CLEVELAND — Donald Trump cast himself Thursday night as the protector of ordinary Americans, and promised to shield them from terrorism and self-serving elites who run the government corruptly in defiance of the public good.
Accepting the Republican presidential nomination, Trump vowed: "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, and I will fight for you, and I will win for you."
He spoke directly to "the forgotten men and women of our country," saying to rousing applause, "I am your voice."
He also appealed explicitly for votes from left-wing Democrats who backed Bernie Sanders, promising to eliminate the "rigged" political system he claimed is championed by Hillary Clinton.
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"Big business, elite media and major donors are lining up behind the campaign of my opponent because they know she will keep our rigged system in place. She is their puppet. And they pull the strings," he declared.
It was a speech that marked out deep battlelines between the underdogs whom Trump claimed to represent and a ruling class that disdains them.
Trump predicted that Sanders' supporters would also join his "movement because we will fix his biggest issue: trade."
Trade, immigration and national security dominated much of Trump's speech, which depicted America in decline in a dark and dangerous world. To fix it, he offered, as he has throughout his campaign, proposals that flout conservative orthodoxy and have ignited horrified opposition within the Republican establishment.
"We are going to enforce all trade violations, including through the use of taxes and tariffs, against any country that cheats," Trump said, tapping into widespread concern that American jobs are being destroyed by unfair trade deals.
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/donald-trump-accepts-nomination-tells-americans-i-am-your-voice/article/2597357
