CLEVELAND--The Republican National Convention briefly erupted in chaos on Monday when opponents of presumptive U.S. presidential nominee Donald Trump stormed out of the room and others chanted in a failed attempt to force a vote opposing his candidacy.
The turmoil threatened efforts by the Trump campaign to show the party had united behind the businessman-turned-politician and distracted from the day's theme of "Make America Safe Again," meant to depict Trump as a strong leader capable of shielding the country from violence and Islamist militancy. Trump's son and adviser, Donald Trump Jr., threatened the leaders of the attempted revolt, saying: "Your careers are finished" in a message posted on Twitter.
The anti-Trump forces wanted to change the party's nominating rules to allow delegates to support alternative Republican candidates over Trump. Party leaders held a voice vote, then declared the opponents lacked enough votes, triggering pandemonium on the floor of the Cleveland basketball arena where Trump is due to be formally nominated this week for the Nov. 8 election.
Many delegates began chanting: "Roll Call. Roll Call," effectively calling for a lengthy process that would allow every state to weigh in. Some, including the Colorado delegation, walked off the convention floor saying they had to assess their next steps.
"This entire system is rigged to force the vote for Donald Trump," said Kendal Unruh, one of the Colorado delegates.
Ken Cuccinelli, a delegate from Virginia who also favoured a roll-call vote, called the situation "appalling". "This is the party of law and order. ... If you won't obey your own rules there is no reason to think you'll obey any others," Cuccinelli, the state's former attorney general, told MSNBC.
