Trump unapologetic in victory-lap acceptance speech

US President Donald Trump, in accepting the Republican nomination for the second time, said Thursday from the White House South Lawn that he put Americans ahead of the Washington political establishment.

"Together we have ended the rule of the failed political class and they are desperate to get their political power back by any means necessary," Trump said in a speech that lasted about one hour and 15 minutes. "They are angry at me because, instead of putting them first, I very simply said America first."

Trump bulldozed through a slew of issues such as the recent protests and violence in American cities, immigration, trade, the novel coronavirus pandemic, political correctness, "cancel culture", school choice, free speech and gun rights. There was also a strong expression of support for law enforcement and against abortion.

On each issue, he slammed his Democratic opponent Joe Biden and the Democratic Party.

"At the Democrat National Convention, Joe Biden and his party repeatedly assailed America as a land of racial, economic and social injustice," Trump said. "So tonight I ask you a simple question:  How can the Democrat Party ask to lead our country when it spends so much time tearing down our country?"

On immigration, Trump said: "Our borders are more secure than ever before. We ended catch-and-release, stopped asylum fraud, took down human traffickers … and deported 20,000 gang members and 500,000 criminal aliens."

Trump also continued his outreach to the black community, as the convention this week has featured African American speakers each day.

"I have done more for the African American community since Abraham Lincoln, our first Republican president," Trump said. "And I have done more in three years for the black community than Joe Biden has done in 47 years."

Trump, 74, was unapologetic in his speech and touted his administration's handling of the pandemic, which has been a major line of attack for the Democrats. Trump focused on the amount of equipment and testing provided in the battle against the virus.

Biden, 77, in the second of two tweets during Trump's address said: "From the moment COVID-19 emerged, President Trump downplayed the threat it posed, refused to listen to the experts, and failed to take action to contain its spread. Now, we're paying the price."

Earlier, Biden tweeted: "Donald Trump promised to be the greatest jobs president God ever created. Instead, tens of millions of Americans are out of work and we're facing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression."

On cities such as Portland, Oregon, beset by ongoing violence, Trump said: "We must never allow mob rule."

Of those cities, let by Democrats, he said he was willing to send in federal law enforcement and the National Guard: "Just call, we're ready to go in."

Trump called Biden a "Trojan horse" for far-left Democrats and socialists.

He said Biden "has spent his entire career on the wrong side of history".

"As vice-president, he supported the Trans-Pacific Partnership which would have been a death sentence for the US auto industry," Trump said.

"Always remember they're coming after me because I am fighting for you," he said.

The evening concluded with a fireworks display on the National Mall in Washington.

2020 has been a turbulent year in the US, as the nation has suffered major casualties and economic losses — nearly 180,000 dead from COVID-19 and millions out of work following government restrictions on commerce in efforts to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus, which has been devastating since March.

Also adding to the problems has been racial discord that intensified with the May 25 killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. Floyd's death has generated months of protests and violent disruptions in several American cities.

The tense situation was rekindled on Sunday when another black man, Jacob Blake, was shot in the back by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Reaction to his shooting resulted in nightly protests that on Tuesday saw two people fatally shot. An Illinois teenager has been charged with murder in those shootings. The Midwestern city also saw numerous businesses burned amid the strife.

Biden, perhaps sensing the issue of urban unrest will be a major one in the Nov 3 election, spoke out against the violence after Vice-President Mike Pence unleashed withering criticism in a convention speech on Wednesday, exclaiming "you won't be safe in Joe Biden's America".

Biden earlier Thursday accused Trump of "rooting" for violence.

"He views this as a political benefit to him. You know, he's rooting for more violence, not less. And he's clear about that. And what's he doing, he's pouring more gasoline on the fire," Biden said on MSNBC.

"The violence we're witnessing is happening under Donald Trump. Not me," Biden said. "So when Donald Trump says tonight you won't be safe in Joe Biden's America, look around and ask yourself: How safe do you feel in Donald Trump's America?"

Political experts interviewed by China Daily see a narrowing election.

Douglas H. Paal, distinguished fellow at the Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said the two political conventions did not change his outlook on the election, because neither party has really tried to expand its base.

"I expect the polls to tighten and events on the streets of America to play a larger role, not China," said Paal, referring to the "China-bashing" tactics that both campaigns have employed.

Paal said Biden's camp seems to be grappling with its lead in the national polls.  That's where Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton was in 2016, and Michael Dukakis in 1988.

He said Biden is "very much hostage to events", because normal campaigning is not possible.  "He cannot sit safely on his lead," Paal said.

"This suggests we will have another close election and will have to rely on our imperfect institutional arrangements for voting and the Electoral College, magnified by the effects of the virus on voters," he added.

Cal Jillson, a political scientist and historian at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, said conventions don't usually change the trajectory of a presidential election.

"Trailing Biden by seven or eight points, sometimes more, President Trump's best shot at reelection is to disqualify Biden in the eyes of the electorate, but it will not be easy," Jillson said.

In the television era, conventions often gave each candidate a bounce, effectively leaving the race where it was going into the conventions. In recent election cycles, the bounces have been smaller because the US electorate is polarized, according to Jillson.

Stanley Renshon, a political scientist at City University of New York, said data on any Trump bounce won't show up for a day or two, but the first three days of the convention gave pro-Trump supporters what they wanted and needed.

"The riots in Wisconsin and elsewhere are a great political gift to Trump's reelection, and I expect him to make substantial use of them," Renshon said.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.