Nikki Haley at Republican Convention: elect Trump 'for the good of the country'

It was a day of Republican Party unity behind Donald Trump at the Milwaukee Convention. And of calls to also unite the country under party flags ahead of the November elections for the White House. "You don't have to be with him 100 per cent to vote for him," said Nikki Haley, Donald Trump's former primary rival, who once again appeared on the floor, in the most anticipated speech of the evening.

Haley, former ambassador to the UN, formally endorsed Trump, a gesture she had so far avoided, with the aim of realigning her more moderate supporters: 'For the good of our country', she intoned. Florida Senator Marco Rubio, ignored for the vice-presidency, later emphasised that America First, 'putting America first, has nothing divisive' and can be an open platform for all.

Interspersed with the softer appeals, however, also came harsh attacks, on Joe Biden and the Democrats. At the centre was Haley herself, who targeted her opponents' foreign policy, describing it as bankrupt and weak. During the primaries she had used foreign policy as a weapon against Trump, criticising his isolationism. Now he has defended Trump and accused Biden of being factually responsible for the war in Ukraine, claiming that Russia invaded under Democratic presidents, first Barack Obama and then Biden. He denounced diplomatic overtures to Iran and peace efforts in the Gaza conflict, claiming that Biden is pressing Israel instead of Hamas terrorists.

That's not all: on a day dedicated to the security of the country, the speakers went on to voice strong criticism of law and order policies, claiming that Democrats want to reduce funding for the police and that American cities are prey to crime waves. As on immigration, alleging that invasions of illegal migrants have been encouraged or tolerated by Biden and generate violence, citing cases where murders have been traced to illegal immigrants. This was spoken of by the mayor of Dallas and especially by Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who evoked a 'literal invasion' taking place at the southern border.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, another former rival ridiculed by Trump, in turn denounced 'any immigration that is contrary to our values' and condemned the Democrats for overly progressive social policies and cultural values, such as promoting so-called diversity, equality and inclusion programmes. Speakers included entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. Several family members of crime victims also took the stage.