Battered Trump faces test in convention finale

CLEVELAND, Thursday

Donald Trump takes centre stage to deliver the speech of his political life today, trying to salvage a fractious Republican convention that saw a key rival showered in boos for withholding his endorsement.

Appearing before delegates, the most unorthodox and controversial presidential contender in modern times will accept the nomination of a party that has guided more candidates to the Oval Office than any other.

But instead of sounding the starting gun on the General Election and placing his candidacy in the sweep of American history, Trump faces a much more basic task.

Before a television audience of tens of millions, the bombastic billionaire will have to prove to the American people that he is worthy of the White House and capable of being commander-in-chief.

The four day nominating convention, which ends in Cleveland today, has been plagued with deep party divisions and staggering campaign blunders.

What began on Monday with anti-Trump delegates voicing misgivings on the convention floor, culminated in a moment of high political drama on the eve of Trump’s speech.

Trump’s primary rival Ted Cruz threw the convention into chaos by provocatively telling delegates to “vote your conscience” in November.

Ovations and adulations for the conservative Texas senator turned to jeers and boos as it became clear he had not come to Cleveland to endorse the party nominee.

“We deserve leaders who stand for principle, who unite us all behind shared values, who cast aside anger for love,” said Cruz, effectively listing criticisms often levelled at Trump.

In another dramatic twist, Trump decided to step on Cruz’s moment in the sun by entering the arena before the Texan had finished speaking.

Cruz — who is widely expected to run in 2020 should Trump lose to Hillary Clinton — was forced to wave and smile before completing his remarks and exiting to more jeers.

“Wow, Ted Cruz got booed off the stage, didn’t honour the pledge!” Trump tweeted later, referring to a pledge by Republican primary candidates to support whomever won the party’s nomination.

The two men fought a bitter and at times deeply personal battle for the nomination, in which Trump mocked Cruz’s wife and tarred his rival with a nasty nickname: “Lyin’ Ted”.

Between the uncharacteristic public spasms of Republican disunity came the embarrassing revelation that a prime-time speech by Trump’s wife Melania had been plagiarised from remarks made by First Lady Michelle Obama.

This was not how the convention was meant to go. In naming Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his running mate, Trump had tried to smoothen difficult relations with conservatives and unite the party.

Trump’s caustic rhetoric on race, women and Islam had alienated many Republicans, to say nothing of swing voters.

Pence did his bit, wooing the crowd with self-deprecating jokes and a clear conservative message in an acceptance speech.

Trump, he joked, is “a man known for a large personality, a colourful style and lots of charisma, and I guess he was just looking for some balance on the ticket”.