CLEVELAND – Accepting perhaps the most unlikely major-party nomination in American history, Donald Trump used his prime time address Thursday at the Republican National Convention to frame an alternately bleak and optimistic argument of where the nation is, and where it could go.
Playing off of Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton's "I'm With Her" catchphrase, the billionaire real-estate developer turned reality-television star promised to stand up for everyday Americans.
"I am your voice," Trump said. "So to every parent who dreams for their child, and every child who dreams for their future, I say these words to you tonight: I am with you, I will fight for you, and I will win for you."
Trump's speech, which lasted about an hour and 15 minutes and closed the four-day convention in Cleveland, was largely devoid of the personal insults and wandering thoughts that helped draw attention during his charge to the GOP nomination. But he still lacerated President Barack Obama and Clinton, a former senator and secretary of state, for increasing the danger faced by Americans.
Trump condemned policies supported by Clinton as sowing chaos in the Middle East, from the rise of the self-proclaimed Islamic State terrorist organization to turmoil in Egypt and Iraq.
"This is the legacy of Hillary Clinton: death, destruction, terrorism and weakness," Trump said. "But Hillary Clinton's legacy does not have to be America's legacy."
Trump didn't unveil any completely new policies in his speech. He ripped existing free-trade agreements and promised to renegotiate them. Trump claimed the mantle of "the law and order candidate" and reiterated a relatively new idea to work to roll back restrictions on the political speech of tax-exempt organizations.
The new nominee also repeated his pledge to build a border wall -- though he didn't promise that Mexico would pay for it, as he has before -- and said the United States should temporarily suspend immigration from nations "compromised by terrorism." That is a curtailed version of his proposal to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the United States.
Trump also tried to soften the edges of his proposals, which have prompted Democrats and opponents to accuse him of racism and bigotry.
"We will be a country of generosity and warmth," Trump said. "But we will also be a country of law and order."
FULL SPEECH: Transcript | Video
Trump also showed some of his famous disdain for political correctness. After talking about his proposal to block immigrants from some nations until vetting could be strengthened, he ad libbed: "We don't want them in our country."
John Podesta, who chairs Clinton's campaign, blasted Trump for his portrayal of the country and the prescriptions for its problems.
"Tonight, Donald Trump painted a dark picture of an America in decline," Podesta said. "And his answer -- more fear, more division, more anger, more hate -- was yet another reminder that he is temperamentally unfit and totally unqualified to be president of the United States."
Even before Trump delivered the speech, which was leaked to the media ahead of his appearance, other critics were accusing him of distorting the facts. The Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law said Trump was cherry-picking or exaggerating the statistics he used to argue that crime is on the rise.
"Overall, crime rates remain at historic lows," Ames Grawert, a counsel in the center's justice program, said in a prepared statement. "Fear-inducing soundbites are counterproductive, and distract from nuanced, data-driven, and solution-oriented conversations on how to build a smarter criminal justice system in America."
Grawert said it's "too early to say" whether an increase in homicides in some cities signifies a national trend.
Trump's speech capped off one of the more memorable political conventions in years. Peter Thiel, the co-founder of PayPal, became the first openly gay person to speak to a Republican convention.
Other surprising moments, though, were chaotic.
The first day of the event was dominated by an arcane fight over party rules and a speech by Trump's wife, Melania, which was later revealed to have included some passages from a similar address by First Lady Michelle Obama.
On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas -- who was the strongest challenger to Trump in a bitter primary fight -- was booed harshly when he refused to explicitly endorse Trump against Clinton.
"It's everything we expected and a lot of things that we didn't want," said Rico Petrocelli, Florida state committeeman for the Broward County GOP.
Party leaders, though, tried to play down the idea that Trump's rise and the convention had badly divided Republicans. Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich said this year's gathering was "a very mild convention" when looked at against the fights of the 1960s and 1970s. Gingrich, though, conceded it was unique in an era when conventions have become televised set pieces.
"The fact is he won the nomination by being very smart, using social media in a way that nobody ever had before," Gingrich said. "And this is a genuine change. It's a very dramatic change. Well, guess what? Very dramatic changes have very dramatic side effects."
And while Gingrich suggested Cruz shouldn't have delivered the speech Wednesday without making an endorsement, he said the reaction showed how unified the party is.
"It also proved ... that this is a party which has now decided that Donald Trump is its leader and this is a party that wants to win the presidency," he said.
Republicans are hoping that the dynamics of a badly polarized electorate can help the party in the fall. Clinton long ago achieved a sort of arch-villain status among conservatives.
Trump has vowed to appoint conservative justices to the U.S. Supreme Court, a key promise to social conservatives who had previously been wary of the thrice-married casino owner.
The next president could have an opportunity to fill the vacancy created this year by the death of Antonin Scalia, and a handful of older current justices could also retire. Republican voters won't want Clinton to name their replacements, Florida GOP Chairman Blaise Ingoglia said.
"The prospect of not having a 7-2 liberal Supreme Court will be motivating factor enough. And then some," said Ingoglia, who is also a state House member from Spring Hill.