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Republican convention live: Cruz speech sets up test for Trump on day four Republican convention live: Trump speech excerpts released
(35 minutes later)
12.22am BST
00:22
Priebus gavels final night to order
RNC chairman has gaveled the final night to a start. A super cute little girl with two gigantic white bows in her hair is singing Let There Be Peace on Earth.
12.20am BST
00:20
Strike up the band. Night four is on. They’ve done Rock the Casbah and now it’s Sweet Caroline again. Boy Sweet Caroline goes over with this crowd. Is Neil Diamond even a Republican?
Whoops:
Working the phones for Obama... If I call you, don't hang up. It's really me and I need you. #OFACulver pic.twitter.com/e7oquoid
Updated
at 12.23am BST
12.17am BST
00:17
A bit of Nixon voiceover to whet your palate for tonight’s big speech:
The first civil right of every American to be free from domestic violence. So I pledge to you, we shall have order in the United States.
Opening of Trump's speech tonight is very reminiscent of Nixon's rhetoric in 1968 https://t.co/VyETymcxjZ
N.B.: while the rhetorical echo is unmistakable, the most dire comparisons between the most volatile American political year of the modern era and the current election cycle have proven to be overblown. For example, the city of Cleveland just reported that no RNC-related arrests have been made today, and protest activity this week has produced minimal violence.
12.01am BST
00:01
Trump draft omits ban on Muslim immigrants
Missing from the Trump speech excerpts, and from the entire speech draft as published by various outlets, is any reference to a marquee policy proposal that defined Trump’s run in the Republican primaries: a ban on Muslim immigrants.
In the draft version of his speech, Trump planned to say, “we must immediately suspend immigration from any nation that has been compromised by terrorism.” It’s unclear what he means by “compromised by terrorism.”
Additionally in the draft speech, Trump refers repeatedly to the need for a secure border. In one section he tells the story of a young woman from Nebraska killed by a drunken driver who was an undocumented migrant.
Trump, in the draft, places blame for the death at the administration’s door, and logically implies that drunken driving is an immigration issue (although Trump does not, in the draft, delineate the cause of death): “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.”
In a draft version of the speech published by Politico, Trump also refers to a border wall: 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.”
Updated
at 12.08am BST
11.35pm BST11.35pm BST
23:3523:35
Trump speech excerpts released: 'safety will be restored'Trump speech excerpts released: 'safety will be restored'
The Trump campaign has now released official excerpt of the big speech. Here are the excerpts in full as released:The Trump campaign has now released official excerpt of the big speech. Here are the excerpts in full as released:
Friends, delegates and fellow Americans: I humbly and gratefully accept your nomination for the presidency of the United States. …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.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.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. …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.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. …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. …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. …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.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. …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.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.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.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. …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.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 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.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. …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.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.
11.32pm BST11.32pm BST
23:3223:32
Trump to call for 'a change in leadership' – reportsTrump to call for 'a change in leadership' – reports
Multiple media outlets – including Politico and the New York Times – and the Hillary Clinton rapid response outfit Correct the Record - have obtained a draft version of Donald Trump’s nomination acceptance speech.Multiple media outlets – including Politico and the New York Times – and the Hillary Clinton rapid response outfit Correct the Record - have obtained a draft version of Donald Trump’s nomination acceptance speech.
The Trump camp confirmed to the Times that the speech was a draft version of what Trump plans to say - but the Trump campaign would not comment on how close the draft might be to a final version.The Trump camp confirmed to the Times that the speech was a draft version of what Trump plans to say - but the Trump campaign would not comment on how close the draft might be to a final version.
“This is the legacy of Hillary Clinton: death, destruction and weakness,” the draft reads. “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.“This is the legacy of Hillary Clinton: death, destruction and weakness,” the draft reads. “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.
A change in leadership is required to change these outcomes.”A change in leadership is required to change these outcomes.”
Developing...Developing...
UpdatedUpdated
at 11.43pm BSTat 11.43pm BST
11.18pm BST11.18pm BST
23:1823:18
Trump Speech Leaked (<--joke):Trump Speech Leaked (<--joke):
Whoa! Autocue inadvertently reveals 1st lines of Trump's big speech - and it's a whole new Trump! #RNCinCLE #RNC2016 pic.twitter.com/yvrYdn8nCfWhoa! Autocue inadvertently reveals 1st lines of Trump's big speech - and it's a whole new Trump! #RNCinCLE #RNC2016 pic.twitter.com/yvrYdn8nCf
11.17pm BST11.17pm BST
23:1723:17
Yeehaw.Yeehaw.
Cowboys for Trump pic.twitter.com/SdnWrl35LVCowboys for Trump pic.twitter.com/SdnWrl35LV
11.14pm BST11.14pm BST
23:1423:14
During his mic check today, Trump admitted that he loves the media, in the latest flip-flop for the presidential nominee, who has also changed his positions on abortion, Hillary Clinton, trade, immigration, taxation, health care, the Iraq war, a Muslim ban, a border wall, Ted Cruz, Roger Ailes, Mitt Romney, super Pacs, charitable donations, accounts payable and the Republican party.During his mic check today, Trump admitted that he loves the media, in the latest flip-flop for the presidential nominee, who has also changed his positions on abortion, Hillary Clinton, trade, immigration, taxation, health care, the Iraq war, a Muslim ban, a border wall, Ted Cruz, Roger Ailes, Mitt Romney, super Pacs, charitable donations, accounts payable and the Republican party.
10.51pm BST10.51pm BST
22:5122:51
No telling whether Trump can really make America great again, but 50,000 balloons raining on 2,472 delegates seems as good an opening move as any:No telling whether Trump can really make America great again, but 50,000 balloons raining on 2,472 delegates seems as good an opening move as any:
UpdatedUpdated
at 11.16pm BSTat 11.16pm BST
10.47pm BST10.47pm BST
22:4722:47
Ha.Ha.
Driving down Historic Route 66 - an iconic symbol of the American West! #Arizona https://t.co/JWe7n4N7xh pic.twitter.com/NxISYawbzaDriving down Historic Route 66 - an iconic symbol of the American West! #Arizona https://t.co/JWe7n4N7xh pic.twitter.com/NxISYawbza
It's also really far from Cleveland https://t.co/MvMM6mnqDrIt's also really far from Cleveland https://t.co/MvMM6mnqDr
10.44pm BST
22:44
Giffords calls on Trump to disavow aide who called for Clinton's shooting
Former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords called on Donald Trump to disavow aide Al Baldasaro, who said on Tuesday that Hillary Clinton should be “put in the firing line and shot for treason.”
Giffords, a Democrat, released a joint statement with her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly.
“Take it from us: This kind of rhetoric fuels hatred, violence, and puts lives at risk. There is simply no place in our politics and our country for this kind of shameful threat,” the statement said.
“We are disappointed and saddened that Donald Trump continues to welcome the support of his advisor Al Baldasaro after he said a candidate for office should be executed. We hope Mr. Trump does the responsible thing and disavows Al Baldasaro for his dangerous rhetoric.”
10.36pm BST
22:36
Pokémon Go transforms convention into gym full of rare catches
Scott Bixby
Texas senator Ted Cruz’s incendiary rebuke of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on the stage in Quicken Loans Arena on Wednesday evening seemingly transformed the home of the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team into a gladiatorial colosseum, complete with screaming fans and enraged detractors, writes Scott Bixby:
But the greatest battle on the stage at Quicken Loans Arena during the week of the Republican national convention may be for control of a different kind of stadium entirely – its Pokémon Go gym.
The mobile phone game, which integrates the hunt for fictional cartoon monsters with real-world locations in which users can battle one another’s teams, has become hugely popular at the RNC, where mobile phones are ubiquitous and the downtime can be lengthy and tedious.
(For the uninitiated, Pokémon – or “pocket monsters” – are a hugely resilient late-1990s cultural import from Japan that typically resemble real-world animals imbued with elemental powers. Originally, there were a mere 150 Pokémon, but the numbers have since swelled to 722. Put another way, there are more Pokémon than there are Democratic super delegates – and they’re much more powerful.)
At the time of this writing, the grand stage on the convention floor is held by BuffaloStar, a level-17 Pokémon trainer, and his Hypno, a Pokémon that looks like a psychokinetic Carl Paladino. Like many of the non-Pokémon visitors to Quicken Loans Arena, the turnover of gym masters is brutally high. (Despite numerous attempts to take the stage, my comparatively puny Pidgeot was forced from the convention floor with the speed and humiliation of a Rick Perry presidential campaign.)
Read the full piece here:
Related: Pokémon Go transforms Republican convention into gym full of rare catches
Updated
at 10.40pm BST
10.31pm BST
22:31
Pavarotti family asks Trump to stop using aria
What do Queen, Adele, the Rolling Stones, R.E.M., Neil Young, Steven Tyler and Twisted Sister have in common?
The artists have all asked Donald Trump to stop using their music at rallies, according to a list compiled by Alternet.
Add one more international star to the list: the late Italian opera singer Luciano Pavarotti.
Pavarotti’s family called Thursday for Trump to stop using his recording of Giacomo Puccini’s aria “Nessun Dorma” in his election campaign.
“We would like to recall that the values of brotherhood and solidarity which Luciano Pavarotti expressed throughout the course of his artistic career are entirely incompatible with the world view expressed by the candidate Donald Trump,” the family said in a statement.“Nessun Dorma”, which became Pavarotti’s signature aria and climaxes with the words “Vincero” (“I will win”), has been played often at Trump rallies.Pavarotti, the son of a baker and cigar factory worker who became one of the most commercially successful tenors of all time, died in 2007 of pancreatic cancer. He was 71.
(h/t @martinxhodgson)
10.24pm BST
22:24
Ailes out at Fox
How does this news compare, on the scale of significant developments in Republican political life, with the nomination of Donald Trump as president? It’s been quite a week for the Republicans, and the country:
Roger Ailes, the longtime Fox News chairman who helped found the network and build it into a cable ratings behemoth, has been forced out of the company following allegations that he sexually harassed numerous subordinates, including former host Gretchen Carlson and star anchor Megyn Kelly, writes the Guardian’s Molly Redden:
Rupert Murdoch, chairman of Fox’s parent company 21st Century Fox, cut short a vacation on the French Riviera with his wife Jerry Hall to return to New York and finalise the departure of his long-term ally. He will assume the role of chairman and acting CEO of Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network.
Murdoch said said Ailes had made “a remarkable contribution to our company and our country.” He will remain a consultant to the network until 2018 and is expected to leave with a severance package of more than $40m.
The news followed several days of public turbulence at Fox, including reports that members of the Murdoch family, which owns Fox parent company 21st Century Fox, had given Ailes a deadline of 1 August to resign or be fired. Ailes is poised to receive as much as $40m in severance pay, according to a leaked copy of a “separation agreement” published on Tuesday by the Drudge Report.
Read the full report here:
Related: How Roger Ailes disgraced Fox News and tarnished a unique legacy
Updated
at 10.24pm BST
10.13pm BST
22:13
Roger Stone, Alex Jones and a Clinton 'rape' shirt
Oliver Laughland
Roger Stone, the former Nixon operative and Trump adviser, and Alex Jones, the conspiracy theorist and Infowars operator, launched the latest in their line controversial T-shirts this afternoon.
The design features a photograph of Bill Clinton above the word “rape”. The image mimics the colour wash of Shepherd Fairey’s famous 2008 Obama campaign “Hope” image.
A crowd of little over a dozen people greeted Jones and Stone with chants of “lock her up” - a much recited phrase at the convention demanding the imprisonment of Hillary Clinton.
LIVE on #Periscope: Roger stone and Alex Joned launch Bill Clinton "rape" t-shirt https://t.co/H9mEUkzANn
The shirt, which around half a dozen attendees went on to purchase, is the latest in a line of offensive memorabilia on sale at the RNC and Trump rallies around the country.
T-shirts and badges showing Trump punching Clinton in the face, Clinton locked behind bars, and calling Clinton a “bitch”, have been sold at dozens of street vendors in Cleveland over the convention, and have been seen on the lapels of delegates inside the convention centre.
Some of the nastiest, and let's be honest, sexist, Hillary badges on sale today. #RNCinCLE pic.twitter.com/xta6BelZiV
9.54pm BST
21:54
Though Donald Trump will be giving a far lengthier speech on the final night of the convention, he had a few words to say on the podium while doing a sound check this afternoon.
9.44pm BST
21:44
David Smith
Jeff Roe, former campaign manager for Ted Cruz, has said there was never a chance that the Texas senator would endorse Donald Trump in his convention speech on Wednesday night.
“I think it was a great speech,” he during a panel debate organised by Politico. “He’d worked on it for maybe the last four or five days. He had played counsel on the endorse or not endorse question for a lot of folks within the team, outside the team, donors and activists and friends and conservative movement types and he’s a very patient listener and he receives good feedback but it was never part of the consideration to endorse. If it had been tied to the speaking engagement then he wouldn’t have spoken.”
Roe, who had offered to negotiate with the Trump camp, confirmed the accuracy of Trump’s tweet that that he had seen Cruz’s speech two hours in advance but let it go ahead. He said “clearly” the nominee was hoping for a last minute change of mind. If Cruz had been vetoed and barred from speaking, Roe added, “he’d be more of a martyr than he is today”.
But he also said of Trump’s team: “They were professionals all the way through... They played straight up. Donald came out at the end to kind of wrap it up. It’s all good theatre. Ted’s very clear and very consistent and very precise in his belief that our party is based on something beyond personalities and so that’s why he’s not there yet. That’s not to say that he won’t be there.”
Despite the fall-out on Thursday, Cruz has no regrets, Roe insisted. “He’s at peace in a remarkable way, not a consultant’s reaction way, because he knows he did the right thing. He called his daughters. His daughters were, ‘Why are they booing?’ ‘Sometimes it’s hard to do the right thing. I did the right thing.’ So that’s what it’s about for him.”
Roe denied that there was a political upside for Cruz. “Someone would have to show it to me. It’s just too easy. How many outs did he have? The outs that he had is not go, is to say I support the nominee, say I support some man for president who’s 6ft 2 and from New York, just dance and say his or name or not. That’s all political bullshit... I can’t see the political expediency here.”
He described it as a “raw political moment for the party” but promised Cruz will not say negative things about the nominee. Roe also told the audience about some text messages he received on his BlackBerry during the speech:
He’s killing itThis is awesomeDid Ted Cruz really just say atheist?Did he really just say Muslim?Did he really just say gay or straight?Did he really just talk about freedom and state rights?Did he really just say Colorado? (Roe: which denotes pot smoking, by the way).(Roe: And New York versus Iowa, that whole playbook.)Did he really say all those things?Like where was this guy?
“And then it was, ‘Oh, that kind of sucks’. And then the next one was, ‘I can’t believe he did it!’ That was the night of text messages.”
Aware that it was a “Trump room”, Cruz tried to avoid teasers about an endorsement, Roe said. In one version of the speech Cruz’s congratulations to Trump for winning the nomination came towards the end, but they opted for version in which it appeared at the start. “I think we felt we’d maybe get a little bigger bang for the congratulations right out of the gate... That was intended to take the oxygen out of the room.”
They had also considered a joke in which Cruz said, “I always intended to be here, I just had a different speaking order in mind,” but it didn’t make the final cut.
9.29pm BST
21:29
In an interview with CNN’s Erin Burnett, Eric Trump Jr. said the campaign does not need Ted Cruz’s endorsement to make its case to the American people, and accused the Texas senator of being so “anti-establishment” that he has “literally no fans, no friends.”
“He is a true politician,” Trump said of Cruz. “He tries to play the anti-establishment guy. Guess what: during his initial stage, he wanted to work for the Bush campaign. The problem is, he’s so unlikable. Literally, no fans, no friends. And he only became anti-establishment when he couldn’t be a part of the establishment because no one wanted to be with him.”
When asked whether the Trump campaign still needs his endorsement to unify the Republican party, Trump was dismissive.
“I don’t care,” Trump responded. “We got it de facto from the people with that matter: the people my father’s been speaking to directly. The hard-working people in this country would have been left in the dust.”
9.25pm BST
21:25
Following Donald Trump’s statements on Nato, the White House made an emphatic statement this afternoon reiterating the United States’ commitment to the alliance.
In an interview with the New York Times, Trump suggested that under his leadership America would not necessarily come to the aid of a Nato ally under attack, saying he would first consider how much they have contributed to the alliance.
Updated
at 9.26pm BST
8.45pm BST
20:45
Law enforcement in Cleveland during the Republican National Convention has resembled a mini-convention of its own:
Political convention or police convention? What a ten minute stroll through a park in Cleveland looks like right now pic.twitter.com/inEg6ogibD