The Manhattan real estate mogul was landing in Cleveland at that very moment to meet with his new vice presidential running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R).
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Republicans have used their convention to rally loyalists, but fissures have persisted after a brutal primary battle in which Trump defeated 16 rivals.
The Trump organization staffer who has taken responsibility for the bungled speech that was supposed to be the most important address at the Republican National Convention is a former ballerina and longtime trusted colleague of the GOP nominee. Pence and his family, along with Trump’s adult children, greeted the billionaire as his helicopter landed by Cleveland’s picturesque lakefront.
“For the life of me, I don’t know why he is doing this”, Fox News Channel and conservative talk-radio host Sean Hannity said. Stand and speak, and vote your conscience.
But at the convention itself, many Republicans were unperturbed, with delegates and party members praising Ms Trump for her grace and poise in delivering a speech in what is thought to be her fifth language. She admitted including these notes in the final speech, without checking it against Obama’s Democratic convention speech from 2008.
“I want to congratulate Donald Trump on winning the nomination last night”, Cruz told cheering delegates Wednesday night at the Republican National Convention.
“If you want a president who will upend the status quote in Washington D.C.”, he said, “we have but one choice, and that man is ready”.
The speech represents Trump’s best chance yet to try to broaden his appeal. Things could get awkward. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker were also given slots to address the crowd.
The one to watch is Cruz.
“They’re not words that are unique words ” Paul Manafort, Donald Trump’s campaign manager, defended Melania Trump and accused Hillary Clinton of making it an issue, while speaking in interviews and at a press conference on Tuesday morning. It’s hard to believe that Trump’s team and the RNC agreed to let Cruz speak without the promise of an endorsement in hand.
With the convention half over, the massive protests that many Republican leaders had feared have mostly failed to pan out.
Will the demonstrations keep fizzling on Wednesday, or will protesters return with renewed vigor?
On Wednesday, Cruz’s campaign manager Jeff Roe declined to tell reporters whether Cruz was going to endorse Trump, instead saying that Trump was likely to be “pleased”.
A key testament to Trump’s character will come from his son, Eric Trump.
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The broader message was unmistakable for the 45-year-old first-term senator from Houston, accompanied by his wife Heidi.
