, with top adviser Paul Manafort telling The Associated Press the matter had been “totally blown out of proportion”.
In an interview on Fox’s “The O’Reilly Factor” Monday evening, Trump said Kasich should have attended “from the standpoint of honor”.
Trump’s children, who many have said are his most effective surrogates, proved their worth during their time in the spotlight. Trump’s supporters seemed equally unperturbed.
About a dozen Trump backers showed up with handguns strapped to their belts as allowed under OH law.
“I mean, this is, once again, an example of when a woman threatens Hillary Clinton, how she seeks out to demean her and take her down”.
Security forces were on high alert in Cleveland following a number of protests.
The party also adopted a platform that Christian conservatives are cheering as the most conservative statement of party policy principles in recent memory. The document serves as guidance for Republican leaders across the nation, but is not binding.
It was one of the occasional flurries of dissent on the convention floor, including jeers as states that Trump did not win recorded their votes during the nominating roll call vote.
Republicans, meeting for the second of four days this week, were due also to place in nomination Indiana Governor Mike Pence, 57, Trump’s choice for vice presidential running mate.
The focus shifts Tuesday to jobs.
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Trump’s campaign managed only to keep the controversy alive on Day 2 of the convention by insisting there was no evidence of plagiarism, while offering no explanation for how the strikingly similar passages wound up in Mrs. Trump’s address. “But, again like most Americans, their decision of whom to vote for doesn’t depend on how that money is raised”.
