CLEVELAND — Donald Trump formally accepted the Republican presidential nomination Thursday night, casting himself as a political outsider uniquely prepared to steady a troubled country and come to the rescue of struggling Americans betrayed by the Washington establishment and both political parties.
In what was the biggest speech of his unlikely political career, Trump sounded many of the same themes that have driven his insurgent campaign since he rode down a golden escalator into the presidential race a little over a year ago. He painted a dark and frightening vision of a country under siege by hostile forces here and abroad, a nation strained by political and financial unrest at home.
FACT CHECK: Trump resurfaces debunked claims | Full text of speech
He cast Hillary Clinton, his presumptive Democratic opponent, as someone tainted by “bad instincts and bad judgment” who has left the country weak and unsafe. Linking her to President Obama, Trump called Clinton a “puppet” of special interests, determined to maintain the “rigged system” in Washington and someone who has ignored the plight of millions of blue-collar workers who have seen their jobs outsourced overseas.
“Hillary Clinton’s message is that things will never change. My message is that things have to change, and they have to change right now,” Trump declared.
Presenting himself as the champion of the everyman, the celebrity mogul said he wakes up every morning “determined to deliver for the people… that have been neglected, ignored and abandoned.”
“These are the forgotten men and women of our country — and they are forgotten… These are the people who work hard but no longer have a voice,” Trump said. “I am your voice.”
Trump’s speech capped a four-day Republican National Convention here that was marred by party division and missteps by the Trump campaign, including the primetime speech by the candidate’s wife, Melania, which lifted several words and phrases from Michelle Obama’s 2008 speech at the Democratic National Convention.
On Wednesday, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz was booed by delegates for his decision not to endorse Trump. That drama largely overshadowed remarks by Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, Trump’s choice for running mate, whose rollout last week was also upstaged by speculation about the candidate’s second-guessing of this decision.
Trump aides had hoped the convention would not only help him to unite a party bitterly divided over his candidacy, but also to present another side of him to Americans across the political spectrum unhappy with the status quo. It’s unclear whether Trump’s speech did anything to strengthen his path for the general election, including broadening his appeal to swing voters and forging the party unity he desperately needs.
Running more than an hour, Trump’s speech hewed largely to the themes he’s echoed repeatedly in the last 13 months of his campaign. He did not soften his rhetoric on issues that have proven divisive on the campaign trail, including his proposal to build a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico. (“Build that wall, build that wall” the crowd roared when Trump invoked his immigration plan.) He also offered no new policy details, instead presenting a bleak state of the nation — Americans fearful of terrorism, violence at home and losing their jobs.
He repeatedly emphasized his call to put “America first” in foreign and economic policy, arguing that this was central to stabilizing the country’s future. “Americanism, not globalism, will be our credo,” he said.
