Declaring America in crisis, Donald Trump pledged to cheering Republicans and still-skeptical voters Thursday night that as president he will restore the safety they fear they’re losing, strictly curb immigration and save the nation from a Hillary Clinton record of “death, destruction, terrorism and weakness”.
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Ivanka Trump got an enthusiastic welcome at the Republican National Convention. Ted Cruz of Texas, pointedly refused to endorse the party’s nominee during his convention speech, inciting a chorus of boos and catcalls from pro-Trump delegates. What was supposed to be an evening focused on getting to know new Vice Presidential nominee and Indiana Governor Mike Pence has instead turned into a news cycle dominated by Cruz’s remarks. The result was a moment of high drama in the convention hall, as delegates booed Cruz angrily and waved their arms, and some even rushed the stage. Only Trump’s sudden appearance in his family’s box, dispensing smiles and waves, quieted the simmering crowd.
Cruz’s speech digging at Trump on Wednesday was widely interpreted as an effort to position himself for the 2020 presidential election.
The conservative senator from Texas stood his ground on Thursday.
Trump said his proposal to build a wall along the U.S. Trump posted contrasting photos of his wife and Cruz’s wife on Twitter when he was running against Cuz, implying that Melania Trump was prettier.
On Monday, the convention’s opening day, a group of anti-Trump delegates that included Cruz backers tried to force a roll call on convention rules in a bid to force an “open convention” in which they could vote for any candidate they wanted.
‘That pledge was not a blanket commitment that if you go and slander and attack Heidi that I’m going to nonetheless come like a servile puppy dog and say ‘thank you very much for maligning my wife, ” Cruz said. The last man standing after Trump defeated the rest of this year’s large and experienced GOP primary field, Cruz’s future political viability may now rise or fall on whether his decision to deny Trump at the billionaire’s own coronation looks good or bad four years from now.
In the immediate aftermath critics were easier to find than supporters. Trump said. “I saw his speech two hours early but let him speak anyway”.
Trump also plans to argue that the United States has declined during the Obama administration, citing a litany of statistics related to crime and violence, national security, and the rising number of Americans who have stopped looking for work.
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It’s a measure of the state’s importance to the Trump campaign that the Pennsylvania delegation has been visited this week by House Speaker Paul Ryan; Alabama Sen. “They’re so honest. They’re such honorable people. They will never forget that and they will never forgive him for that”, Burlison said.
