GOP convention, night three: Pence, Gingrich, Walker, Little Marco, Lyin’ Ted

“And on November 8, I know we will elected Donald Trump to be the 45 president of the United States of America”.

“Wow. Cruz picks tonight to announce for president in 2020”, one Republican Party strategist said as Mr. Trump’s son Eric was speaking Wednesday night.

Straining to shore up Republican unity, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence will urge conservatives to shed their unease about Donald Trump Wednesday night as he makes his national convention debut as the businessman’s running mate. At one point, an ally actually escorted Cruz’s wife Heidi from the hall.

He told CNN that “Cruz will be part of the campaign going forward, in what capacity I’m not sure, but his words will suggest that he is” behind Trump.

The Texas senator tried his best to ignore the chanting, and at one point ad-libbed that he “appreciated the enthusiasm” of delegates from Trump’s home state of NY.

Trump entered the arena just as the delegates and gallery were continuing their boos of Cruz. Ted Cruz, a favorite of the right who has yet to endorse Trump. “He said during his speech we have to come together and then he doesn’t endorse him”. ‘Don’t stay home in November, ‘ was the best he could manage, as he laid out his own conservative creed.

Last night was supposed to be Mike Pence’s night as he officially accepted the nomination for vice-president.

But the first two days of the convention, that Trump once promised would be a showbiz extravaganza like nothing before it, have been a series of stumbles that have raised the stakes for what already was the most important speech he’s ever likely to make.

“I’m hopeful it’s a speech that rings so true and so motivating that we think of 1976 and Ronald Reagan”, said Iowa Rep. Steve King, a Cruz supporter.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest says that passages incorporated into Melania Trump’s convention speech from Michelle Obama’s speech in 2008 show that Americans admire similar values in their political leaders.

The day’s demonstrations started when a few dozen people holding banners printed with a red-brick design formed a human wall to mock Donald Trump’s plan to seal off the Mexican border. And not for the first time, Cruz demonstrated why he is so hated by so many of his party colleagues and has a reputation for thinking only of himself.

Cruz, according to Gingrich, said Americans should “vote your conscience for anyone who will uphold the constitution”. “Vote for candidates up and down the ticket who you trust to defend our freedom, and to be faithful to the Constitution”.

Trump also questioned whether Cruz’s birth in Canada disqualified him to run for president, frequently threatening to sue him over the issue.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott, an early Trump backer, tried to soften the nominee’s rough edges, acknowledging he is not always polite and may speak too directly.

Hours before giving the speech, Melania Trump, a Slovenian-born jewellery designer and former model, told NBC’s Today that she had written it with as little help as possible. “I’m so proud of my father”, said Trump’s eldest daughter, businesswoman Ivanka Trump, often described as his secret weapon.