Donald Trump promises to fix America in GOP acceptance speech

The Republican party's national convention finished on Thursday with a rousing speech from their presidential nominee Donald Trump, who promised to fix a broken United States.

Trump clinched the party's nomination this week after a long but far from close race in which he swatted aside all the challenges placed in front of him in a tide of populism and, at times, controversy.

He went on the offensive against Democrat rival Hillary Clinton during the speech, referrring to her legacy as one of "death, destruction, terrorism and weakness".

“America is far less safe—and the world is far less stable—than when Obama made the decision to put Hillary Clinton in charge of America’s foreign policy,” he said. “I am certain it is a decision President Barack Obama truly regrets.”

“I have joined the political arena so that the powerful can no longer beat up on people who cannot defend themselves,” said the businessman-come-politician at the RNC in Cleveland.

Trump referred to many of the same gripes he has used to attract voters since the beginning of his campaign, concerning immigration and trade deals. He reiterated his belief that immigrants from nations heavily affected by terrorism should be banned from the US - "We don’t want them in our country.”

The Republican convention has been characterised by divisions within the GOP, as Texas Senator Ted Cruz refused to endorse Trump during a speech on Wednesday.

But Trump asserted his belief that he is the only person that can "fix" the system.

“Nobody knows the system better than me, which is why I alone can fix it,” he said.

After a recent spate of gun violence involving police officers and protesters in various US states, the nominee said that when he enters office, the problems will be solved.

“Beginning on January 20th of 2017, safety will be restored,” he said. “The first task for our new administration will be to liberate our citizens from the crime and terrorism and lawlessness that threaten our communities.”

The battle for the White House is well and truly underway, with challenging months ahead on both sides, as Trump narrows the margin even further on Clinton.