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Donald Trump officially nominated for president at Republican National Convention

CLEVELAND — It’s official: The Republican Party has formally nominated Donald Trump for president. After each state had the opportunity to make a sh...
Donald Trump July 19

CLEVELAND -- It's official: The Republican Party has formally nominated Donald Trump for president.

After each state had the opportunity to make a short statement and announce how their delegates would cast their votes, Trump came away with the needed votes for official nomination.

And now the New York billionaire has completed a remarkable rise from political outsider to major party nominee for the White House.

His home state of New York, appropriately, put him over the top in the delegate count Tuesday night at the Republican National Convention.

Donald Trump officially nominated for president at Republican National Convention

Earlier in the night when Connecticut, which had 28 delegates, all of which were bound to vote for Trump, was up, state Republican Chairman J. R. Romano spoke. He said:

I come from the land where we manufacture PEZ, nuclear submarines, and the home of the WWE, where the men and the women are champions. The great state of Connecticut is casting all 28 delegates for the next president of the United States: Donald J. Trump.

There was a disruptive fight on Monday night over the party's rules, but a day later that was history. There was little drama as party delegates united behind the real estate mogul and reality TV star.

Here is the latest from the Republican National Convention, where the Republican Party officially nominated Donald Trump for president on Tuesday (all times EDT):

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10:15 p.m.

Donald Trump's son Donald Jr. is citing his father's business acumen and says that for his father, "impossible is just the starting point."

The younger Trump tells the delegates at the Republican National Convention that his father approaches business projects the same way he has approached his campaign and life in general.

Donald Jr. says that's why his father was able to defeat 16 other Republicans in the primary campaign, despite never having run for office.

He says the question in this election is who has the judgment to lead. He says Democrat Hilary Clinton is a risk the country can't afford to take.

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10 p.m.

Tiffany Trump says her father, Donald Trump, is a "natural-born encourager" who's motivated her to work her hardest.

The 22-year-old is telling the Republican National Convention about her father's character, and recalling how he'd notes on her report cards. She says she still has them.

Tiffany Trump says the Trump way is to hold nothing back and never let fear get in the way. She says he's the last person who'd ever tell someone to lower their sights or give up on their dream.

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9:50 p.m.

Republicans are breaking out into chants of "lock her up" as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie tries to impugn Hillary Clinton's character in his speech to the Republican National Convention.

Christie says as a former federal prosecutor, he wants to hold Clinton accountable for her actions. He says he's laying out what he says are facts about her to "a jury of her peers."

Guilty or not guilty — that's what Christie is asking his audience for a verdict about Clinton on her leadership on the Islamic State group, China, and an al-Qaida-linked group in Nigeria.

Each time, delegates are responding with boisterous chants of "guilty."

Republican activists repeatedly interrupted Chistie with shouts of — "Lock her up."

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9:42 p.m.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says Hillary Clinton lied to the nation about "her selfish, awful judgment." Christie — who fell short in his GOP presidential bid — says voters shouldn't elect Clinton as president and reward what he calls her incompetence.

Christie is firmly behind Republican nominee Donald Trump — and says he's been friends with Trump for 14 years.

Christie tells the Republican National Convention that Clinton's performance as secretary of state was dismal. He says voters should hold her accountable for failures in Libya, Syria and elsewhere.

Christie says Clinton also is responsible for a bad nuclear deal with Iran.

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9:42 p.m.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says scandal follows Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton "like flies."

McConnell is using his speech to the Republican National Convention to rip into the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.

The Kentucky senator says he's spent more time around the Clintons than anyone should ever have to spend.

McConnell says he's disagreed with President Barack Obama, but that at least Obama was upfront about his intentions "to move America to the left."

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9:40 p.m.

Former Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson says Hillary Clinton is promoting a "new world order" that would allow the government in Washington to trample Americans' freedoms.

The retired neurosurgeon is set to tell delegates at the Republican National Committee that Clinton will push what he's calling "cancerous policies" that perpetuate poverty.

Carson says Clinton would appoint liberal Supreme Court justices who would cement those policies.

Carson — in excerpts of his prepared remarks — says Donald Trump would preserve the "ideals upon which this country was founded."

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9:25 p.m.

House Speaker Paul Ryan says he'll be sharing the rostrum with "President Donald Trump" the next time there's a State of the Union address on Capitol Hill.

Ryan hesitated for a while before finally endorsing the businessman last month. The Wisconsin lawmaker tells the Republican National Convention that only by electing Trump and running mate Mike Pence does the country "have a chance at a better way."

He says Hillary Clinton represents a third term of what he's calling President Barack Obama's failed presidency.

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9:20 p.m.

Republican congressional leaders are assuring party delegates that having Donald Trump in the White House will help achieve key GOP legislative objectives.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says Trump will sign bills to repeal President Barack Obama's health care law, build the Keystone pipeline and deny Planned Parenthood any federal money.

McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan also are delivering broadsides against Hillary Clinton and her fellow Democrats.

McConnell says Clinton has "a tortured relationship to the truth."

Ryan says Clinton represents a third term of Obama's presidency instead of the "clean break from a failed system" that many Americans want.

The Wisconsin Republican says next week's Democratic convention will be a "four-day infomercial of politically correct moralizing."

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9:05 p.m.

Donald Trump officially nominated for president at Republican National Convention

Trump is offering his first words to the party convention after being declared the nominee. He says in a video played in the convention hall that he's honored to have Mike Pence as his running mate and that the Indiana governor will make a "great, great vice president."

Trump says he'll appear with Pence in Cleveland on both Wednesday and Thursday. He says they'll win Ohio and the presidency.

Trump is promising to bring "real change and leadership" to Washington.

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8:20 p.m.

Mystery solved at the GOP convention.

The question is why all 19 delegates from the District of Columbia were awarded to Donald Trump.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio won the district's convention during the primary season and Ohio Gov. John Kasich came in second. Trump didn't win any delegates back in March.

But party rules in the district say that if only one candidate's name is placed into nomination at the national convention, then all 19 delegates go to that candidate.

Trump was the only candidate to be nominated at the convention.

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8:15 p.m.

Mike Pence has been nominated as the Republican vice presidential candidate — and Donald Trump's running mate.

The Indiana governor was declared the nominee by acclimation — meaning no formal roll call vote is needed. That ruling came from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell as he presided over the party's convention.

McConnell says Pence has the "overwhelming support of this convention" to be the next vice president.

Indiana Lt. Gov. Eric Holcomb — who put Pence's name in nomination — says Pence has overseen record investments in education and eliminated red tape for businesses. He says under Pence's leadership, more Indiana residents are working and the tech sector is experiencing "explosive" growth.

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8:10 p.m.

House Speaker Paul Ryan has formally declared Donald Trump the winner of the Republican presidential nomination.

Ryan says Trump received 1,725 delegates in the state-by-state roll call. Ryan says Texas Sen. Ted Cruz was the runner-up with 475 delegates. Ohio Gov. John Kasich came in third with 129 votes, followed by 113 for Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

Fifth-place went to physician Ben Carson with seven delegates, followed by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush with three delegates and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul with two delegates.

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8:05 p.m.

Donald Trump is celebrating his big achievement Tuesday night: officially becoming the Republican nominee for president.

Trump has posted a tweet that it was "such a great honor" after the roll call of the states at the Republican National Convention gave him the number of delegates needed to become the GOP's nominee.

He added: "I will work hard and never let you down! AMERICA FIRST!"

Trump is set to formally accept the nomination during a Thursday night speech at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.

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8 p.m.

Donald Trump may officially be the Republican nominee, but that didn't stop at least one state from taking exception to the way its votes were counted during Tuesday night's presidential roll call at the GOP convention.

The Alaska delegation is disputing how its votes were recorded and requesting a formal poll of its delegates. But House Speaker Paul Ryan has declared that Alaska's 28 votes are going to Trump — who already had more delegates than he needed to win.

The dispute appeared to be over Alaska state party rules that say a candidate loses his or her delegates if the candidate's campaign is no longer active.

All of Trump's challengers suspended their campaigns when it became clear the New Yorker would win the nomination.

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7:55 p.m.

Not every Republican activist is so excited now that Donald Trump has clinched the party's presidential nomination.

Colorado delegate Kendal Unruh says it's time to "cancel the convention, stop the sham." She says Trump has worked to coronate himself king.

Unruh is warning there could be drama and a "show of displeasure" coming on Thursday when Trump is set to speak at the convention.

Colorado cast most of its votes for Cruz.

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7:45 p.m.

Even as they're casting votes for John Kasich (KAY'-sihk) during the roll call of the states, numerous delegates are the Republican National Convention are still getting the Ohio governor's last name wrong.

It rhymes with "basic."

But at least three delegates announcing their state's votes for the nomination pronounced the second syllable like the word "itch."

The frequent stumbling over Kasich's last name was something of a running joke while Kasich was competing for the Republican presidential nomination.

He dropped out in May, but still was awarded delegates at the convention because of votes he won in the primary contests.

Kasich wasn't present for Tuesday night's proceedings, despite the fact that the convention is taking place in his home state.

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7:35 p.m.

New Mexico's governor refused to endorse Donald Trump after he chastised her for not doing her job when it comes to unemployment and other issues.

But there was Susana Martinez on the floor of the Republican National Convention and introducing the young delegate who announced New Mexico's tally during the roll call of states.

Trump won the nomination Tuesday night, and New York put him over the top.

Some prominent Republicans have stayed away from the convention, but Martinez has been a visible presence in Cleveland.

Trump criticized Martinez in May at a campaign appearance in New Mexico, but later said he wanted her support. Martinez is the nation's first female Hispanic governor.

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7:25 p.m.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is blaming what he calls are "Clinton Democrats" for a Senate standoff that's blocked President Barack Obama's request for money to fight the Zika virus.

Congress is now on a seven-week recess, and left Washington without acting on the Zika money. Democrats objected to a GOP proposal that would block Planned Parenthood clinics in Puerto Rico from getting money to fight the virus.

McConnell is blaming the impasses on Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.

The Kentucky lawmaker is speaking later Tuesday night at the convention but some of his remarks are being released beforehand.

McConnell says he wonders what Democrats "think public service is about." He says the presidential election will answer this basic question: "Who is looking out for us?"

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7:15 p.m.

Donald Trump's son Donald Jr. cast the final votes his father needed to become the Republican presidential nominee.

The younger Trump was on the floor of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland and told the excited activists in the auditorium that New York was casting 89 votes for Trump and six for Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

He then shouted out: "Congratulations, Dad, we love you."

Donald Jr. says he's watched as his father has built a movement and he says that movement has given Americans a voice again.

Also on the convention floor are some of Donald Trump's other children, including Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump.

Delegates on the floor broke into cheers and waved signs as the song "New York, New York" played at the Quicken Loans Arena.

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6:58 p.m.

Donald Trump's former campaign manager — Corey Lewandowski — has announced how his home state of New Hampshire is casting its votes for the Republican nomination.

Lewandowski was fired by the Trump campaign last month. But he's remained a vocal supporter of Trump and has advocated for him in his new role as a commentator on CNN.

Lewandowski noted that New Hampshire was the first primary contest that Trump won. He says New Hampshire is casting 11 of its votes for "my friend and the next president of the United States, Donald J. Trump."

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6:43 p.m.

Republican convention officials are giving some delegates won by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Ohio Gov. John Kasich to Donald Trump.

Rubio won the District of Columbia convention and got 10 delegates. Kasich came in second and got nine. That's how the district's delegation announced its tally from the floor of the convention.

But the convention's presiding officer awarded all 19 delegates to Trump.

Here's what delegate Chip Nottingham thought of that move:

"The chair, in a power play, just deemed that all 19 would go to Trump 'cause they don't want any dissent even though they clearly have a majority of votes that they need."

Nottingham demanded that the delegation be polled. But convention officials didn't give him the chance to speak.

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6:35 p.m.

Donald Trump now has recorded more than half of the delegates needed to become the GOP presidential nominee.

The state-by-state roll call is still going on at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.

It takes 1,237 delegates to win the nomination.

Trump hit the halfway point when Illinois cast 54 delegates for Trump, six for Ohio Gov. John Kasich and nine for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.

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6:20 p.m.

The state-by-state roll call to nominate Donald Trump as the Republican presidential nominee is underway.

There's not much drama but lots of noise — chants of "We want Trump" broke out as the roll call reached California.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz's name isn't formally placed in nomination even though he was closest to Trump in the primaries.

Earlier Tuesday, some Republicans were saying Cruz's supporters wanted to gather enough signatures to allow the Texan to be nominated.

Being officially nominated means a candidate is entitled to have supporters deliver a nominating and seconding speech. But Trump's campaign and GOP officials eager for a show of unity behind Trump worked to head that off.

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6:10 p.m.

New York Rep. Chris Collins has seconded the nomination of Donald Trump for the Republican presidential nomination.

Collins — a delegate to the Republican National Convention — says Trump will build a wall to secure the U.S.-Mexican border. He says Trump will defeat terrorism and make the U.S. safe again.

South Carolina's lieutenant governor, Henry McMaster, is also voicing his support for Trump.

McMaster is one of Trump's highest-profile early endorsers and says Trump wants to go to work "for us."

Many observers wondered why McMaster — an establishment Republican — was getting behind the unconventional candidate when he endorsed Trump ahead of South Carolina's February primary. McMaster's inner circle questioned the support, and some were disappointment he hadn't picked another candidate.

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6 p.m.

Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions is painting a dire picture of the state of America as he nominates Donald Trump for president at the Republican National Convention.

Sessions is returning to themes that other speakers focused on during the first day of the convention. He says the U.S. has gotten off-course and the political system isn't working.

Sessions says incomes have dropped and terrorist attacks have increased. He says respect for the U.S. has fallen, while crime has risen.

Sessions is blaming President Barack Obama for the nation's ill and says Obama "does not lead." He says Trump isn't intimidated by the challenge.

Sessions has been one of the most prominent backers of Trump's hard-line position on immigration. He says Trump is the "singular leader that can get this country back on track."

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5:50 p.m.

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus has gaveled in the second day of his party's summer convention in Cleveland.

The session started with the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance and the singing of the Star-Spangled Banner.

Set to give speeches are House Speaker Paul Ryan, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie plans to speak, as do two of Donald Trump's children — Tiffany and Donald Jr.

But the big event is the state-by-state roll call vote for the GOP presidential nomination, when Donald Trump will become the party's White House nominee.

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4:40 p.m.

Donald Trump's campaign says the presidential candidate will be back in Cleveland for a "Family Welcome Event" on Wednesday afternoon at the Great Lakes Science Center.

He's expected to arrive by helicopter at the center on the shore of Lake Erie and next to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

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3:43 p.m.

Hillary Clinton says the Republican National Convention has been "surreal" and she's comparing the event to the "Wizard of Oz."

Clinton says the GOP event has amounted to "lots of sound and fury — even a fog machine."

She says that "when you pull back the curtain, it was just Donald Trump with nothing to offer to the American people."

Clinton is in Las Vegas, speaking to the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, a trade union.

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2:45 p.m.

As Donald Trump prepares to receive the nomination for president on Tuesday evening, Ohio Gov. John Kasich will be nearby — speaking to the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Trump has angered Hispanics with his call to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico and to make Mexico pay for it. Kasich has refused to endorse Trump and is skipping the Cleveland convention.

Trump's campaign chairman has called Kasich's decision to skip the convention "petulant" and "embarrassing."

Kasich's advisers say he's trying not to be rude but has moved on to helping other candidates on the Republican ticket.

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2:27 p.m.

The commission on presidential debates is switching the site of the first presidential debate from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, to Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York.

Wright State already had announced it was pulling out as host.

The debate is scheduled for Sept. 26.

Hofstra hosted a presidential debate in 2012. The school had been designated as an alternate debate site for 2016.

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2:01 p.m.

When it came to her moment in the spotlight, Melania Trump chose a dress not by an American, but by a Serbian-born designer based in London.

She wore an off-white dress with three-quarter length, bell-shaped sleeves for her convention speech Monday night.

It's from Roksanda Ilincic, whose designs are popular among celebrities.

Samantha Cameron, wife of former British Prime Minister David Cameron, wore a colorful, flared dress from the designer when she left Downing Street last week.

Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, has worn her designs to at least three events this summer, including a brilliant yellow dress with blocks of white to Wimbledon.

Michelle Obama wore the designer's beaded wool satin dress and wool coat to meet the Chinese president in 2011.

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1:38 p.m.

The White House is staying out of the debate over similarities between Melania Trump's GOP convention speech and Michelle Obama's speech to the 2008 Democratic convention.

Spokesman Josh Earnest says Michelle Obama received an enthusiastic reception and strong reviews back then because of the speech, her life story and the values of integrity and hard work that she and the president try to instill in their kids

Earnest says what matters most in the 2016 race is the agenda being put forward to advance those values. He says voters will decide in November whether Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton is the best candidate to instill those values in the next generation.

Trump's campaign has dismissed as "just absurd" criticism that two passages in Melania Trump's speech were lifted nearly word-for-word from Michelle Obama.

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12 p.m.

Another musical act is telling Donald Trump to stop using their music.

The classic rock band Queen Tweeted Tuesday that they never approved Trump's use of "We Are the Champions" during the 2016 Republic National Convention.

Before Melania Trump gave a speech in Cleveland on Monday night, Trump made a brief appearance to introduce her and walked onstage to Queen's 1977 hit song.

The band wrote on Twitter, "An unauthorized use at the Republican Convention against our wishes."

Other musicians who have asked Trump to stop using their music include the Rolling Stones, Adele and Neil Young.

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