I AM YOUR VOICE!
Trumps speaks for 'forgotten America'
CLEVELAND — A triumphant Donald Trump wrapped up what once seemed an unthinkable run to the GOP presidential nomination Thursday night — vowing to be a champion of forgotten Americans, restore law and order, and wipe out Islamic terrorists at home and abroad.
In a fiery, populist acceptance speech — at 75 minutes, the longest in decades — on the closing night of the Republican National Convention, the billionaire businessman repeated the familiar themes that helped him vanquish 16 seasoned contenders during a bruising primary season.
He portrayed himself as an outsider and the best hope for people left behind by the elites of the Beltway establishment.
“I have visited the laid-off factory workers and the communities crushed by our horrible and unfair trade deals. These are the forgotten men and women of our country. These are people who work hard but no longer have a voice,” Trump thundered. “I am your voice!” Trump also pledged to:
Fight crime and make America safer starting on his very first day in office.
Renegotiate NAFTA and scrap the Trans-Pacific Partnership to get better deals for American workers.
Suspend immigration from countries plagued by Islamic terrorism.
Enact big tax cuts, re- duce onerous business regulations, and lift restrictions on US energy production to create more jobs.
Appoint a conservative Supreme Court justice whose views would reflect those of the late Antonin Scalia.
Build a wall along the nation’s southern border to stop illegal immigration.
Rescue kids from failing schools by helping their parents send them to safe schools of their choice
Work to change the law that strips houses of worship of their tax-exempt status for engaging in political activity.
Protect the rights of the LGBTQ community — despite anti-gay provisions in the Republican platform.
Citing the soaring murder rates in many American cities and a string of deadly attacks on law-enforcement officers, Trump declared that the country would be safer once he was sworn in.
“The crime and violence that today afflicts our nation will soon, and I mean very soon, come to an end. Beginning on January 20th 2017, safety will be restored,” he declared.
“My opponent asks her supporters to recite a threeword 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,” he said.
His audience at the Quicken Loans Arena sat enthralled.
“It’s the best speech I’ve ever heard,” gushed Elizabeth Ritchie, an alternate delegate from California. “He’s my champion.”
Excerpts from Donald Trump’s speech accepting the Republican nomination for president: My opponent asks her supporters to recite a threeword 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. I have joined the political arena so that the powerful can no longer beat up on people that cannot defend themselves.