'Impossible is just a starting point,' Donald Trump Jr. says as dad clinches Republican nomination
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie conducts mock prosecution of Hillary Clinton in his speech
A parade of prominent Republicans — including former campaign rivals and two Trump children — took the stage on Tuesday in Cleveland to vouch for their candidate and take aim at his presumed rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton.
The speeches capped the second day of the Republican National Convention, where the party officially nominated Donald Trump as their presidential standard-bearer, capping the billionaire businessman's stunning takeover of the party and propelling him into a November face-off with Clinton.
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Though the focus on Tuesday was supposed to be jobs, speakers spent more time denouncing Clinton. She was talked about more than Trump himself.
"I am here to tell you Hillary Clinton will say anything, do anything and be anything to get elected president," said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who was greeted by a smattering of boos as he took the stage.
House Speaker Paul Ryan, who has endorsed Trump but has also repeatedly been critical of him, focused on party unity.
"The next time there's a state of the union address, I don't know where Joe Biden or Barack Obama are going to be, but you'll find me right there on the rostrum with Vice-President Mike Pence and President Donald Trump," he said.
There was no other mention of Trump in his 13-minute speech, which focused on the Republican Party's values.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie called Trump a "caring, genuine and decent person" and proceeded to outline the failings of his Democratic rival.
"Lock her up," the crowd chanted, as Christie, a former U.S. attorney, put Clinton "on trial."
In stark contrast to Christie's mock prosecution, was a glowing speech by 22-year-old Tiffany Trump, the candidate's daughter with second wife Marla Maples.
"He's always helped me be the best version of myself," she said. "That's a great quality to have in a father and even better to have in a president of the United States."
She said 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.
Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr. gave a less sentimental account, saying that for his father "impossible is just a starting point."
He talked about how growing up his father surrounded the children, not by people with MBAs, but people "with doctorates in common sense."
Donald Trump Jr. also talked about visiting construction sites and learning to drive the heavy equipment.
Near the end of his speech, the father of five reminded people that Trump would be a president who speaks his mind.
"He will be a president who won't have to hold a focus group or look at data analytics to form a simple opinion. A president who says what needs to be said and not just what you want to hear."
Questions about plagiarism surfaced for a second day in a row, this time in the eldest son's speech. But F.H. Buckley, the writer behind the original work in question this time — an article in The American Conservative — said he was a principal speechwriter for the younger Trump and said the campaign did nothing wrong.
Former rival Dr. Ben Carson also addressed the convention who said Trump "understands that the blessings of this nation come with responsibilities."
Soap opera actress and avocado farmer Kimberlin Brown was the night's last speaker.
'We have to go all the way'
"This is a movement, but we have to go all the way," Trump said in videotaped remarks beamed into the convention hall.
Trump's campaign hoped the formal nomination would both end the discord surging through the Republican Party and overshadow the convention's chaotic kickoff, including a plagiarism charge involving Melania Trump's address on opening night.
There were flurries of dissent on the convention floor as states that Trump did not win recorded their votes, but he far outdistanced his primary rivals. Pence, his vice-presidential pick, was also formally nominated.
Such a great honor to be the Republican Nominee for President of the United States. I will work hard and never let you down! AMERICA FIRST!
—@realDonaldTrumpNew York delegates put Trump over the top
Trump was put over the top by his home state of New York. Four of his children joined the state's delegation on the convention floor for the historic moment and appeared overwhelmed with emotion.
Donald Trump Jr. declared the delegate numbers, which gave his father the final votes needed to clinch the nomination.
The younger Trump told the convention 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."
Trump trails Clinton in polls
Trump, a real estate developer and former reality TV star who has never held elected office, is trailing Clinton in many polls after a bruising Republican primary season.
Soon after the roll call vote at the convention concluded, Clinton tweeted her response: "Donald Trump just became the Republican nominee. Chip in now to make sure he never steps foot in the Oval Office."
She then posted a clip of herself speaking about Trump on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
Not every Republican activist was excited to see that Trump has clinched the party's presidential nomination.
Colorado delegate Kendal Unruh said it's time to "cancel the convention, stop the sham." She said Trump has worked to crown himself king.
Unruh, whose Free the Delegates group mounted a last-ditch effort to dump Trump as the party's candidate, 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 Ted Cruz.
Melania Trump speech controversy
Republicans shrugged off a controversy earlier in the day over Melania Trump's address to the convention on Monday night, which contained a section that was strikingly similar to words delivered at the Democratic convention in 2008 by Michelle Obama.
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Trump's campaign pointed a finger at Clinton for raising a fuss where there was nothing, but Clinton's campaign said it had nothing to do with unearthing the similarities in the speeches.
In further fallout from the speech, rock band Queen complained that the Republicans did not have authorization to use its 1977 anthem We Are The Champions, which convention organizers played before Melania Trump took to the stage. But the RNC's Spicer said in a tweet the party had paid to license the use of the song in the arena.
With files from Reuters and CBC News