Donald Trump says he hopes the Republican National Convention starting on Monday will be a unifying moment for the party as it comes together to begin the home stretch of the campaign against Democrat Hillary Clinton,
Fox News reports.
But bitterness over the divisive primary campaign, Trump's controversial comments about women, Muslims, and Mexicans, and his lack of a track record on issues of concern to conservatives continues to keep many traditionally Republican voters wary of his candidacy.
The alienation many in the party feel is reflected in the prominent list of
big-name GOP leaders who are not even attending the convention. It is still unclear if such luminaries as Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who is attending the conference and will even
give a prime-time speech there, will endorse him as the Republican presidential nominee.
However, campaign manager Paul Manafort said he views Trump's outsider status as an advantage in attracting voters fed up with a loss of economic and personal security, as well as those career politicians who have failed to find solutions.
"Trump isn't part of Washington, and we're going to be talking about he's not part of Washington," he told Fox News. "He's going to make a difference, because he's going to bring focus, purpose and change to Washington."
One area in which significant progress has been made is in the formulation of the party platform,
The Washington Examiner reports.
Despite several important issues in which Trump's views appear to be in contrast to traditional Republican stances, the committee putting together the platform for approval at the convention found little resistance and much cooperation from the Trump camp.
Although the Republican National Convention's rules committee rejected a proposal to unbind the delegates, on major bone of contention is whether the anti-Trump camp will somehow succeed in their efforts or, even if they fail, what kind of resistance and disruptiveness they will show at the convention.
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