Accessibility links

Breaking News
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gives a thumbs up after his wife, Melania, spoke during the Republican National Convention, in Cleveland, July 18, 2016.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gives a thumbs up after his wife, Melania, spoke during the Republican National Convention, in Cleveland, July 18, 2016.
USA

LIVE BLOG: Republicans Gather for Trump

update

The theme for Monday, the first night of the Republican National Convention, was Make America Safe Again. Among the speakers were two Navy Seals and the mother of a man who died in the 2012 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi. There were also a few Hollywood stars who took the stage. However, the speaker most people seemed to want to hear Monday night was Melania Trump, the wife of Republican candidate Donald Trump. Get the latest here.

VOA's William Gallo has been mingling with delegates most of the day:

Word is floating around the floor of the Republican National Convention and there are media reports, that the "stop Trump" movement has enough signatures to force a vote of all the delegates.

A majority from seven states is needed and some media tweets indicate between nine and 12 states are behind the move to change the rules to allow delegates committed to Donald Trump to vote for another candidate.

There appears to intrigue both on and off the convention floor. A group calling itself “Delegates Unbound” tweeted a picture to its followers and a message accusing party leaders of an “attempt to muzzle the delegates.”

Matt Fitzgerald, a delegate from Virginia, is supporting another rule change that would put more power in the grassroots to decide how the party conducts futures primary elections, along with other party functions. While Fitzgerald does not support ‘unbinding’ Trump delegates, at this point, the two causes have merged.

Matt Fitzergald of Stanton, Va., is part of a group of Republicans at the party's national convention who are looking to force a full vote on the national convention rules, hoping to unseat presumptive nominee Donald Trump.
Matt Fitzergald of Stanton, Va., is part of a group of Republicans at the party's national convention who are looking to force a full vote on the national convention rules, hoping to unseat presumptive nominee Donald Trump.

Both camps are trying to force a roll call vote that would reject the entirety of the rules for this convention. The convention appears to be taking up the vote right now. Delegates are on their feet, with some shouting,"Vote!"

With chaos on the convention floor, leaders of the party conducted a voice vote on a rule that would have unbound delegates.

So the push to allow delegates to vote for a candidate other than Donald Trump failed.

Despite anger and chanting from the floor, the convention chair said three states that had committed to the rule had withdrawn.

This video comes from VOA's Katherine Gypson at the convention:

Load more

XS
SM
MD
LG