Mike Pence made an impassioned effort to unite Republicans around Donald Trump, billing him as a latter day Ronald Reagan on a raucous night at the party’s Cleveland convention.
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Right beneath Cruz’s podium, the delegation from New York – Trump’s home state – howled in disgust.
But Cruz’s appearance left the arena unsettled for the night’s closing speakers. “And like each of you, I want to see the principles that our party believes prevail in November”.
It was interesting to see Newt Gingrich try to say that Cruz’s remarks were open to interpretation given that he said people could vote their conscience.
Obviously, Cruz has made a calculated risk in choosing not to explicitly endorse Trump. His son, Eric, is slated to speak. “Hillary Clinton championed Obamacare because years earlier she had all been invented it. If she were any more on the “inside” she’d be in prison”.
As Cruz’s speech wound down, they loudly pleaded with Cruz to actually endorse Trump.
In an earlier dash of showmanship that emphasized his stature and flair for the dramatic, Trump touched down in Cleveland on his personal airplane earlier Wednesday and then flitted between the city’s skyscrapers on his helicopter.
Trump allies were infuriated, including New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who said Cruz’s decision was “totally selfish”. He named the NY real estate mogul only once in his entire speech, and that was to congratulate Trump for winning the nomination. For many people, their consciences will draw them to Trump. He arrived at the convention hall as Cruz was getting started, and numerous TV channels cut to Trump walking in behind the scenes.
But if the Trump campaign really thought Cruz had forgotten about the way Trump had treated his father and his wife (when Trump tweeted out an unflattering picture of her next to his supermodel wife, Melania), they were wrong.
But hard feelings against Trump have remained deep among other Republicans. Cruz powered through, but much of the crowd wasn’t listening.
“If skillfully played, his stock will rise”, said Randall Dunning, a Texas delegate who has misgivings about Trump.
The problem for Trump wasn’t just the lack of an endorsement from Cruz, which raised questions about why Trump – who has campaigned on his extraordinary negotiating skills – allowed Cruz to take stage.
Trump’s own conduct during the speech was highly questionable.
The Texas senator held a rally on the Cleveland waterfront on Wednesday afternoon — and in a moment of irony was interrupted by Trump’s jet swooping into land.
“That was pretty well orchestrated”, Cruz quipped.
But Cruz’s hotly anticipated speech, in which he refused to publicly endorse Trump, reignited the GOP’s internal civil war. But it is still possible that he could come up with some kind of rhetorical formulation that allows him to maintain his balance on the political tightrope that the evening represents.
“The time for fighting each other is over”.
Trump’s four adult children were close throughout the night.
For a third straight night, the crowd repeatedly chanted, “Lock her up”.
By Wednesday most of the delegates appeared to had come to terms with Trump’s candidacy.
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The Indiana governor, who has close ties to the establishment of the Republican Party and credibility with the conservative movement, was picked by Trump specifically to bring the party together after a fractious primary process. The goal of his presidential convention was party unity.
