Billionaire businessman Donald Trump has officially accepted the Republican party presidential nomination, promising safety and security to Americans and suggesting the world they live in is more dangerous than ever before.
Referencing recent attacks, he promised law and order would be restored as he addressed delegates and supporters in the US city of Cleveland for more than an hour.
“The crime and violence that today afflicts our nation will soon come to an end. Beginning on January 20th 2017, safety will be restored,” he said, without elaborating.
“I have joined the political arena so that the powerful can no longer beat up on people that cannot defend themselves. Nobody knows the system better than me, which is why I alone can fix it.”
In the longest acceptance speech at a party convention since former President Bill Clinton’s to his Democratic party in 1996, Trump reiterated a pledge to build a wall on the border with Mexico, saying it was needed to stop “gangs, violence, drugs from pouring into our communities.
“Nearly 180,000 illegal immigrants with criminal records, ordered deported from our country, are tonight roaming free to threaten peaceful citizens,” he said.
Trump said the Republican National Convention was being held at what he called “a moment of crisis” that included “attacks on police, terrorism in our cities”.
Trump reinforced his position from the convention stage, saying the United States has been “picking up the cost” of NATO’s defenses for too long. He also disavowed America’s foreign policy posture under both Democrat and Republican presidents, criticizing “fifteen years of wars in the Middle East” and declaring that “Americanism, not globalism, will be our credo.”
“As long as we are led by politicians who will not put ‘America First,’ then we can be assured that other nations will not treat America with respect,” he said.
He had promised to describe “major, major” tax cuts. But his economic proposals Thursday night were vague, centering on unspecified plans to create millions of jobs. He promised a “simplified” tax system for the middle class and businesses, fewer regulations and renegotiation of trade deals that he says have put working class Americans at a disadvantage.
“These are the forgotten men and women of our country,” he said. “People who work hard but no longer have a voice.”
At every turn, Trump drew sharp contrasts with Clinton, casting her as both unqualified for the presidency and too tied to Washington elites to understand voters’ struggles. Her greatest accomplishment, Trump said, was avoiding punishment from the FBI for her use of a private email and personal server while as secretary of state.
Indeed, Clinton was aggressively attacked throughout the four-day Republican convention, with delegates repeatedly chanting, “Lock her up.”
“This is the legacy of Hillary Clinton: death, destruction, terrorism and weakness,” he said. “But Hillary Clinton’s legacy does not have to be America’s legacy.”
In a direct appeal to Americans shaken by a summer of violence at home and around the world, Trump promised that if he takes office in January, “safety will be restored.”
