Protesters hold up a sign before the opening of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. Thousands of delegates descend on a tightly secured Cleveland arena for the opening of the Republican National Convention, with Donald Trump's wife playing character witness as the tough-talking mogul seeks to lock up his party's presidential nomination. / AFP / Andrew CABALLERO-REYNOLDS Protesters hold up a sign before the opening of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. Thousands of delegates descend on a tightly secured Cleveland arena for the opening of the Republican National Convention, with Donald Trump's wife playing character witness as the tough-talking mogul seeks to lock up his party's presidential nomination.  -AFP 

CLEVELAND: Thousands of delegates descended on a tightly secured Cleveland arena yesterday for the opening of the Republican National Convention, with Donald Trump's wife playing character witness as the tough-talking mogul locks up his party's presidential nomination. Melania Trump, a Slovenian-born former model, will headline the opening night of the 2016 convention in Cleveland, Ohio, which takes place against a backdrop of fear over racial violence and unrest abroad.

The four-day confab will end Thursday with a speech from the 70-year-old billionaire real estate mogul, whose rise to lead the Republican White House ticket has been one of the more improbable journeys in American politics. Trump told Fox News early yesterday that his wife would be "speaking about her love of the country," adding that he will attend the opening session and may even say a few words - a sign that the convention will be anything but political as usual. "I will be there. I want to watch. It's going to be very exciting," Trump said.

The theme of yesterday's proceedings, which will also feature former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, is "Make America Safe Again" - a play on Trump's slogan "Make America Great Again". A spate of race-tinged police-involved shootings - and cop killings, including the fatal shooting of three officers in Louisiana on Sunday - has put the country on edge. Deadly attacks overseas, most recently in Nice, and an attempted coup in Turkey, have only stoked an overall sense of instability.

President Barack Obama has urged Americans to temper their words and show stronger common resolve, but Trump is instead highlighting divisions. "We are TRYING to fight ISIS, and now our own people are killing our police," Trump tweeted shortly after the Baton Rouge shooting, referring to the Islamic State group. "Our country is divided and out of control. The world is watching."

Trump has portrayed himself as a sheriff who can fix things. "We have to bring law and order back to this country, whether we like it or not," he told Fox, as he bemoaned the deteriorating race relations in America. He believes that presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton should be jailed for using a private email server to handle sensitive government documents while serving as secretary of state, something the FBI said was careless but not criminal. Trump will also call on retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn and tough-talking Senator Joni Ernst as convention speakers to back up his point.

Internal Affairs

Of more immediate concern for Trump however is a split among Republicans. The reality TV star's unorthodox style and hard-right message have left the party more divided than it has been in a generation. After his wife, the candidate's team will send his son and daughters to the convention stage in the coming days in an attempt to humanize The Donald. Polls show that Trump struggles badly with moderate voters, and his campaign will want to project a more positive image to the general electorate.

But several party luminaries will be absent - reportedly including John Kasich, host state Ohio's sitting governor. Kasich battled Trump and others unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination, and kept himself out of contention to be Trump's vice presidential running mate. "He's making a big mistake," Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort said of Kasich's absence. Trump's choice of Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his running mate could help shore up his position among conservatives, although the real estate billionaire seemed tepid about his decision.

In a remarkable first joint appearance on Saturday, Trump eventually got around to talking about Pence and explained why he was picked, in less-than-enthusiastic terms. "One of the reasons is party unity - so many people have said, 'party unity.' Because I'm an outsider." Manafort insisted Republicans were shoulder to shoulder. "This is a Trump convention. The party is united," he said. "It's a few people who are holding up and they don't reflect anything other than their personal opinion." Pence will address the convention tomorrow.

Protests

Inside the convention arena, it remains to be seen if the "Never Trump" camp will make themselves heard. Outside, however, law enforcement is bracing for a wave of protests, when protesters aim to march close to the heavily protected venue. Cleveland's roads are lined with concrete barriers and metal fencing, and helicopters buzz overhead. The Midwestern city of nearly 400,000 has taken out $50 million in protest insurance.

Ohio's open-carry law, which allows people to carry loaded weapons on the streets, is adding to fears of violence. Police Chief Calvin Williams said officers were on alert after the Dallas and Baton Rouge killings. "Officers are more keen to things that are happening and our officers are told to be especially cautious during their tours," Williams said. - AFP