Republicans kick off convention in Cleveland; anti-Trump move fails
CLEVELAND — The Republican National Convention started Monday, ushering in a historic four-day period that’s expected to culminate on Thursday with Donald Trump giving his acceptance speech as the GOP nominee for president.
The opening day featured a walkout among Colorado delegates as anti-Trump forces unsuccessfully tried to change the rules to force a floor roll call vote from all 2,472 delegates on the nominee. That procedural maneuver died for lack of support and shouts broke out between both sides.
Later in the day, with a theme of “Make America Safe Again,” speakers put on a united front and called for keeping the U.S. safe from terrorism. Trump, they all said, is the only candidate who can do that as president.
Trump himself made an appearance on the stage in Cleveland, introducing his wife, Melania, as the next first lady, and declaring: “We’re going to win so big.” A former model from Slovenia, she moved to New York in 1996, marrying Trump in 2005.
“If you want someone to fight for you and your country, I can assure you — he’s the guy,” she said, drawing applause from among the event’s delegates. “He will never ever give up and most importantly he will never ever let you down.”
The prime-time lineup of speeches later this week also has speakers with ties to Nevada. Dana White, president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and a Las Vegas resident, speaks Tuesday. Phil Ruffin, owner of Treasure Island, speaks Wednesday. Ruffin and Trump are business partners who worked together on Trump International in Las Vegas.
For Nevada’s 30-member delegation and 27 alternates, the event has drawn convention-going veterans and people who are new to the experience, such as retired Las Vegas Municipal Judge George Assad.
“I’m concerned about the direction of the country, especially when it comes to national security and terrorism,” he said. “ISIS is a force that must be dealt with.”
Praising the security at the high-profile event, Assad also said law enforcement deserves more appreciation throughout the country. The issue has gained prominence after police officer slayings in Texas and Louisiana.
“I’m concerned about the disrespect that law enforcement receives all around the country,” he said.
“The political rhetoric and hyperbole needs to be toned down in my opinion,” he said, adding that it’s a shift from the past when people recognized that police officers are their friends when they need help.
“There’s this hyperbole out there that police are the enemy.”
NATIONAL SECURITY THEME
Monday’s convention speakers included celebrities and reflected national security issues that Assad cited, including Willie Robertson, star of A&E’s “Duck Dynasty”; former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, also a former GOP presidential candidate; and Marcus Luttrell, a retired Navy SEAL who wrote “Lone Survivor,” an experience about a 2005 battle in eastern Afghanistan.
Luttrell said he has spent time with Trump.
“I know he understands what it’s going to take to fix this,” he said, stressing the important role of elite forces in protecting the United States.
“The only way we survive this is together, not apart,” he said.
Delegates heard from Pat Smith, the mother of Sean Smith, who died during a terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2012, at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. The attack killed four Americans and attracted widespread criticism for the delayed military response and put scrutiny on Hillary Clinton, who was secretary of state at the time.
Smith sharply criticized Clinton, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.
“I blame Hillary Clinton personally for the death of my son,” she said. “If Hillary Clinton can’t give us the truth, why should we give her the presidency?”
John Tiegen and Mark Geist, both members of the security team that fought at Benghazi to protect Americans, also spoke at the convention.
A House panel investigation didn’t find any wrongdoing by Clinton, though it did criticize the CIA, the State Department and the military for not grasping the security risk of the vulnerable U.S. outpost.
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani also spoke, comparing his crime-fighting efforts as mayor to what Trump can accomplish as president.
“What I did for New York, Donald Trump will do for America,” he said.
NEVADA SEATING
Nevada Republican Party Chairman Michael McDonald: “The setup is very classy.” .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }
Nevada’s delegates are seated in the center section that faces the stage, right behind Wisconsin.
“Nevada is in a very, very prime spot,” McDonald said.
It’s the third convention for Richard Bunce, an alternate delegate from Henderson.
Bunce, a software engineer, said he expects a “tame” convention, saying a lot of the concerns about chaos were “overblown by the media.” Fewer delegates now compared with 2012 are disgruntled about who the presumptive nominee is. In 2012, it was Mitt Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts.
“The number of delegates that are discontent (is) smaller,” he said.
He likes conventions for their “theater,” but he said that a lot of it happens behind the scenes before it plays out on the convention floor.
“The floor is all scripted,” he said with a smile.
Contact Ben Botkin at bbotkin @reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2904. Find @BenBotkin1 on Twitter.
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