Full text of Trump's speech, footnoted by his campaign
CLEVELAND - Declaring America in crisis, Donald Trump pledged to cheering Republicans and still-skeptical voters Thursday night that as president he will restore the safety they fear they're losing, strictly curb immigration and save the nation from Hillary Clinton's record of "death, destruction, terrorism and weakness."
"I have joined the political arena so that the powerful can no longer beat up on people that cannot defend themselves," Trump said.
Trump doubled down on the hard-line immigration policies that fired up conservatives in the primary but broke with many in his party by promising protections for gays and lesbians.
Ever the showman, he fed off the energy of the crowd, stepping back to soak in applause and joining the delegates as they chanted, "U-S-A."
As the crowd, fiercely opposed to Clinton, broke out in its oft-used refrain of "Lock her up," he waved them off, and instead declared, "Let's defeat her in November." Yet he also accused her of "terrible, terrible crimes" and said her greatest achievement may have been avoiding prison for her use of a private email and personal server as secretary of state.
The 74-minute speech was strikingly dark for a celebratory event and almost entirely lacking in specific policy details. Trump shouted throughout as he read off a teleprompter, showing few flashes of humor or even a smile.
Attached is the Trump campaign's footnoted release of the full text of the speech.