Donald Trump Speech 2016: Republican Convention Live Updates, Schedule, TV Channel And Video Highlights

UPDATE: 11:44 p.m. EDT -- As Donald Trump made an appeal to Bernie Sanders voters, the Vermont senator was live tweeting his way through Trump's Republican National Convention speech. And he didn't like what he was hearing.

UPDATE: 11:35 p.m. EDT -- Donald Trump thanked religious leaders for their support and promised to pay them back by repealing the Lyndon B. Johnson policy restricting political activity by tax-exempt religious institutions.

"At this moment, I would like to thank the evangelical and religious community in general who have been so good to me and so supportive," Trump said. "We can accomplish these great things, and so much more -- all we need to do is start believing in ourselves and in our country again."

UPDATE: 11:22 p.m. EDT -- The reviews have started to come in, and many journalists and pundits are declaring Donald Trump's speech Thursday at the Republican National convention just plain scary. Mary Kate Cary, a former speechwriter for George H. W. Bush, deemed his remarks "dark." A New York Times reporter live blogging the speech wrote: "It seems, at least so far, negative, angry and dark. Conventional strategy says that he should turn optimistic at some point, give people hope. Best case: Reagan."

UPDATE: 11:02 p.m. EDT -- An anti-war protester interrupted Donald Trump's speech Thursday night at the Republican National Convention. Medea Benjamin of Code Pink was removed from the room by security. She carried a sign that read, "build bridges, not wall."

UPDATE: 10:50 p.m. EDT -- The audience at the Republican National Convention chanted "lock her up" about Hillary Clinton as Donald Trump promised repeatedly to bring law and order back to the United States.

"I have joined the political arena so that the powerful can no longer beat up on people who cannot defend themselves," he said.

He said America was "a more dangerous environment" than he had ever seen. The Obama administration has failed inner cities "in every way and on every single level," he said.

UPDATE: 10:36 p.m. EDT -- Donald Trump portrayed Hillary Clinton as a looming threat that the United States must defend itself against. He promised to dismantle a "rigged" political system and bring back law and order by fighting illegal immigration and crime.

As the audience at the Republican National Convention chanted, "USA, USA, USA" he slammed trade deals, the Iran nuclear deal and attacks on police.

"Together, we will lead our party back to the White House, and we will lead our country back to safety, prosperity and peace," he said. "I am your voice."

UPDATE: 10:15 p.m. EDT -- Ivanka Trump said her father will take on "lofty goals" for America and work to accomplish those goals the way he built the buildings emblazoned with his name in cities across the world. She called Donald Trump, "real."

"When my father says he will make America great again, he will deliver," Ivanka Trump said.

UPDATE: 10:08 p.m. EDT -- Ivanka Trump said her father is famous, but not well-known. She recalled growing up playing in his office as he tended to his real estate empire.

"As the proud daughter of your nominee, I am here to tell you that this is the moment and Donald Trump is the person to make America great again," she said Thursday during the Republican National Convention. "For more than a year, Donald Trump has been the people's champion. And tonight, he is the people's nominee."

UPDATE: 9:55 p.m. EDT -- Americans eager for personal details about Donald Trump finally got them Thursday night when Tom Barrack, a real estate investor and business associate of Donald Trump who served in the Department of the Interior under President Ronald Reagan, opened up about their longtime friendship.

"I have only amazing things to tell you about Donald," said Barrack. "This man is good enough, he’s tough enough, he’s smart enough and he’s well versed enough."

Barrack said Trump was an "administrator, an executive and as a guy who can actually take care of the people that work for him and build teams."

UPDATE: 9:30 p.m. EDT -- Tech billionaire Peter Thiel became the first person in history to declare he was gay at a Republican National Convention. Thiel said during a speech Thursday night he was proud of his sexuality and didn't care about the national debate about what bathrooms transgender people use.

"I am proud to be gay. I am proud to be a Republican. But most of all I am proud to be an American," Thiel said, the co-founder of PayPal.

He said he doesn't agree with every thing Republican leaders stand for but, "fake culture wars only distract us from our economic decline."

UPDATE: 9:18 p.m. EDT -- Nearly 40 percent of women in heterosexual American marriages earn more than their husbands. But don't tell that to Donald Trump's campaign manager.

Paul Manafort said Thursday women are worried about their husband's ability to pay the bills and that's why they will back Donald Trump. Asked by MSNBC's Chris Matthews about why many women don't want to vote for Trump, Manafort said it was a problem.

"But again, it depends which women you are talking about. Many women in this country feel they can't afford their lives, their husbands can't afford ... paying for the family bills," Manafort said. "Hillary Clinton is guilty of being part of the establishment that created that problem. They’re going to hear the message. And as they hear the message, that's how we will appeal to them."

Matthews tried to laugh off Manafort's reply. He pushed backed: "Is that 21st century talking? Wives are concerned about how their husband's doing at work?"

"Because they can't afford their lives anymore. That's the point," Manafort said. "To some people, it’s a matter of jobs."

UPDATE: 9:02 p.m. EDT -- Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. made a "Yo Mama" joke at the Republican National Convention. Falwell recalled his late father’s final days during his speech Thursday at the GOP event.

"He joked with CNN that he dreamed that Chelsea Clinton had interviewed him about the three greatest threats facing this nation," Falwell Jr. said. "He replied, those three greatest threats are Osama, Obama and yo mama. Well, Osama is now gone, Obama has six months left in his term and the only way to make America great — and one — again is to tell Chelsea’s mama, 'You’re fired.' And the only way to do that is to elect Donald Trump and Mike Pence president and vice president of the United States."

UPDATE: 8:42 p.m. EDT -- Delegates for Ted Cruz are divided over what to do with his "vote your conscience," speech Wednesday night at the Republican National Convention. Some said they will support Donald Trump, while others were planning to walk out during Trump's speech Thursday night, according to media reports.

UPDATE: 8:30 p.m. EDT -- Donald Trump's plan to build a wall between the Mexico-U.S. border is very popular at the Republican National Convention. Sheriff Joe Arpaio, a prominent anti-illegal immigration activist from Maricopa County, Arizona, told the crowd Thursday that terrorists were crossing the border to enter the U.S.

"Donald Trump will build the wall and restore law and order and keep drugs and illegal immigrants from entering into our country," he said as the crowd chanted "build the wall."

UPDATE: 8:13 p.m. EDT -- Sarah Palin is livid with Ted Cruz over his refusal to endorse Donald Trump. Palin endorsed Trump during the Republican primary, but she was reported to also have a good relationship with Cruz.

"Cruz’s broken pledge to support the will of the people tonight was one of those career-ending 'read my lips' moments. I guarantee American voters took notice and felt more unsettling confirmation as to why we don’t much like typical politicians because they campaign one way, but act out another way. That kind of political status quo has got to go because it got us into the mess we’re in with America’s bankrupt budgets and ramped up security threats," she told Breitbart News. "It’s commonplace for politicians to disbelieve their word is their bond, as evidenced by Cruz breaking his promise to endorse his party’s nominee, evidently thinking whilst on the convention stage, 'At this point, what difference does it make?' We’ve been burned so horribly by that attitude that voters won’t reward politicians pulling that 'what difference does it make' stunt again. Politicians will see — it makes all the difference in the world to us."

UPDATE: 7:50 p.m. EDT -- Republicans, are you getting ready to "vote your conscience"? That could mean backing Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson.

Johnson said Thursday that Ted Cruz's call to "vote your conscience" was basically a call of support for the former New Mexico governor who is polling in the low double-digits.

"He did say to vote for Gary Johnson, didn't he? And that was 'vote your conscience,'" he told CNN's Chris Cuomo on "New Day." "I certainly would uphold the Constitution."

UPDATE: 7:30 p.m. EDT -- Heavenly Joy, the daughter of hit producer Rodney Jerkins, opened the Republican National Convention Thursday night with a touching performance of "American the Beautiful." Jerkins has produced records for Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Lady Gaga and Beyonce.

UPDATE: 6:50 p.m. EDT -- Donald Trump is the country's best hope for a safer future, the GOP candidate is expected to say during his presidential nomination acceptance speech Thursday night at the Republican National Convention.

"I am your voice," Trump plans to say, according to a transcript of his full remarks. "I have joined the political arena so that the powerful can no longer beat up on people that cannot defend themselves. Nobody knows the system better than me, which is why I alone can fix it."

UPDATE: 6:20 p.m. EDT -- Donald Trump insists he is great at making deals, but some of his employees might not agree. Union officials announced Thursday they had won a labor dispute against Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas over union membership.

The complaint filed on behalf of two employees working to unionize under Nevada's powerful Culinary Workers Union Local 226 alleged that one employee was fired and another was denied a transfer to a full-time job because of their union support. The hotel, co-owned and managed by the Trump Organization, agreed to a settlement Thursday that will see them pay $11,200 in lost wages to the two workers, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Original story:

Donald Trump loves addressing big crowds and Thursday he will speak to perhaps his most important yet. Trump is expected to accept the Republican nomination on the national stage Thursday night in the grand finale of a somewhat disastrous GOP convention that saw his wife Melania Trump plagiarize first lady Michelle Obama in a widely watched speech days before U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and other state leaders protested his candidacy.

Trump's speech will officially mark his unexpected ascendance to the top of the GOP despite months of party leaders decrying his rhetoric bashing Muslims, veterans, women, Hispanics, immigrants and other Republicans. His remarks represent a final opportunity to unify the party after a fractured convention and rally supporters behind him before he officially starts what is expected to be a heated race against Hillary Clinton for the White House.

"We're at the cycle of the campaign when voters no longer are just trying to figure out who you are as a person -- they are trying to envision you in the Oval Office and they want to know there's someone there who shares their values," David Gergen, who has advised four presidents, told CNN. "This is the moment when he has to be much less abrasive, much more inclusive and embracing of people who are not like him. The goal at the end of the day," Gergen said, "is not just to convince women 'Oh, he's much better than I thought.' The goal is for them to say 'Even though I don't like aspects of him, I'm going to feel safer with him there' or 'I'm going to feel that I have a better chance to get a job.' ... He hasn't quite conveyed that yet. He has to build and broaden his base."

Cruz, who finished second in the GOP primary, refused to endorse Trump and urged Republicans to vote their conscious during a speech Wednesday night at the convention. The theme of the Republican event Thursday is "Make America One Again" and Trump's oldest daughter could help bring the GOP together. Ivanka Trump will speak before her father and is considered to have wide appeal among Republican women. Other speakers include Republican chairman Reince Priebus and Jerry Falwell, Jr., president of Liberty University and a prominent evangelical leader. The full schedule can be found here.

Trump explained his challenge last month in an interview with The New York Times: “I want it to be on message. I want it to be fun. And you have to put all of those things together.’’

All the major news channels have carried the convention throughout the week. If you want to watch the event without also being subjected to constant analysis and commercial interruptions, you can live stream the GOP convention on its official Republican YouTube channel below. The stream includes a 360-degree view of the convention for the full GOP experience.

"YouTube will again be the official live stream provider of both the Republican National Convention, which starts on Monday, July 18 in Cleveland, Ohio, and the Democratic National Convention, kicking off on July 25 in Philadelphia, Pa," YouTube wrote in a blog post. "Not only will you be able to watch gavel-to-gavel coverage of the conventions wherever you are, but for the first time, we’ll live stream the conventions in 360 degrees, so you’ll feel what it’s like to be in the center of the action."

CBSN, the digital live streaming arm of CBS, will also broadcast the convention and include "real-time metrics, curated Tweets, and live questions tweeted from voters and asked of the candidates," according to CBS.