by Boaz Bismuth
On last night of Republican National Convention, Donald Trump accepts presidential nomination, slams rival Hillary Clinton and incumbent President Barack Obama • "I love Israel," Trump tells Israel Hayom • And did Sen. Ted Cruz commit political suicide?
Republican U.S. presidential nominee Donald Trump and vice presidential nominee Mike Pence at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland
|Photo credit: Reuters
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The Republican National Convention concluded on Thursday with a victory address delivered by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in which he outlined his political vision, attacked his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton, and harshly criticized incumbent President Barack Obama.
"America is far less safe and the world is far less stable than when Obama made the decision to put Hillary Clinton in charge of America's foreign policy [as secretary of state]," Trump said.
"I am certain it is a decision he truly regrets. Her bad instincts and her bad judgment ... are what caused the disasters unfolding today.
"In 2009, pre-Hillary, ISIS [Islamic State] was not even on the map. Libya was stable. Egypt was peaceful. Iraq had seen a big reduction in violence. Iran was being choked by sanctions. Syria was somewhat under control," he continued.
"After four years of Hillary Clinton, what do we have? ISIS has spread across the region and the entire world. Libya is in ruins, and our ambassador and his staff were left helpless to die at the hands of savage killers. Egypt was turned over to the radical Muslim Brotherhood, forcing the military to retake control. Iraq is in chaos. Iran is on the path to nuclear weapons. Syria is engulfed in a civil war and a refugee crisis that now threatens the West.
"After 15 years of wars in the Middle East, after trillions of dollars spent and thousands of lives lost, the situation is worse than it has ever been before. This is the legacy of Hillary Clinton: death, destruction and terrorism and weakness.
"But Hillary Clinton's legacy does not have to be America's legacy. The problems we face now -- poverty and violence at home, war and destruction abroad -- will last only as long as we continue relying on the same politicians who created them. A change in leadership is required to produce a change in outcomes," Trump told his supporters.
Trump tells Israel Hayom: I love Israel
A few days earlier, 24 hours after Trump was officially nominated the Republican candidate for president, I caught him surrounded by security, secret service, advisers, and associates.
"May I congratulate you, Mr. Trump?" I asked him, having met him several times since he announced his intention to pursue the presidency last June. "This is the first time I'm seeing you as the official nominee."
"Sure," he replied. "Of course you may, I'd even be pleased if you did. Thank you so much, this is an enormous honor, you know."
Accompanied by Israel Hayom Editor-In-Chief Amos Regev, I made the introduction. Trump shook Regev's hand and asked me with a smile, "Does your boss treat you well?"
"Tell my boss how I chased you in Miami," I said. But Trump took the opportunity to reiterate a declaration he has made many times before: "I love Israel; I have so many friends there."
Trump does not need to be questioned about his sentiments toward Israel. He gladly volunteers the information. People who know him well attest to the fact that his love for Israel truly comes from the heart.
Cruz refrains from endorsing the nominee
The third day of the convention, meanwhile, provided what may have been one of the biggest moments of the four-day event. Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Trump's biggest opponent in the Republican primary, stopped short of endorsing the official candidate and urged supporters to "vote their conscience."
But it was Cruz's non-endorsement that actually demonstrated just how strongly the Republican Party now stands behind their official nominee: The boos and calls against Cruz during his non-endorsement speech were deafening. The moment Cruz refrained from endorsing Trump, he lost the audience, including the large and colorful delegation from his home state of Texas, which expected Cruz to understand that the opponent this coming November is Clinton, not Trump.
In an interview with Israel Hayom, Cruz defended his decision not to endorse Trump and said that he would do it again, even knowing that he would be booed.
"In my speech last night I set the standards that every voter needs to consider when selecting a candidate, and it doesn't matter if it is a candidate for the most marginal position or a candidate for the United States presidency," Cruz said.
Q: Why were you unwilling to endorse Trump? After all, you and the rest of the candidates declared that you would support the winner.
"True. He won, and during the primaries I did say I would support any candidate, including Trump. But when he started launching personal attacks against my wife and family, things changed. I told myself that I could not endorse someone who goes after my wife or children."
Q: Aren't you running the risk of hurting his chances, and reinforcing Hillary Clinton's candidacy in the presidential race?
"I said in my speech what I think of Hillary's suitability to serve as president. I think I was very clear. I don't think anyone got the impression that I was urging them to vote for Hillary. I said that every voter needs to vote his or her conscience. I'd like to remind you that I never took part in the #NeverTrump movement. I never supported it. But I am a man of principles and I set my own standards."
Q: You said that you wouldn't vote for Hillary. Are you going to vote at all on Nov. 8?
"Yes, I'm going to vote."
The assumption is that Cruz is laying the groundwork for the 2020 election, counting on Trump's defeat in 2016. With that, the general sentiment after his convention speech was that he had committed political suicide, failing to accurately gauge the enormous animosity among his voter base toward Clinton as well as their growing fondness of Trump.
In any case, Trump's son, Donald J. Trump Jr., said Thursday that his father's campaign was unfazed by Cruz's non-endorsement.
"I don't care. We don't need it. We got it de facto from the people that matter," Trump Jr. told CNN. "Those are the voters the people that my father has been speaking to directly. The hardworking people in this country that have been left in the dust."
Unlike Cruz, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, another chief Trump opponent in the primaries, came out in support of his former rival. Despite their rivalry and the clashes between them, Rubio told the convention via video that "after a long and spirited primary, the time for fighting each other is over. It's time to come together and fight for a new direction."
Another notable moment during the convention was the speech given by vice presidential candidate Mike Pence. The popular Indiana governor gave a good address, in which he spoke about the future and commended his running mate, Trump.
"I grant you, he can be a little rough with politicians on stage, and I bet we see that again," he said, referring to Trump's upcoming battle against Clinton.
"At the very moment when America is crying out for something new and different, the other party has answered with a stale agenda and the most predictable of names. People in both parties are restless for change, ready to break free from old patterns in Washington, and Democrats are about to anoint someone who represents everything this country is tired of," Pence said.
He added that based on her record, Clinton should be "disqualified from ever serving as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the United States of America."
Boaz Bismuth
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=35165&hp=1
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