The real estate mogul-turned-presidential hopeful has tried to put the party convention back on track following a rank-and-file revolt. Outside the venue, jitters continue over lax gun laws allowing open carry.
Image: Reuters/M. Segar
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Trump broke with tradition on Monday by appearing at the convention before his nomination, following a failed attempt by floor delegates to force a re-vote to overturn his nomination.
Many are furious that the party of Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt will be led by a man who described most Mexicans as rapists and advocated barring Muslims from entering the US.
"We're going to win so big" he told convention delegates to thunderous cheers.
An anti-Trump faction had tried to force a state-by-state roll call vote which could lead to denying Trump an automatic nomination. But despite what initially appeared to be a successful attempt to force a full vote, Republican leaders proceeded with a quick voice vote and Trump's team declared the "dump Trump" movement vanquished.
In a sign of lingering party divisions, senior party figures are staying away from Cleveland, including the entire Bush clan, 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and even host state Ohio's sitting governor, John Kasich, who was visiting Cleveland but not the convention grounds.
Open carry of firearms worry police
Recent deadly targeting of police officers by lone snipers in Texas and Louisiana has law enforcement worried about violence at the party convention in Cleveland.Image: Reuters/J. Bachman
Security in the city of Cleveland has been extremely tight with a federal grant of nearly $50 million (45 million euros) ensuring city police have the latest military-grade hardware to combat threats from violent protests – or worse.
As added precautions tents, ladders, coolers, canned goods, tennis balls and bicycle locks are banned in the area surrounding the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.
But firearms are fine.
Despite protests from police unions to suspend Ohio's lax open carry laws allowing citizens to wield military-grade firearms, Ohio Governor John Kasich has rejected the request pointing out he lacked the authority to overturn law by diktat.
Open carry activists say they won't give up their right to bear arms, which they say is enshrined in the US Constitution.
"We're sympathetic to law enforcement being concerned about their safety, but that doesn't mean we give up citizens' rights just to make it easier to police large events," John Pierce, co-founder of national advocacy group OpenCarry.org, told the Reuters news agency.
Even so, things have been orderly so far. Hundreds of Trump supporters and opponents held rallies a half-mile apart, with few of the Trump supporters openly carrying guns since it is their apparent legal right in the state of Ohio.
jar/kms (AP, Reuters, AFP)
No tennis balls at the Republican Convention
Monday marks the beginning of the Republican Convention in Cleveland, where Donald Trump will likely be chosen as the party's presidential nominee. The city's police and security forces are on high alert.
Image: DW/M. Soric
As big as the Super Bowl
Security-wise, the convention in Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena is just as big for police as the President's inauguration in Washington D.C. or mega sports events like the Super Bowl.
Image: DW/M. Soric
Head of the show
Edward Tomba, Cleveland's vice police chief, is the head of security outside the arena. That includes coordinating 500 local police and 2,700 officers from other parts of the US who are in town for the convention. Inside the arena, the US Secret Service is responsible for security.
Image: DW/M. Soric
Authorized persons only
During the convention, Cleveland is divided into several zones by fences. There's the zone for the 2,472 delegates, a press center for 15,000 journalists as well as a so-called "event zone" for protests, which will see rallies organized by Trump supporters as well as anti-Trump protests.
Image: DW/M. Soric
Working the night shift
Hundreds of workers set up fences over the weekend - mostly at night. This way, organizers had hoped to avoid obstructing traffic.
Image: DW/M. Soric
Keeping the streets safe by bike
Around 80 police officers are biking around downtown Cleveland. The city wants to be able to react quickly, especially if protesters take to the streets without a permit or outside the zones allocated to them.
Image: DW/M. Soric
In and out of uniform
There's a strong police presence downtown at all hours, come rain or shine. In addition to that, an unknown number of officers in plain clothes are also on duty.
Image: DW/M. Soric
Thousands of protesters expected
No one knows exactly how many people are coming. But Cleveland is expecting thousands of protesters, including those willing to use violence.
Image: DW/M. Soric
Police tactic: de-escalation
The relationship between police and the population in the US is currently strained, to say the least. That's why politicians in Cleveland made the conscious decision to have the officers appear as peaceful as possible. One example: police here are close to protesters without crowding around them.
Image: DW/M. Soric
Omnipresent Secret Service
They're usually wearing black: members of US intelligence who are stationed in front of and inside the Quicken Loans Arena. Their job is it to protect the delegates, high-ranking politicians, artists and athletes who will speak at the convention.
Image: DW/M. Soric
IDs, please
Inside the arena, thousands of volunteers are supposed to keep the show running smoothly. Only people who registered beforehand are let in.
Image: DW/M. Soric
Tennis balls banned, guns allowed
Police unions have criticized for a long time that their officers aren't sufficiently trained and equipped. Others complain that bringing fireworks, knives, gas masks, bottles and tennis balls into the protest zones is prohibited while registered gun owners are allowed to bring their firearms.
