Braced for uncertainty and hoping for unity, Republicans on Monday prepared to kick off their convention to crown Donald Trump as the nation reeled from another outburst of violence and dissident delegates angled for a last-ditch chance to deny the front-runner the nomination.
A day after a deadly ambush of police in Louisiana, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus welcomed delegates to the convention hall with a brief acknowledgement of the “troubling times” swirling outside. The chairman called for a moment of silence out of respect for “genuine heroes” in law enforcement.
“Our nation grieves when we see these awful killings,” he said.
READ MORE: Stephen Colbert hijacks GOP convention stage for ‘The Hunger Games’ spoof
Weeks of racial tensions and violence are shadowing the Republicans’ long-awaited showcase of their presidential pick and putting both participants and the convention city on alert.
True to form, Trump himself provided the first curveball of the week, announcing he will make an unexpected swing to the convention hall Monday night to introduce his wife, Melania, on the first night of speeches.
“I want to watch,” Trump said on Fox News. “It is going to be very exciting.”
-
![]()
Donald Trump reportedly going to name Mike Pence as running mate -
![]()
Bryan Cranston does his best Donald Trump impersonation -
![]()
Hillary Clinton delivers message to Donald Trump: We’re planning to raise the minimum wage, not lower it -
![]()
Bernie Sanders says Donald Trump chooses ‘to reject science’ -
![]()
Donald Trump says Newt Gingrich will be involved with his government -
![]()
Donald Trump calls system ‘rigged’ after FBI’s decision on not charging Hillary Clinton
This week will belong to Trump – his chance to stand at the pinnacle of American politics in a triumph that few could have imagined when the New York billionaire entered the race a year ago.
The lineup of speakers is aimed at showing off the man behind the mogul, his advisers say. Several family members and friends are slated to speak to his character and reveal a side of Trump that Americans may not know.
Who is speaking at the Republican Convention?
Along with Melania Trump, Monday’s opening night speeches include a mix of figures linked broadly under the theme of “Make America Safe Again.” They include Sens. Joni Ernst of Iowa and Jeff Sessions of Alabama, as well as immigration advocates, a Marine who fought in the Benghazi attack and entertainers, including actor Scott Baio and Willie Robertson, star of Duck Dynasty.
However, the speakers highlight the wedge Trump’s candidacy has driven through the GOP. Many GOP leaders, party elders and rising stars have steered clear of Cleveland, wary of being linked to the nominee. Others have come to town to meet with donors and rank-and-file but have kept heir distance from the main event – essentially coming to the game but hanging out at the tailgate.
New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez came to Cleveland but had no role on the program. When House Speaker Paul Ryan spoke to Wisconsin delegates Monday morning, he made no mention of Trump in his remarks. Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a vanquished Trump rival, planned several public appearances but wasn’t going to step inside the Quicken Loans Arena.
Top Trump adviser Paul Manafort called Kasich’s behaviour “petulant” and he brushed off the absence of former Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush.
“Certainly the Bush family, we would have liked to have had them. They’re part of the past. We’re dealing with the future.”
READ MORE: Law-and-order to take centre stage on first day of Republican convention
“When we leave here, by and large, it’s going to be a united Republican Party,” he said.
That remained to be seen. Disaffected delegates continued to try to derail Trump.
All delegates are due to vote Monday afternoon on the rules that will govern the convention week, and insurgent delegates are circulating a petition to force a state-by-state vote – a threat to disrupt floor proceedings even if it fails.
WATCH: Thousands of protesters are expected to descend on the Republican National Convention in Cleveland on Monday, and police are on high alert. Jackson Proskow reports.
Some rebellious delegates are threatening to walk out.
“We won’t sit around and coronate a king,” said Colorado delegate Kendal Unruh, who like many insurgents has backed vanquished contender Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.
Trump’s campaign dismissed the effort.
READ MORE: Fear of violence at Republican convention stirs memories of 1968
“It’s not a movement,”Manafort said. “It’s some rogue, recalcitrant delegates.”
- B.C. officer alleged sexual assault, CSIS had her investigated
- Alberta to overhaul municipal rules to include sweeping new powers, municipal political parties
- Military judges don’t have divided loyalties, Canada’s top court rules
- Norad looking to NATO to help detect threats over the Arctic, chief says
The roll call vote on the nomination is expected Tuesday, with Trump scheduled to close the convention with an acceptance speech late Thursday.
Trump is gaining the nomination during a summer of unsettling violence at home and abroad. In a matter of weeks, Americans have seen deadly police shootings, a shocking ambush of police in Texas and escalating racial tensions, not to mention a failed coup in Turkey and gruesome Bastille Day attack in Nice, France. The killing of three police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, early Sunday added to the sense of a nation on edge.
WATCH: A small group of protesters has gathered outside the Republican National Convention saying they are there to denounce hate. Representatives from The Council on American-Islamic Relations and other protesters held banners and chanted.
Trump has sought to capitalize on the mood by casting himself as the “law and order candidate” and blasting Democrats for weak leadership in a crisis.
On Monday, he quickly linked the shooter to “radical Islam,” despite early indications the man had no known ties to any extremist group. Former Marine Gavin Eugene Long “seems to be a member of that group also. It seems to be something going on there,” Trump said on Fox News.
President Barack Obama on Sunday called for both parties to avoid “careless accusations” intended to score political points.
READ MORE: Companies bailing on Republican convention after facing pressure
Protests are widely expected outside the fenced-off convention site.
Democrats also angled for some of the attention on Cleveland.
Hillary Clinton’s campaign is spending about $1 million on TV ads in Ohio this week, according to Kantar Media’s campaign advertising tracker. Her campaign also put out a new digital ad Monday and pro-Clinton ads await Cleveland-area taxicab passengers.
Comments