Already have an account?
Get back to the

Republican National Convention 2016: Everything That Happened During Donald Trump’s Nomination Acceptance Speech

Update: Below is what happened during Donald Trump‘s nomination acceptance speech.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Donald Trump‘s speech ran a total of one hour and 15 minutes, making his nomination acceptance speech the longest one in history. After pledging to make America great again and extending his gratitude for his supporters while concluding his remarks, his famous family joined him on stage, including his youngest son, Barron, who kept yawning throughout his dad’s speech. Watch the highlights of the buzzed-about night in the video above!

Tiffany Trump and Barron Trump
Tiffany and Barron Trump Win McNamee/Getty Images

See below for a minute-by-minute update on Trump’s vision for America.

11:34 p.m. ET: “My opponent asks her supporters to recite a three-word loyalty pledge. It reads: ‘I’m with her.’ I choose to recite a different pledge. My pledge reads: ‘I’m with you’  the American people!’

“I am your voice.

“So to every parent who dreams for their child, and every child who dreams for their future, I say these words to you tonight: I’m with you, I will fight for you and I will win for you.

“To all Americans tonight, in all of our cities and in all of our towns, I make this promise: We will make America strong again. We will make America proud again. We will make America safe again. And we will make America great again. God bless you and good night, I love you!”

Clinton tweets her response to his claim that he’s with Americans:

11:27 p.m. ET: Trump takes a moment to thank his family, including daughter Ivanka and wife Melania Trump, who both spoke during the convention. “And by the way, Melania and Ivanka, did they do a job?” he proudly boasts to the crowd.

The controversial Republican presidential nominee, however, fails to mention his daughter Tiffany, who also gave a speech earlier in the week. Twitter is quick to take notice.

11:21 p.m. ET: “My just released 10-point plan has received tremendous veteran support. We will guarantee those who served this country will be [able to visit and see doctors in a timely manner]. My opponent dismissed the VA scandal. One more sign of how out of touch she really is.”

11:15 p.m. ET: “While Hillary Clinton plans a massive, and I mean massive, tax increase, I have proposed the largest tax reduction of any candidate who has run for president this year, Democrat or Republican,” Trump claimed. “Middle-income Americans and businesses will experience profound relief and taxes will be greatly simplified for everyone. I mean everyone. America is one of the highest taxed nations in the world. Reducing taxes will cause new companies and new jobs to come roaring back into our country. Believe me, it will happen and it will happen fast.

“We will repeal and replace disastrous Obamacare! You will be able to choose your own doctor again. And we will fix TSA at the airports, which is a total disaster.”

11:13 p.m. ET: “I pledge to never sign any trade agreement that hurts our workers, or that diminishes our freedom and independence. We will never, ever sign bad trade deals,” Trump promised. “America first again, America first! … Instead, I will make individual deals with individual countries.”

11:09 p.m. ET: “I have a different vision for our workers. It begins with a new, fair trade policy that protects our jobs and stands up to countries that cheat, of which there are many. It’s been a signature message of my campaign from day one, and it will be a signature feature of my presidency from the moment I take the oath of office.

“I have made billions of dollars in business making deals ― now I’m going to make our country rich again.”

11:07 p.m. ET: “Tonight, I want every American whose demands for immigration security have been denied ― and every politician who has denied them ― to listen very closely to the words I am about to say. On January 21st of 2017, the day I take the oath of office, Americans will finally wake up in a country where the laws of the United States are enforced! We are going to be considerate and compassionate to everyone.”

Related: Donald Trump’s Seven Craziest Quotes About Hillary Clinton, Britney Spears and More From His Unearthed 2000s Radio Show: Clinton Would ‘Make a Good President’

11:05 p.m. ET: “We are going to build a great border wall to stop illegal immigration, to stop the gangs and the violence and to stop the drugs from pouring into our communities! I have been honored to receive the endorsement of America’s border patrol agents and will work directly with them to protect the integrity of our lawful, lawful, lawful immigration system. … By ending catch-and-release on the border, we will end the cycle of human smuggling and violence. Illegal border crossings will go down. We will stop it. It won’t be happening very much anymore, believe me.”

Alex Wong/Getty Images

10:59 p.m. ET: “Recently I have said that NATO was obsolete because it did not properly cover terror,” Trump said, an addition to his speech from the transcript that was previously leaked earlier in the day. “And also that many of the member countries were not paying their fair share. As usual, the United States has been picking up the cost. Shortly thereafter, it was announced that NATO will be setting up a new program in order to combat terrorism. A true step in the right direction.”

10:56 p.m. ET: “To protect us from terrorism, we need to focus on three things: We must have the best intelligence-gathering operation in the world. We must abandon the failed policy of nation-building and regime change that Hillary Clinton pushed in Iraq, Libya, Egypt and Syria. Instead, we must work with all of our allies who share our goal of destroying ISIS and stamping out Islamic terror and doing it now and doing it quickly. We’re going to win  we’re going to win fast!”

10:51 p.m. ET: “In this race for the White House, I am the law-and-order candidate. The irresponsible rhetoric of our president, who has used the pulpit of the presidency to divide us by race and color, has made America a more dangerous environment for everyone,” Trump declared. “When I am president, I will work to ensure that all of our kids are treated equally and protected equally.”

Mike Pence
Mike Pence stands to cheers after Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump acknowledges him, as wife Karen Pence looks on, during the evening session on the fourth day of the Republican National Convention on July 21, 2016, at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

10:48 pm ET: Trump introduces his vice president, Mike Pence. “I am proud to have at my side the next vice president of the United States: Governor Mike Pence of Indiana,” he proudly told the crowd. “We will bring the same economic success to America that Mike brought to Indiana. He is a man of character and accomplishment. He is the man for the job. The first task for our new administration will be to liberate our citizens from the crime and terrorism and lawlessness that threatens their communities.”

10:46 p.m. ET: Opponent Clinton weighs in on Trump’s speech, tweeting: “You are not our voice, @realDonaldTrump.”

10:44 p.m. ET: CODEPINK founder Medea Benjamin briefly interrupts Trump’s speech and is taken out of the arena by security. The protester has with her a sign that read “Build bridges, not walls.”

Code Pink protestor
A Code Pink protestor is restrained as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump addresses the final night of the Republican National Convention at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland July 21, 2016. ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images

10:41 p.m. ET: “I am your voice!” Trump declares.

10:38 p.m. ET: “My plan will begin with safety at home ― which means safe neighborhoods, secure borders and protection from terrorism. There can be no prosperity without law and order. On the economy, I will outline reforms to add millions of new jobs and trillions in new wealth that can be used to rebuild America.”

10:35 p.m. ET: “This is the legacy of Hillary Clinton: death, destruction and weakness,” he continues. “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 in the first place. A change in leadership is required to produce a change in outcomes.

“Tonight, I will share with you my plan of action for America. The most important difference between our plan and that of our opponent’s, is that our plan will put America first.

“‘Americanism, not globalism,’ will be our credo. As long as we are led by politicians who will not put America first, then we can be assured that other nations will not treat America with respect. This will all change in 2017.”

10:33 p.m. ET: “America is far less safe, and the world is far less stable, than when [President Barack] Obama made the decision to put Hillary Clinton in charge of America’s foreign policy,” Trump says of his Democratic opponent. “I am certain it is a decision that President Obama truly regrets. Her bad instincts and her bad judgment – something pointed out by Bernie Sanders – are what caused the disasters unfolding today. Let’s review the record. In 2009, pre-Hillary, ISIS was not even on the map.”

10:26 p.m. ET: Trump goes on to recall the nation’s recent tragic deaths, as well as stating that the “number of new illegal immigrant families who have crossed the border so far this year already exceeds the entire total from 2015.”

Trump brings up the death of Sarah Root, a 21-year-old who was killed by a “border-crosser [who] was then released a second time and is now a fugitive from the law.”

10:23 p.m. ET: Trump promises that upon taking office he will restore safety. “I have a message for all of you: The crime and violence that today afflicts our nation will soon come to an end. Beginning on January 20th 2017, safety will be restored.

Donald Trump
Donald Trump speaks on the last day of the Republican National Convention on July 21, 2016, in Cleveland. JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images

“The most basic duty of government is to defend the lives of its own citizens. Any government that fails to do so is a government unworthy to lead,” he states.

10:21 p.m. ET: “Together we will lead our party back to the White House and we will lead our country back to safety, prosperity and peace,” he states. “We will be a country of generosity and warmth, but we will also be a country of law and order.”

10:19 p.m. ET: “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you,” Trump begins his speech. “Thank you very much. Friends, delegates and fellow Americans, I humbly and gratefully accept your nomination for the presidency of the United States.” Trump then takes in the crowd and chants with those in attendance: “USA! USA! USA!”

10:17 p.m. ET: Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump takes the stage to a cheering crowd.

10:02 p.m. ET: Ivanka Trump appears on stage to introduce her father, Donald Trump. “This is the moment and Donald Trump is the person to make America great again,” she declares prior to her father’s entrance. 

Ivanka Trump
Ivanka Trump delivers a speech during the evening session on the fourth day of the Republican National Convention on July 21, 2016, at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. Alex Wong/Getty Images

“When Donald Trump is in charge, all that counts is ability, effort and excellence,” Ivanka continued. “Americans today need an economy that permits people to rise again. A Trump presidency will turn the economy around and restore the tradition of giving each generation hope for brighter opportunities than those of generation that came before. In Donald Trump you have a candidate who knows the difference between wanting something done and making it. … When my father says he will make America great again, he will deliver.”

“To people all over America, I say when you have my father in your corner, you will never again have to worry about being let down,” she added. “He will fight for you all the time.”

“I’ve loved and respected him my entire life, and I could not be more proud tonight to present to you, and to all of America, my father and our next president, Donald J. Trump,” Ivanka concluded before kissing her dad on the cheek. 

Original story continues below.

All eyes on him. Donald Trump is expected to close out four days of speeches and rallying on Thursday, July 21, the final day of the Republican National Convention, with a formal acceptance of the presidential nomination.

The evening agenda, which will kick off around 7:30 p.m. EST, will be live-streamed on YouTube and can be watched above. Trump, 70, is expected to speak at 10:15 p.m. ET. Trump’s daughter Ivanka will introduce her father for his big moment. In an interview with Today show host Savannah Guthrie earlier Thursday, she admitted that she’s “terrified” of the task.

Related: PHOTOS: Celebrities' Political Affiliations

“I’ve never spoken in a stadium like this, but really I just want to make sure I do a great job for him,” the 34-year-old entrepreneur told Guthrie. “So it’s a real honor and a privilege that he asked me to do this, and I think it’s a testament to him as a parent.”

Donald Trump
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Tasos Katopodis/WireImage

Earlier in the week, Ivanka’s stepmother Melania made a rare appearance to champion her husband in a speech that quickly made headlines — though not all for the best reasons.

As previously reported, Melania, 46, faced accusations of plagiarism after several lines in her speech rang familiar to some listeners; a speechwriter in Donald’s camp later came forward to take the fall for the PR blunder.

Related: PHOTOS: Donald Trump's Former Flames

“In working with Melania Trump on her recent First Lady speech, we discussed many people who inspired her and messages she wanted to share with the American people,” Trump Organization staff writer Meredith McIver said in a statement on Wednesday, July 20. “A person she has always liked is Michelle Obama. Over the phone, she read me some passages from Mrs. Obama’s speech as examples. I wrote them down and later included some of the phrasing in the draft that ultimately became the final speech. I did not check Mrs. Obama’s speeches.”

Melania’s mishap wasn’t the only incident that drew the wrath of critics, however. On Wednesday, July 20, Donald’s former opponent Ted Cruz trolled the convention when his speech took a turn toward the end as he urged delegates to “vote with your conscience” and failed to endorse the Republican presidential candidate.

Related: PHOTOS: Donald Trump's Most Offensive and Outrageous Quotes

“What if this, right now, is our last time? Our last moment to do something for our families and our country?” Cruz told the crowd while referencing the nation’s recent turmoil. “To those listening, please, don’t stay home in November. If you love our country, and love your children as much as I know you do, stand and speak, and vote your conscience, vote for candidates up and down the ticket who you trust to defend our freedom and to be faithful to the constitution.”

Watch the livestream above and check back throughout the night for the latest updates!

In this article

Got a Tip form close button
Got a tip for US?
We're All Ears for Celebrity Buzz!