GOP CONVENTION | Business partner calls Trump smart and tough

CLEVELAND (AP)

Businessman Phil Ruffin is describing Donald Trump as an honest broker who can be trusted with the job of running the country.

Ruffin is a Trump business partner. He says he's known Trump for 20 years and says the GOP presidential nominee is smart and tough.

Ruffin spoke at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday night. He was trying to undercut claims by people who've done business with Trump that Trump fails to pay his bills or underpays his contractors.

Ruffin says Trump pays bills promptly and that nobody lost any money.

Ruffin veered frequently from his script during the speech, and improvised while the teleprompter struggled to keep up.