Trump staffer Meredith McIver takes blame for Melania Trump’s speech
TED Cruz has failed to formally endorse Trump at the Republican National Convention and his wife had to be escorted out of the arena after supporters turned on her.
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Ted Cruz fails to formally endorse Donald Trump
Heidi Cruz escorted out of arena after Trump supports turn on her
Trump staffer admits to speech mistake, keeps job
Melania absent from convention
UNDERCUTTING calls for Republican unity, Texas Senator Ted Cruz stubbornly refused to endorse Donald Trump as he addressed the GOP convention, igniting thunderous boos from furious delegates as he encouraged Americans to simply “vote your conscience” in November.
In a surreal moment, Trump unexpectedly walked into the arena just as Cruz was wrapping up his remarks. Delegates chanted Trump’s name and implored Cruz to voice his support for the businessman, to no avail.
“Vote for candidates up and down the ticket who you trust to defend our freedom and to be faithful to the Constitution,” Cruz said. While he backed some of Trump’s policy proposals, including building a wall along the US-Mexico border, he mentioned the GOP nominee by name only once.
Cruz’s defiance ripped open party divisions anew, on the summer’s biggest political stage. Trump allies were infuriated, including New Jersey Govenor Chris Christie, who said Cruz’s decision was “totally selfish.”
The remarkable moment up-ended what was shaping up to be the convention’s most successful night, and overshadowed Indiana Govenor Mike Pence’s national convention debut as Trump’s running mate.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich tried to quiet the anger as he took to the stage, going off script to try to explain away the senator’s lack of support for the nominee.
“Ted Cruz said you can vote your conscience for anyone who will uphold the Constitution,” he said.
“In this election there is only one candidate who will uphold the Constitution.”
Cruz told Trump in a phone conversation two days ago that he would not endorse him during his speech, according to Cruz aide Jason Johnson.
Still, Trump’s campaign invited Cruz to speak — in a headliner role, no less. That decision was sure to spark a new round of second guessing about the campaign’s management of the convention and preparedness for a bruising general election against Democrat Hillary Clinton.
Cruz arrived in Cleveland with an eye on his own political future, holding a rally with hundreds of supporters who greeted him with chants of “2020” — suggesting his backers have no interest in seeing Trump become a two-term president.
In his convention address, Cruz spoke at length about the recent stretch of violence across the country. He urged Americans to fight for the families of five police officers killed in Dallas, as well as the family of Alton Sterling, a black man killed by police in Louisiana.
He also made these comments in support of Trump’s plan to build a wall on the Mexican border.
“We deserve an immigration system that puts America first and, yes, builds a wall to keep America safe.
Fever pitch can’t be matched, says Aussie writer
Self-described political nerd Sabine Wolff is one Australian who has found herself in a sea of seersucker suits and star-spangled top hats at the Republican National Convention.
Ms Wolf, a writer and commentator from Melbourne, scored a ticket that money can’t buy to attend the convention through a friend who works in the GOP.
She then planned a holiday around the event.
Ms Wolff, who describes herself as conservative leaning, said she believed the conservative movement was at a crossroads and it would be fascinating to see that play out on the floor of the republican convention.
When she first began planning her trip, Jeb Bush was seen a shoo-in for the nomination. Since then, Ms Wolff has meticulously watched the unthinkable rise of Trump unfold from Australia.
“It’s just underscored how the GOP is struggling with it’s identity, and I’m fascinated by that,” Ms Wolff said.
She said she wasn’t a Trump supporter but delighted in the spectacle of the convention.
“I’ve been to party functions in Australia but there’s nothing quite like this,” she said.
“The fever pitch can’t be matched.”
Ms Wolff said she’d been struck by the wide range of people packed into the convention.
“You have the full range — from diehards waving flags to types in seersucker suits. I never expected to see a seersucker suit in the wild, then a whole row of them walked past me today.”
Melania stays away
While Trump sits with his children in the VIP section and watches the speeches roll on at the convention, his wife Melania is notably absent.
Since her speech gaffe, the mother of one has stayed out of sight, instead letting Trump’s older children take the spotlight.
It is unclear if she had planned to attend and decided otherwise or only ever intended to show up for one day of the convention.
Pence says Trump the man for the job
Mike Pence says Republicans have nominated a presidential candidate who never quits or backs down.
The Indiana governor is Donald Trump’s running mate.
Pence says in his speech at the party’s convention that Republicans will retake the presidency in November because they’re being honest with Americans about the stakes in the election — and the choice facing voters.
Pence says Democrat Hillary Clinton will never serve as president.
“It’s time for a President with commonsense”
Trump’s son, Eric Trump, took to the stage in support of his father.
“Thirteen months ago my father sat my family down and told us the time had come. He could no longer sit idly by and watch our beloved country, the family that had given our family so much success, so much opportunity crumble before our very eyes,” Eric said.
“He made sure to acknowledge that ours would not be an easy path, that we should prepare ourselves for what was to come, that we would quickly learn who our true friends were.”
Eric said that his father has defied predictions and turned debates into must-see TV.
“He has inspired multiple generations, including my own, millennials like myself who have so little faith in our politicians that they no longer consider public service to be a noble career,” he said.
“He could no longer stand to see the words Christmas stripped from public use or the pledge of allegiance removed from our schools in an effort to be politically correct.
“It’s time for a President with commonsense.
“It’s time for a President who can make America great again, ahead of budget and I ahead of schedule too.”
Like Senator Ted Cruz who spoke before him Eric drew loud applause, cheers and chants from the crowd.
Trump staffer admits to speech mistake
A Trump staffer offered her resignation over the Melania Trump plagiarism incident, but her offer was rejected.
Donald Trump said Meredith McIver, an in-house speech writer made a mistake.
She’s the Trump Organisation staff writer who’s taken the blame for nearly identical passages from Melania Trump’s Republican convention speech and Michelle Obama’s remarks eight years ago. Trump told the ABC that McIver is a “terrific person” and should keep her job.
“People make mistakes ... We all make mistakes.”
Trump said he thinks it’s “terrific” that she’s admitted that mistake.
Meredith McIver statement pic.twitter.com/6bSgp6kKOH
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) July 20, 2016
McIver said how Ms Trump had read her some passages from Ms Obama’s speech as example of people who inspired her and “messages she wanted to share with the American people”.
Ms McIver said in a statement she took notes and included the phrasing in the speech. She said she never searched Ms Obama’s speech.
“I did not check Mrs. Obama’s speeches. This was my mistake, and I feel terrible for the chaos I have caused Melania and the Trumps, as well as to Mrs. Obama,” she wrote. “No harm was meant.”
Saying Mr Trump rejected her offer of resignation, she wrote: “Mr Trump told me people make innocent mistakes and that we learn and grow from these experiences”.
“I asked to put out this statement because I did not like seeing the way this was distracting from Mr. Trump’s historic campaign for president and Melania’s beautiful message and presentation,” she said.
McIver has worked on some of Mr. Trump’s books, including How to Get Rich and Think Like a Billionaire.
Good news is Melania's speech got more publicity than any in the history of politics especially if you believe that all press is good press!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 20, 2016
The media is spending more time doing a forensic analysis of Melania's speech than the FBI spent on Hillary's emails.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 20, 2016
Secret Service investigating prominent Trump supporter
The Secret Service is investigating a prominent Donald Trump supporter who said Hillary Clinton should be “shot for treason.”
Secret Service spokesman Robert Hoback says the agency is aware of comments made by New Hampshire state Rep. Al Baldasaro. Hoback says the Secret Service “will conduct the appropriate investigation.”
Baldasaro said Clinton — a former secretary of state who’s the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee — should be “put in the firing line and shot for treason” over the 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans.
Trump campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks says Trump and his campaign don’t agree with Baldasaro’s remarks.
Trump’s Hollywood star gets a makeover
Donald Trump’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame has been given a new installation — a concrete wall.
Controversial street artist Plastic Jesus made his distaste for Trump known with a 6-inch tall “border wall” surrounding Trump’s star.
The concrete wall comes complete with “keep out” signs and razor wire.
It’s also decorated with Plastic Jesus’s familiar motto: “Stop making stupid people famous.”
Originally published as Trump staffer Meredith McIver takes blame for Melania Trump’s speech
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