Trump officially accepts Republican nomination in anti-Biden speech

US President Donald Trump has formally accepted the Republican nomination for a second term and with a speech that was replete with vituperative broadsides directed at the rival Democratic leadership. 

Trump capped the four-day convention by delivering a speech in front of more than 1,000 people standing on the White House South Lawn and against a backdrop of explosive racial tensions as well as the deadly coronavirus pandemic on Thursday.

The former New York real estate developer portrayed himself as a leader who can revive the economy and claimed that the victory of his "weak" Democratic rival, Joe Biden, would only worsen the crises besieging the country.

"This election will decide whether we save the American dream or whether we allow a socialist agenda to demolish our cherished destiny." Trump told the party delegates and his supporters.

"This election will decide whether we protect law-abiding Americans, or whether we give free rein to violent anarchic agitators and criminals who threaten our citizens," he added.

‘Biden's record a roll call of betrayals and blunders'

Trump launched a harsh assault on his election rival and claimed that Biden would seek to destroy what he called "American greatness" if he were to win the November 3 vote.

“Everything we’ve achieved is now in danger. This election will decide whether we will defend the American way of life or allow a radical movement to completely dismantle and destroy it,” Trump said at the Republican National Convention.

"Joe Biden is not a savior of America's soul. He's the destroyer of America's jobs and given the chance, he'll be the destroyer of American greatness," he pointed out.

The 74-year-old American head of state also censured Biden as a man with a history of "betrayals" and "blunders."

As the Republican gathering was underway in Washington, anti-Trump demonstrators assembled outside the White House and started blowing airhorns and whistles in a bid to drown out his nomination acceptance speech.

Trump had over the past four nights spared no effort to paint a bleak picture for the Americans under a Biden administration and leveled the accusation that Democrats sought to “steal” the forthcoming election by expanding the use of mail-in voting during the coronavirus pandemic.

Trump claims without evidence Democrats plan to ‘steal’ election

US President Donald Trump accuses the Democratic Party of attempting to “steal” the forthcoming presidential election.

This is while postal voting is a method that has already been in wide use in the United States, and Democrats say the measure would be needed to protect people from contracting COVID-19 in crowded polling stations.

Trump’s resistance to absentee voting has been largely discredited by political experts as an attempt to make up an excuse to challenge the result of the upcoming election if he is defeated.

The United States has registered more than 180,000 deaths from the coronavirus — the worst-hit country by the health crisis.

Trump's defiant speech also comes amid a fresh wave of protests condemning US police brutality and racial injustice against African Americans which has escalated under his leadership.

Biden is leading in opinion polls ahead of the November 3 election.

Biden leads Trump by 9 points in national poll

A new opinion poll shows that presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has a nine-point nationwide lead over the incumbent Republican president.

Trump’s high disapproval rating has in part been attributed to the mismanagement and chaotic handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has so far taken a heavy toll on American lives and the economy, as well as a surge in state-sponsored police violence and racial discrimination against people of color in the US under his watch.

Trump has been under fire for an untimely relaxing of lockdown measures and a blatant disregard for personal protection equipment since COVID-19 was first detected in the US early in January.

Also on Thursday night, the US president pledged to "crush" the coronavirus pandemic with a vaccine by the end of the year.

"We are marshaling America's scientific genius to produce a vaccine in record time," Trump said. "We will have a safe and effective vaccine this year and together we will crush the virus."

The four-day national convention of the Republican Party came to an end as the United States has been beset over the past several months by mass protests and large rallies against the high-profile shooting and racially rooted mistreatment of African Americans in the country.

The most widespread wave of protests was sparked by the brutal murder of unarmed African American George Floyd  while in US police custody in May. The 46-year-old died after a white officer knelt on his neck and pinned him to the ground for nine minutes in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

In yet another violent encounter, police on Sunday shot African American Jacob Blake in the back multiple times in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in front of three of his children.

The shooting of the unarmed 29-year-old, which is said to have left him paralyzed from the waist down, has since triggered protests in Kenosha as well as other cities across the country, with protesters setting buildings and cars on fire.

African American paralyzed after police shooting in Wisconsin

African American Jacob Blake, who was shot by police in the US state of Wisconsin, has been paralyzed from the waist down, his father has announced.

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers has declared a state of emergency, promising to deploy more National Guard troops to restore order in the town.

Trump has made “enforcing law and order” a major theme of his reelection campaign and accused Biden of wanting to "defund the police," saying that there will be chaos in the streets under a Biden presidency.

Biden, however, promised to end what he described as “season of darkness” under the Trump administration if he wins office in the November election. The Democratic presidential nominee said last week that the US might be ready to end the "scourge" of racism. 

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