GOP CONVENTION | United against Clinton, GOP seeks to rebrand Trump

CLEVELAND (AP) — Nomination in hand, Donald Trump’s campaign charged ahead Wednesday with a convention-week mission to redefine the party’s celebrity leader as a serious-minded family man. It’s a project proving harder than uniting skeptical Republicans behind their distaste for another brand they know well: The Clintons.

Trump, the real estate mogul and reality television star, secured the GOP mantle Tuesday night in a roll call vote that officially brought the outsider into the heart of American politics. The tallying of the votes was followed by a display of Trump’s two-track persuasion effort: Testimonials vouching for his character — delivered by his family — and searing indictments of Democratic rival Hillary Clinton’s character — delivered by the rest of the party.

Trump adviser Paul Manafort acknowledged both elements Wednesday, noting the campaign is “trying to show other parts of his personality.”

“We feel the America people don’t know all of Donald Trump,” he said on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

Portraits of the softer side of Trump, however, have been fleeting moments in a convention with a clear, hard edge. Republicans have shown a visceral reaction to a possible second Clinton presidency and have sought to capitalize on that emotion. Outside the convention hall, vendors are selling lewd T-shirts and buttons mocking her. Inside, delegates have repeatedly broken out in chants of “Lock her up!” and cheered on speakers who labeled her a liar.

The Trump campaign has tried to gloss over the rough treatment. Manafort on Wednesday called it merely an “undertone” of the event and stood by the assertion that Clinton should be in jail. Some Republicans believe firmly Clinton should be prosecuted for mishandling classified material during her time as secretary of state, Manafort said.

The rebranding effort continues on Day 3. Eric Trump, the candidate’s 32-year-old son and a close adviser, is to deliver a speech aimed at answering what motivates his father to leave a life of luxury resorts and golf for the gritty work of politics: “Why is my father doing it? Why does he care this much? Why now?” he said.

Wednesday’s program also will bring two conservative stalwarts to the stage: Trump’s running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, a favorite of evangelicals; and the nominee’s most tenacious challenger in the primaries, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, the man Trump used to call “Lyin’ Ted.”

Pence is heartily on board the Trump bandwagon; Cruz isn’t yet, nor are many of his supporters in Cleveland. The senator’s scheduled prime-time address will be keenly watched as a measure of whether a desire to beat Clinton can heal even the deepest wounds.

There are signs the answer is: not quite. Cruz isn’t expected to offer a full-throated endorsement of Trump, but will at least “suggest” that he is backing Trump’s candidacy for president, Manafort said.

Cruz’s hedging could provide a reminder of how Trump’s polarizing, unpredictable bid for the nomination has alienated Republicans both on the right and in the center.