CLEVELAND — (Scroll down for video) — The Republican National Convention got off to a discordant and momentarily chaotic start here Monday afternoon as anti-Trump forces expressed vocal dissent from the convention floor, though party officials successfully snuffed out attempts to slow Donald Trump’s march to the presidential nomination.
A renegade group of delegates seeking to force a rules vote that would have embarrassed Trump and top GOP officials fell short of securing enough signatures to compel one. The reason: a handful of delegations withdrew support for the measure, bowing to the wishes of Trump and Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus.
The outcome cleared the path for Trump to later this week accept the GOP presidential nomination without having to clear new hurdles. But it underscored the deep rifts that continue to plague the Republican Party during a week that was supposed to reflect unity.
Monday night’s planned convention speakers will try to bring the fractured party together under the theme “Make America Safe Again.” The focus on national security and immigration comes at a perilous time. Recent terrorist attacks on the homeland and around the world, coupled with police shootings in Dallas and Baton Rouge, La., have the nation on edge.
An eclectic mix of lawmakers, veterans and celebrities will take the stage here with remarks designed both to prosecute the case against presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and to convince Americans that Trump could be a credible and trusted commander in chief.
(c) 2016, The Washington Post ยท Philip Rucker, Sean Sullivan, Ed O’Keefe
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