Donald Trump accepts GOP Presidential nomination, promises law and order

Donald Trump returned again and again to the theme of “law and order” during an hour-and-fifteen minute acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland on Thursday.

Dr. Hal Bass, Ouachita Baptist University professor emeritus, said that theme was a “connective tissue” for both domestic and international policies, including policies on illegal immigration and trade policies that Trump said are unfair and hurt American workers.

Bass said that while a prepared speech had been written, Trump seemed to ad lib in parts.

He said Trump was effective as a mobilizer and motivator, but he didn’t see how the speech broadened the base.

“I think that he was preaching to his choir, and I think that the reaction that he got from them was very positive,” he said. “I’m not sure how compelling or persuasive it was to someone who wasn’t already on board.”

Early in his speech, Trump said, “We will be a country of generosity and warmth, but we will also be a country of law and order.” He then proceeded to say that crime and violence are increasing – in President Barack Obama’s hometown of Chicago, and at the hands of illegal immigrants. He said that the day he is inaugurated, “Safety will be restored.”

On immigration, he pledged to oppose a large increase in immigration of Syrian refugees, and he promised a moratorium on immigration from countries that have been compromised by terrorism. As during the campaign, he pledged to build a border wall.

“On January 20 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,” he said.

Trump criticized Obama for the country’s economic situation and criticized him and Trump’s opponent Hillary Clinton for the foreign policies that he said had led to international humiliations. He said the nuclear deal with Iran “will go down in history as one of the worst deals ever negotiated.” ISIS has gained power while Syria, Libya and Egypt are in worse shape.

“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,” he said. He later added, “This is the legacy of Hillary Clinton: Death, destruction, terrorism and weakness.”

Trump said that special interests have rigged a system he admitted he had been a part of, saying, “I am your voice.” He said Clinton would preserve that rigged system and that her escaping prosecution for the email scandal was proof that corruption had reached the highest levels ever.

“I have joined the political arena so that the powerful can no longer beat up on people who cannot defend themselves,” he said.

Trump promised an America-first foreign and trade policy and made a plea for supporters of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, explaining they would be attracted to his campaign because of his insistence on fairer trade deals. He called the North American Free Trade Agreement one of the worst deals ever signed, chiding Clinton for supporting it and for supporting China’s entrance into the World Trade Organization as well as the Trans-Pacific Partnership. He said he would renegotiate NAFTA or walk away from it and would sign only deals with individual countries, not multiple ones.

Trump also pledged to protect the LGBTQ community from hateful foreign ideology. Hearing cheers, he said, “I have to say as a Republican, it is so nice to hear you cheering for what I just said,” he said.