Trump triumphs as GOP nominee, completing stunning climb

(AP) -- United for a night, Republicans nominated Donald Trump Tuesday as their presidential standard-bearer, capping the billionaire businessman's stunning takeover of the GOP and propelling him into

News 12 Staff

Jul 20, 2016, 6:30 AM

Updated 2,842 days ago

Share:

Trump triumphs as GOP nominee, completing stunning climb
(AP) -- United for a night, Republicans nominated Donald Trump Tuesday as their presidential standard-bearer, capping the billionaire businessman's stunning takeover of the GOP and propelling him into a November faceoff with Democrat Hillary Clinton.
"This is a movement, but we have to go all the way," Trump said in videotaped remarks beamed into the convention hall.
For Trump, the celebrations were a much-needed opportunity to regroup after a chaotic convention kickoff that included a plagiarism charge involving wife Melania Trump's address on opening night. There were no big missteps Tuesday, but the event was void of the glitzy, Hollywood touch Trump promised, with a series of Republican officials parading on stage to level sharp, but repetitive, criticisms of Clinton.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was one of the few speakers to energize the crowd, delivering a full-throated takedown of Clinton and imploring delegates to shout "Guilty!" as he ticked through numerous accusations of wrongdoing.
"We didn't disqualify Hillary Clinton to be president of the United States, the facts of her life and career disqualifies her," Christie said.
For some Republicans, the night also offered a glimpse of what could have been. House Speaker Paul Ryan, who resisted calls to jump into the presidential race, made a vigorous call for party unity -- though his message focused more on the risks of letting Democrats keep the White House and make gains in Congress than a rationale for Trump.
"Let's compete in every part of America, and turn out at the polls like every last vote matters, because it will," Ryan said.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has been a lukewarm supporter of Trump, was greeted with a smattering of boos as he took the stage, reflecting many Republicans' dissatisfaction with party elites.
It was one of the occasional flurries of dissent on the convention floor, including jeers as states that Trump did not win recorded their votes during the nominating roll call vote. Still, Trump far outdistanced his primary rivals, and his vice presidential pick, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, was also formally nominated.
Trump was put over the top by his home state of New York. Four of his children joined the state's delegation on the convention floor for the historic moment and appeared overwhelmed with emotion.
"Congratulations, Dad, we love you," declared Donald Trump Jr.
Trump's son and daughter Tiffany Trump were scheduled to address the convention Tuesday night, part of a weeklong campaign effort to highlight the brash billionaire's softer side. Campaign officials said a central goal of the Cleveland gathering was improving the image of a candidate seen by large swaths of voters as harsh and divisive.
Melania Trump was praised for making progress on that front during her Monday night address. She spoke of her husband's "simple goodness" and his loyalty and love of family -- while noting the "drama" that comes with Trump in politics.
But her speech was quickly overtaken by charges that it included two passages-- each 30 words or longer -- that matched a 2008 Democratic convention address by Michelle Obama nearly word-for-word.
Trump's campaign offered no apologies, with top adviser Paul Manafort telling The Associated Press the matter had been "totally blown out of proportion."
Still, the plagiarism controversy and other unforced errors by the campaign cast a shadow over the convention and raised fresh questions about Trump's oversight of his campaign, which gives voters a window into how a candidate might handle the pressures of the presidency.
Clinton pounced on the tumult, saying the Republican gathering had so far been "surreal," comparing it to the classic fantasy film "Wizard of Oz."
"When you pull back the curtain, it was just Donald Trump with nothing to offer to the American people," Clinton said during a speech in Las Vegas.
Trump's campaign did succeed in tamping down late efforts by dissident delegates to derail the convention, including during Tuesday's roll call vote. Campaign officials invested significant time arguing to delegates about the importance of presenting a unite front during the televised convention.
"United we stand, divided we fall," said Johnny McMahan, a Trump delegate from Arkansas.
But Colorado's Kendal Unruh, a leader of the anti-Trump forces, called the convention a "sham" and warned party leaders that their efforts to silence opposition would keep some Republicans on the sidelines in the fall campaign against Clinton.
___
What political news is the world searching for on Google and talking about on Twitter? Find out via AP's Election Buzz interactive. http://elections.ap.org/buzz
___
AP writers Jonathan Lemire, Kathleen Hennessey and Steve Peoples contributed to this report.
___
Follow Julie Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC


More from News 12
1:43
Nonprofit wants to bring an independent cinema to the Bronx

Nonprofit wants to bring an independent cinema to the Bronx

1:54
Bronx charter schools have open seats for upcoming school year

Bronx charter schools have open seats for upcoming school year

2:15
Hazy and hot weather arrives Thursday before a weekend cooldown

Hazy and hot weather arrives Thursday before a weekend cooldown

2:04
Grants up for grabs for restaurants hurt by new stove standards

Grants up for grabs for restaurants hurt by new stove standards

1:51
Residents worried that sinkhole problems from years prior may return

Residents worried that sinkhole problems from years prior may return

1:19
Council members making a push for rat birth control

Council members making a push for rat birth control

1:43
NYPD: Multiple suspects wanted for string of gunpoint robberies across the Bronx, Manhattan

NYPD: Multiple suspects wanted for string of gunpoint robberies across the Bronx, Manhattan

1:30
82-unit affordable housing development coming to West Farms

82-unit affordable housing development coming to West Farms

1:51
RFK announces he has enough signatures to appear on NY ballot

RFK announces he has enough signatures to appear on NY ballot

1:41
Bronx man in custody following death of his 79-year-old mother in Concourse Village apartment

Bronx man in custody following death of his 79-year-old mother in Concourse Village apartment

1:47
City officials, drivers weigh in on potential disappearance of parking spots in Mount Hope

City officials, drivers weigh in on potential disappearance of parking spots in Mount Hope

0:34
FBI arrests Brooklyn man in Mount Vernon robbery, homicide

FBI arrests Brooklyn man in Mount Vernon robbery, homicide

2:19
Rent hikes may be coming for tenants in rent-stabilized apartments

Rent hikes may be coming for tenants in rent-stabilized apartments

2:23
Survivors of childhood sexual abuse, community advocates file over 150 lawsuits accusing staff at juvenile facilities

Survivors of childhood sexual abuse, community advocates file over 150 lawsuits accusing staff at juvenile facilities

1:33
NYPD: Man wanted for robbing Mott Haven deli at gunpoint

NYPD: Man wanted for robbing Mott Haven deli at gunpoint

1:57
Pelham Parkway dialysis center closing soon, leaving patients angered

Pelham Parkway dialysis center closing soon, leaving patients angered

2:32
Transportation Alternatives: 2024 was the deadliest start to a year since start of Vision Zero

Transportation Alternatives: 2024 was the deadliest start to a year since start of Vision Zero

1:36
Residents say they feel unsafe after bricks fell from their building

Residents say they feel unsafe after bricks fell from their building

1:28
Multiplex Cinema in Concourse Village set to close; BP Gibson says mall owners mull another theater

Multiplex Cinema in Concourse Village set to close; BP Gibson says mall owners mull another theater

1:13
Police: Wanted suspect linked to overnight shooting of teen in Claremont Park

Police: Wanted suspect linked to overnight shooting of teen in Claremont Park