Republican Party Officially Nominates Trump

The delegates to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, have officially nominated real estate mogul Donald Trump (R) as the Republican Party candidate for President of the United States. He will stand in the November general election against presumptive Democratic nominee former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D).

Trump has been the presumptive Republican nominee since securing a majority of pledged party convention delegates in May, following an unusually contentious primary season that saw record Republican turnout. Today’s convention vote makes that nomination official. Trump is joined on the Republican ticket by his vice presidential running mate, Governor Mike Pence (R-IN).

Trump is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization, a ninety-three year old conglomerate with interests in—among other things—real estate, investing, and property management. It is composed of more than five hundred subsidiaries, the majority of which are named for Trump. The Trump Organization is based in New York City and employs about 22,000 people. It is owned entirely by the Trump family. Forbes Magazine estimates that Trump’s net worth is about $4.5 billion. The Trump Organization also owns a television production company that produces The Apprentice for the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), which starred Trump from 2004 to 2015.

The meteoric rise of Trump—a brash, center-left outsider who has never held elective office and has virtually no connection the Republican Party machine—has baffled political observers in the United States and abroad. His campaign has successfully tapped into widespread popular frustration both within and outside of the Republican Party, particularly revolving around illegal immigration and the economy.

The Republican Party is the second of the three ‘fifty-state’ parties to officially select its presidential and vice presidential nominees. The Libertarian Party selected its nominees at the Libertarian Nominating Convention in Orlando, Florida, on May 30. The Democratic Party will select its nominees at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 25. The Green Party, which is the largest of the ‘non-fifty-state’ parties, expects to be on the ballot in at least twenty states and will select its nominees at the Green Party Presidential Nominating Convention in Houston, Texas, on August 6.