Welcome to Breitbart News’s live updates of the last night of the 2016 GOP convention.
Donald Trump formally accepts the GOP nomination for president tonight after Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) inadvertently electrified and unified the Republican delegates last night. Tonight’s theme is “Make America One Again.”
Ivanka Trump, Jerry Falwell Jr., RNC Chair Reince Priebus, Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin, and Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) will also be featured.
***LISTEN TO/WATCH BREITBART NEWS’S LIVE COVERAGE OF THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION HERE *** Call in: 713-955-0782.
All times eastern.
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12:13: Trump/Pence formally accepts:
12:01: MSNBC’s Chris Matthews says foreigners will know what American nationalism is about after listening to Trump’s speech. He points out that Trump is going against the neocons and the Bush family on “nation building” and trade. [Trump’s victory is a rejection of Bush’s legacy, and that is in part why some in the GOP establishment want Trump to lose. The “professional conservatives” are just bitter they have all influence in this election cycle.]
11:38:
11:35: “Objective” Mainstream media “journalists” or Dem. operatives? You decide. Top anchors at CBS/NBC already reflexively slamming Trump. And ABC’s Stephanopoulos is already a Team Clinton operative playing a “journalist.”
11:32: Trump says he has had a truly great life in business, but now my sole and exclusive mission is to go to work for our country – to go to work for all of you. It’s time to deliver a victory for the American people. We don’t win anymore. But we are going to start winning again!”
He says to “do that, we must break free from the petty politics of the past. America is a nation of believers, dreamers, and strivers that is being led by a group of censors, critics, and cynics. Remember: all of the people telling you that you can’t have the country you want, are the same people telling…[that said Trump wouldn’t have a chance of being here tonight. Oh, we love defeating those people, don’t we? Love it, love it, love it.] No longer can we rely on those same people in media and politics who will say anything to keep a rigged system in place.”
Trump says “we must choose to Believe In America. History is watching us now. We don’t have much time, but history is watching. It’s waiting to see if we will rise to the occasion, and if we will show the whole world that America is still free and independent and strong.”
“I am asking for your support tonight so I can be your champion in the White House,” Trump says. “And I will be your champion.”
Trump says, “My opponent asks her supporters to recite a three-word loyalty pledge. It reads: ‘I’m With Her.’ I choose to recite a different pledge. My pledge reads: ‘I’m with you–the American people.’ I am your voice.”
“So to every parent who dreams for their child, and every child who dreams for their future, I say these words to you tonight: I am With You, I will fight for you, and I will win for you,” he says. “To all Americans tonight, in all of our cities and in all of our towns, I make this promise: We Will Make America Strong Again. We Will Make America Proud Again. We Will Make America Safe Again. And We Will Make America Great Again.”
11:28: Trump on his father: “It’s because of him that I learned, from my youngest age, to respect the dignity of work and the dignity of working people. He was a guy most comfortable in the company of bricklayers, carpenters, and electricians and I have a lot of that in me also. I love those people.”
11:25: He says it’s time to show the world that America is back–“bigger, better, and stronger than ever before.”
11:19: Trump promises to take care of Veterans (he says Clinton missed the VA scandal and that’s one more sign that she is out of touch) and appoint Justices to the Supreme Court who will “uphold our laws and Constitution.” He also thanks the Evangelical community who have been so good and supportive to him. He promises to get rid of the Johnson Amendment.
“The replacement for Justice Scalia will be a person of similar views and principles and judicial philosophy. Very important,” he says. “This will be one of the most important issues decided by this election. My opponent wants to essentially abolish the 2nd amendment. I, on the other hand, received the early and strong endorsement of the National Rifle Association. And will protect the right of all Americans to keep their families safe.”
11:17: Trump promises to repeal and replace Obamacare and fix TSA at the airport, which is a “total disaster.”
11:15: Trump now talking about reforming tax laws, regulations, and energy restrictions. He says our miners and steel workers are going to go back to work again. He says his economic policies will create new wealth that will “build the roads, highways, bridges, tunnels, airports, and the railways of tomorrow. This, in turn, will create millions more jobs. We will rescue kids from failing schools by helping their parents send them to a safe school of their choice.” Trump says Clinton would rather protect bureaucrats than serve America’s children.
11:14: “I pledge to never sign any trade agreement that hurts our workers or diminishes our freedom and independence. America First again. America First.”
11:13: Trump rips Clinton for having supported every disastrous.
11:12: Trump on trade:
I have a different vision for our workers. It begins with a new, fair trade policy that protects our jobs and stands up to countries that cheat, of which there are many. It’s been a signature message of my campaign from day one, and it will be a signature feature of my presidency from the moment I take the oath of office.
I have made billions of dollars in business making deals – now I’m going to make our country rich again. Using the greatest business people in the world, which our country has, I am going to turn our bad trade agreements into great ones. America has lost nearly-one third of its manufacturing jobs since 1997, following the enactment of disastrous trade deals supported by Bill and Hillary Clinton.
11:09: Trump says his “greatest compassion will be for our own struggling citizens. My plan is the exact opposite of the radical and dangerous immigration policy of Hillary Clinton. Americans want relief from uncontrolled immigration.”
“Yet Hillary Clinton is proposing mass amnesty, mass immigration, and mass lawlessness. Her plan will overwhelm your schools and hospitals, further reduce your jobs and wages, and make it harder for recent immigrants to escape the tremendous cycle of poverty that they are going through right now and make it almost impossible for them to join the middle class.”
TRUMP ON IMMIGRATION:
11:05: Trump to families of victims of illegal immigrant crime: You “Are Alone No Longer.” He promise to “build a great border wall.”
Trump on illegal immigration: “On Monday, we heard from three parents whose children were killed by illegal immigrants Mary Ann Mendoza, Sabine Durden, and, MY FRIEND, Jamiel Shaw.” He says nothing has impacted him more–not even close–than illegal immigration.
“These families have no special interests to represent them. There are no demonstrators to protest on their behalf. My opponent will never meet with them, or share in their pain,” he says. “Instead, my opponent wants Sanctuary Cities. But where was sanctuary for Kate Steinle? Where was Sanctuary for the children of Mary Ann, Sabine and Jamiel? Where was sanctuary…it’s so awful to be talking about this because we can solve this problem so easily….for all the other Americans who have been so brutally murdered, and who have suffered so horribly?”
He adds that, “These wounded American families have been alone. But they are alone no longer.” He vows to “stand in their corner to support them, to send them our love, and to pledge in their honor that we will save countless more families from suffering the same awful fate.”
“We are going to build a great border wall to stop illegal immigration, to stop the gangs and the violence, and to stop the drugs from pouring into our communities,” he says. “I have been honored to receive the endorsement of America’s Border Patrol Agents, and will work directly with them to protect the integrity of our lawful, lawful, lawful immigration system.”
He continues: “By ending catch-and-release on the border, we will stop the cycle of human smuggling and violence. Illegal border crossings will go down. It won’t be happening very much anymore. Believe me.”
“Peace will be restored by enforcing the rules for the millions who overstay their visas. Our laws will finally receive the respect they deserve,” he says. “Tonight, I want every American whose demands for immigration security have been denied – and every politician who has denied them… to listen very closely to the words I am about to say: On January 20th of 2017, the day I take the oath of office, Americans will finally wake up in a country where the laws of the United States are enforced. We are going to be considerate and compassionate to everyone.”
11:03: Trump on how immigration has impacted minorities:
Decades of record immigration have produced lower wages and higher unemployment for our citizens, especially for African-American and Latino workers. We are going to have an immigration system that works, but one that works for the American people.
10:59: Trump slams Hillary for wanting more Syrian refugees:
My opponent has called for a radical 550% increase in Syrian refugees on top of existing massive refugee flows coming into our country under President Obama. She proposes this despite the fact that there’s no way to screen these refugees in order to find out who they are or where they come from. I only want to admit individuals into our country who will support our values and love our people. Anyone who endorses violence, hatred or oppression is not welcome in our country and never, ever will be.
10:57: Trump says we must abandoned the failed policies of nation-building and regime change that Hillary Clinton pushed.
10:54: Trump: “We are going to defeat the barbarians of ISIS.” Trump vows to protect our LGBT citizens from a “hateful foreign ideology.”
10:53: Trump: Obama’s “irresponsible rhetoric” has divided us. “The irresponsible rhetoric of our President, who has used the pulpit of the presidency to divide us by race and color, has made America a more dangerous environment… than frankly I have ever seen.” He says Obama has failed America’s inner cities on every level. Trump says he will ask on every action he takes whether this will life better for kids in Baltimore, Chicago, Detroit, and Ferguson who have every right as any kid to achieve the American Dream.
10:50: Trump: “I am the law and order candidate.”
The first task for our new Administration will be to liberate our citizens from the crime and terrorism and lawlessness that threatens their communities.
America was shocked to its core when our police officers in Dallas were brutally executed. In the days after Dallas, we have seen continued threats and violence against our law enforcement officials. Law officers have been shot or killed in recent days in Georgia, Missouri, Wisconsin, Kansas, Michigan and Tennessee.
On Sunday, more police were gunned down in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Three were killed, and four were badly injured. An attack on law enforcement is an attack on all Americans.
I have a message to every last person threatening the peace on our streets and the safety of our police: when I take the oath of office next year, I will restore law and order our country. Believe me. Believe me.
10:48: Trump says he is proud to have Pence at his side. He says we will bring the same economic success that Pence brought to Indiana.
10: 47: Trump: “I have joined the political arena so that the powerful can no longer beat up on people that cannot defend themselves.” He says nobody knows the system better than he does, which is why he can fix it. Trump pivots and says Sanders’s supporters will join him because they agree on trade. He rails against deals that strip us of our wealth and jobs.
10:46: Trump says Clinton did much worse than being “extremely careless” or “negligent.” He says Clinton’s single greatest accomplishment may be committing such egregious crime and getting away with it, esp. when others who have done far less have paid so dearly.
He adds, “When that same Secretary of State rakes in millions of dollars trading access and favors to special interests and foreign powers I know the time for action has come.”
10: 45: Trump says he can’t stand to see injustice and rips Clinton’s corruption:
When innocent people suffer, because our political system lacks the will, or the courage, or the basic decency to enforce our laws – or worse still, has sold out to some corporate lobbyist for cash – I am not able to look the other way. And when a Secretary of State illegally stores her emails on a private server, deletes 33,000 of them so the authorities can’t see her crime, puts our country at risk, lies about it in every different form and faces no consequence – I know that corruption has reached a level like never before.
10:43: Trump (after Code Pink protests): “How great is our police and how great is Cleveland?”
10:42: Trump to Forgotten Americans. “I AM YOUR VOICE.” Trump speaking about forgotten Americans who work hard and no longer have a voice. He says they will be forgotten no longer and says, “I am your voice.”
10:40: Trump: Hillary is their puppet. And they pull the strings. That’s why Hillary’s message is things will never change. Never, never. He says his message is things have to change and they have to change right now:
A number of these reforms that I will outline tonight will be opposed by some of our nation’s most powerful special interests. That is because these interests have rigged our political and economic system for their exclusive benefit. Big business, elite media and major donors are lining up behind the campaign of my opponent because they know she will keep our rigged system in place. They are throwing money at her because they have total control over everything she does. She is their puppet, and they pull the strings.
10:38: TRUMP: “AMERICANISM, NOT GLOBALISM, WILL BE OUR CREDO.” He adds, “The American people will come first, once again.”
10:37: Trump wants to put his action plan for America that will put America First, unlike the Dems. Crowd chanting “U-S-A! U-S-A!”
10:37: Trump on Clinton’s failed record of “death, destruction, terrorism, and weakness.” He says a change in leadership is required to produce a change in outcomes.
Iran is on the path to nuclear weapons. Syria is engulfed in a civil war and a refugee crisis that now threatens the West. After fifteen years of wars in the Middle East, after trillions of dollars spent and thousands of lives lost, the situation is worse than it has ever been before. This is the legacy of Hillary Clinton: death, destruction, terrorism, and weakness.
10:36: Crowd chanting “Lock her up.” Trump responds, “let’s defeat her in November.” He says he is certain Obama regrets appointing Clinton as his Sec. of State.
10:35: Trump, after talking about the third-world infrastructure in America, blasts Obama’s foreign policy in Iran, Libya, and Syria. He says America is far less safe and the world is far less stable than when Obama decided to put Clinton in charge of our foreign policy
Not only have our citizens endured domestic disaster, but they have lived through one international humiliation after another. We all remember the images of our sailors being forced to their knees by their Iranian captors at gunpoint.
This was just prior to the signing of the Iran deal, which gave back to Iran $150 billion and gave us nothing – it will go down in history as one of the worst deals ever made. Another humiliation came when president Obama drew a red line in Syria – and the whole world knew it meant nothing.
10:30: Trump on how Obama’s economy is impacting minorities:
Again, I will tell you the plain facts that have been edited out of your nightly news and your morning newspaper: Nearly Four in 10 African-American children are living in poverty, while 58% of African American youth are not employed. 2 million more Latinos are in poverty today than when the President took his oath of office less than eight years ago. Another 14 million people have left the workforce entirely.
10:25: Trump on illegal immigration and the increase in murdered police officers:
The number of police officers killed in the line of duty has risen by almost 50% compared to this point last year. Nearly 180,000 illegal immigrants with criminal records, ordered deported from our country, are tonight roaming free to threaten peaceful citizens.
The number of new illegal immigrant families who have crossed the border so far this year already exceeds the entire total from 2015. They are being released by the tens of thousands into our communities with no regard for the impact on public safety or resources.
He then talk about Sarah Root, who was murdered by an illegal immigrant:
I’ve met Sarah’s beautiful family. But to this Administration, their amazing daughter was just one more American life that wasn’t worth protecting. One more child to sacrifice on the altar of open borders.
10:24: Trump says we can’t afford to be politically correct. He says go to the Dem. convention if you want to hear corporate spin and media myths.
10:22: Trump: “Our Convention occurs at a moment of crisis for our nation. The attacks on our police, and the terrorism in our cities, threaten our very way of life. Any politician who does not grasp this danger is not fit to lead our country.” Trump says, “I have a message for all of you: the crime and violence that today afflicts our nation will soon come to an end. Beginning on January 20th 2017, safety will be restored. The most basic duty of government is to defend the lives of its own citizens. Any government that fails to do so is a government unworthy to lead.
It is finally time for a straightforward assessment of the state of our nation. I will present the facts plainly and honestly. We cannot afford to be so politically correct anymore.”
10:20: Trump: Trump says “we are a team” and who would have believed we would have received more than 14 million uctes and the GOP would get 60% more votes than it did eight years ago. “Who would have believed this?” He says Democrats, on the other hand, received 20% fewer votes than they got four years ago. Not so good. He says, “Together, we will lead our party back to the White House, and we will lead our country back to safety, prosperity, and peace. We will be a country of generosity and warmth. But we will also be a country of law and order.”
[Trump has practiced reading off of the Teleprompter. He’s gotten much better.]
10:17: And now, Trump appears on stage. Crowd chanting “U-S-A!” U-S-A!”
10:12: Ivanka says politicians talk about wage equality but Trump has made it a priority his entire career at his companies. She promises that when her father says he will make America great again, he will deliver. “We have a chance this year to reclaim our heritage of our country that dreams big and makes the impossible happen,” she says. “Fortunately, Donald Trump is incapable of thinking small.” She says he always told her that she might as well be thinking big since she is going to think. She says Trump will fight for you and you will never have to worry about being let down. She says politicians say they will “feel for you” but only Trump will “fight for you.”
[Bill Clinton has been known for claiming to “feel” people’s pain.]
10:07: Ivanka describes her dad as being famous but not well-known. She movingly tells the story of how Trump tore stories out of the newspaper about people he never met who were facing some hardship or injustice. He would ask his assistants to find the people and invite them to Trump Tower and draw upon his network to find them jobs or give them breaks. He says they left Trump Tower feeling that life could be great again. She says she has witnessed his “empathy” and “generosity” her entire life. She speaks about how his father values talent and is color-blind and gender neutral. She speaks about how she used to walk alongside her dad on constructions sites to learn. She says her dad succeeds because he listens to his workers.
10:05: She says she remembers playing on the floor by her father’s desk constructing buildings with Legos while he did the same with steel and glass. She says one of her dad’s talents is seeing potential in people before they seem it in themselves.
10:03: She says Trump is the person to make American great again. She says real change will only come from outside of the system. Her dad, she says, is a fighter. She says she has seen her dad fight for his family, employees, company and she is now seeing him fight for our country. “It’s been the story of his life. And more recently, the spirit of his campaign,” she says.
10:02: IVANKA: DONALD TRUMP THE PEOPLE’S CHAMPION AND NOMINEE.
Ivanka Trump takes the stage. She says for more than a year, Donald Trump has “been the people’s champion” and tonight he is the “people’s nominee.”
[Crowd should start chanting Rock-y Rock-y].
9:36: Tom Barrack talking about his friendship with Trump and Trump’s business savvy. He says the necklace of globalism has shattered into a thousand shards and we need a jeweler to put the necklace of “prosperity and tolerance” back together.
9:20: Peter Thiel (he mentions he’s from Cleveland) now speaking at the convention. He says he’s now a politician and neither is Trump. He says Trump is a builder and it’s time to rebuild America. He says our economy is broken and people watching understand this better than any politician in D.C. His dad, he says, studied engineering at Case Western University down the road from the convention center when he came to America. He says our government used to be high-tech and blasts today’s low-tech government and debate over bathrooms. He says he is proud to be gay and Republican and, most of all, he is proud to be an American. He also blasts the “fake culture wars” and he adds that nobody is being honest about it except for Donald Trump.
[More proof: Non-politicians deliver much better speeches.]
9:02: RNC Chairman Reince Priebus thanks Cleveland for its hospitality. He says the GOP is the party of the “open door” and Republicans stand for aspiration. He says Democrats do the same old thing while Republicans are the “party of new ideas.” He says Democrats depend on super delegates and bureaucrats while Republicans “are the party of the grassroots” that honor’s their decisions. He says Republicans know the classroom is not an assembly line and it is time to give power back to the parents. He says Democrats want healthcare choices in the hands of politicians while Republicans want choices in the hands of patients. He says Republicans believe in a “better chance at the American Dream for everyone.” Priebus says Clinton has perfected the art of politics for “personal gain” and reads ethics laws as carefully as Americans read junk mail. Priebus says Trump will stop illegal immigration and put Americans first.
[Listening to the standard speeches from Republican politicians, you realize why Trump’s style appeals and why these Republican establishments keep losing and losing and losing general elections with speeches that all sound the same.]
8:44: Lisa Shin, the head of Korean-Americans for Trump and a delegate from New Mexico, talking about the story of her parents and how they came from South Korea and swore an oath to defend the Constitution and new America was the land of opportunity. She says her parents endured countless hardships and made countless sacrifices to pursue the American Dream and never could have imagined that their daughter would be speaking here today. She says Clinton is a “direct threat to the American dream. Her proposals would be utterly devastating to our economy. Her dangerous ideology undermines our democracy and freedom.” She says Clinton represents everything that’s wrong with our system–the cronyism, corruption, and total lack of accountability.
8:40: Gov. Mary Fallin of Oklahoma now speaking. She notes that she took her mother’s advice to work hard to become the first female Gov. of Oklahoma. She says the America she grew up wasn’t perfect but the country was united by the belief that regardless of where you were from, “better days were ahead.” She says we are losing that optimism today as our country is divided, people are afraid, and spirit is nearly broken.
8:28: Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) asks, “do you want to help make American one again?” She’s says we’ve had enough division . She says Americans are ready for someone to bring us together. Blackburn says Trump can come in ahead of schedule and under budget. She quotes Larry the Cable Guy (git ‘er done) and says leadership is a hard-fought verb and not a subject line in an email.
8:22: In a video message, Bobby Knight says Trump will always having winning on his mind.
8:16: Fran Tarkenton, the businessman and NFL Hall of famer, now speaking about how Vince Lombardi made the Packers into a world championship team year after year. Borrowing from Lombardi, he says he looks out at America and can only say, “what the hell is going on here?” He praises the leadership of great leaders like Vince Lombardi and Nick Saban. He says a leader “gets stuff done.” He says he has known Trump for 48 years and he knows for sure that “he gets stuff done. He’s a builder. He understands that teams win. Individuals don’t. He builds great teams.” He says Trump is a proven leader and team-builder who gets that best out of people.
8:05: Black Pastor Mark Burns says it’s important to defeat the race-baiting Democrats in November. He says “ALL LIVES” will matter in a Trump administration. He asks the crowd to show “ALL LIVES MATTER” with him. Crowd yelling “ALL LIVES MATTER! ALL LIVES MATTER!” He says in America, the only colors that matters are “red, white, and blue.”
7:57: Sheriff Joe Arpaio gets a rousing ovation. He says he has spent 55 years in law enforcement and his most important mission has just begun–to help elect Donald Trump. He says we need a strong leader who will stand up for America and put her interests first. He says we are more concerned with the rights of illegal aliens and criminals than protecting our own citizens. “That must change,” he says. Arpaio says a nation without laws and borders is not a nation at all. He talks about needing to respect the police. Arpaio says he’s supporting Trump because he’s a leader who produces results and is the only candidate who is ready to get tough to protect us. He promises that Trump will stand with him to protect the border and build a wall. He also praises Trump for the kindness he showed his wife when she was diagnosed with cancer.
7:50: Jerry Falwell Jr. says he’s honored to be at the convention and talks about how his father was at the 1984 convention and he is hoping that 30 years later, history will repeat itself with a Trump landslide. He says he has never met such a genuine, loving family while speaking about the Trumps. He calls him the “blue-collar millionaire” and says he can turn America around fiscally like his father did with Liberty University. He says a decision not to vote is a de facto vote for Clinton and Clinton could appoint Supreme Court Justices who will deliver a “fatal blow” to our republic.
7:33: The Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins is speaking on behalf of his personal capacity. He says we have gathered in Cleveland to select the GOP nominee for president and “we have accomplished our mission.” He says he will be voting for Trump in November and he will urge his fellow Americans to do the same. Perkins discusses why “under God” was added to the Pledge of Allegiance.
7:20: RNC Chair Reince Priebus calls the convention back to order.
6:50: Here are excerpts from Trump’s prepared speech:
Friends, delegates and fellow Americans: I humbly and gratefully accept your nomination for the presidency of the United States. …
Americans watching this address tonight have seen the recent images of violence in our streets and the chaos in our communities.
Many have witnessed this violence personally, some have even been its victims.
I have a message for all of you: the crime and violence that today afflicts our nation will soon come to an end. Beginning on January 20th 2017, safety will be restored. …
America is far less safe – and the world is far less stable – than when Obama made the decision to put Hillary Clinton in charge of America’s foreign policy.
I am certain it is a decision he truly regrets. Her bad instincts
and her bad judgment – something pointed out by Bernie Sanders – are what caused many of the disasters unfolding today. …
But Hillary Clinton’s legacy does not have to be America’s legacy. The problems
we face now – poverty and violence at home, war and destruction abroad – will last only as long as we continue relying on the same politicians who created them. …
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. This will all change when I take office. …
My message is that things have to change – and they have to change right now.
Every day I wake up determined to deliver a better life for the people all across this nation that have been neglected, ignored,
and abandoned. …
Middle-income Americans and businesses will experience profound relief, and taxes will be greatly simplified for everyone. America is one of the highest-taxed nations in the world.
Reducing taxes will cause new companies and new jobs to come roaring back into our country.
Then we are going to deal with the issue of regulation, one of the greatest job-killers of them all.
Excessive regulation is costing our country as much as 2 trillion dollars a year, and we will end it. …
With these new economic policies, trillions of dollars will start flowing into our country.
This new wealth will improve the quality of life for all Americans. We will build the roads, highways, bridges, tunnels, airports, and the railways of tomorrow.
This, in turn, will create millions more jobs.
We will rescue kids from failing schools by helping their parents send them to a safe school of their choice. …
So to every parent who dreams for their child, and every child who dreams for their future, I say these words to you tonight:I’m with you, I will fight for you, and I will win for you.