22 July, 2016
Donald Trump accepted the Republican nomination for president Thursday and vowed to end growing violence in America if elected.
Trump spoke during the final day of the Republican Party convention in Cleveland. His speech outlined the policies he would pursue if he wins the presidency of the United States.
The speech was widely considered the most important of Trump's campaign and career. He began by stating that the convention was happening "at a moment of crisis" for the United States.
Law and order
"Americans watching this address tonight have seen the recent images of violence in our streets and the chaos in our communities," the billionaire businessman said. "Many have witnessed this violence personally, some have even been its victims."
"I have a message for all of you: the crime and violence that today afflicts our nation will soon come to an end. Beginning on January 20th of 2017, safety will be restored." January 20 is the day the new U.S. president will be inaugurated.
Trump addressed recent killings in several U.S. cities involving police and civilians.
"An attack on law enforcement is an attack on all Americans," Trump said about police officers gunned down in Dallas, Texas and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Trump said the administration of President Barack Obama has been weak on crime. "In this race for the White House, I am the law and order candidate," he said.
He repeatedly criticized his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, including her tenure as Secretary of State. He said her policies have made America less safe.
Jobs and trade deals
The real estate businessman promised to create jobs for all Americans by cutting taxes and reducing regulations on businesses. "Every day I wake up determined to deliver a better life for the people all across this nation that have been neglected, ignored, and abandoned."
He said he would not adopt the kind of "disastrous trade deals" supported by Hillary Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and other leaders. "My opponent, on the other hand, has supported virtually every trade agreement that has been destroying our middle class," he said. "I am going to turn our bad trade agreements into great trade agreements."
The Republican nominee also addressed recent terrorist attacks in the United States and abroad.
Terrorist attacks
He said in last month's Orlando nightclub attack, "49 wonderful Americans were savagely murdered by an Islamic terrorist." He pledged that if elected, he "will do everything in my power to protect our LGBTQ citizens from the violence and oppression of a hateful foreign ideology." LGBT is short for the words lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender.
He also spoke about the recent Nice, France truck attack that killed 84 people, and identified ways to battle terrorism.
"To make life safe in America, we must also address the growing threats we face from outside America: we are going to defeat the barbarians of (Islamic State) and we are going to defeat them fast." He pledged to fight terrorism by improving intelligence gathering and working with allies in the region to battle IS.
"Lastly, and very importantly, we must immediately suspend immigration from any nation that has been compromised by terrorism until such time as proven vetting mechanisms have been put in place. We don't want them in our country."
Trump's daughter Ivanka introduced her father before the speech. She praised her father as "the people's nominee" and said he is someone who will fight for the American people.
Ivanka, who has worked alongside her father for more than 10 years, said he is "color blind and gender neutral" when it comes to his businesses. "He hires the best person for the job, period."
Hillary Clinton will be nominated as the Democratic presidential candidate at her party's convention beginning Monday July 25 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
I'm Mario Ritter.
Bryan Lynn reported this story for VOA Learning English, with additional information coming from Associated Press and Reuters. Hai Do was the editor.
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Words in This Story
chaos – n. complete disorder and confusion
lesbian – n. a woman who is sexually attracted to other women
bisexual – n. a person sexually attracted to someone who is the same sex or the opposite sex
transgender – n. a person who expresses or identifies with a gender different from the one they were born with
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