Donald Trump accepted the Republican nomination for president Thursday night. Speaking to a pumped-up crowd of supporters in Cleveland, Trump stuck to familiar themes in a lengthy acceptance speech: fighting terrorism and establishing law and order. Zack Fink filed the following report.
After three days of a convention where divisions within the Republican party were very visible, Donald J. Trump looked to bring his fractured party together with his acceptance speech.
"I humbly and gratefully accept your nomination for the presidency of the United States," Trump said.
Focusing on issues he is comfortable with like foreign policy, the economy and immigration, Trump's rhetoric was consistent with a theme that ran through most of the convention: that his opponent Hillary Clinton is unqualified to lead the nation.
"This is the legacy of Hillary Clinton: death destruction, terrorism and weakness," Trump said.
Trump criticized American foreign policy as weak under the leadership of Barack Obama and Clinton when she served as secretary of state for four years. But he seemed to clarify and even soften his statement from earlier in that campaign that he will ban all Muslims from entering the United States.
"We must immediately suspend immigration from any nation that has been compromised by terrorism until such time as proven vetting mechanisms have been put in place. We don't want them in our country," Trump said.
In unprecedented move for a Republican Presidential nominee at a Republican convention, Trump spoke about LBGT rights, invoking the Orlando shooting in June which claimed 49 lives.
"I will do everything in my power to protect our LGBTQ citizens from the violence and opression of a hateful ideology."
Finally, the man once known as "The Donald" in tabloids delivered his signature campaign promise before departing the stage after his more-than-hour-long speech.
"We will make America Proud again, we will make America safe again and we will make America great again," Trump said.
Clinton tweeted after the speech Trump's quote "I'm with you," then added, "Not included: women, African Americans, LGBT people, Muslims, Latinos, immigrants..."
Although infighting and a plagiarism scandal threatened to overshadow the convention, Trump seized back control of the event Thursday night, putting the spotlight right back on himself. The candidates will hold their first debate in September on Long Island.