Donald Trump officially accepts Republican nomination for president

Concluding an improbable primary campaign that saw him sweep aside the party's established candidates, Donald J. Trump officially accepted the Republican nomination for president Thursday night and declared he would "lead our country back to safety, prosperity, and peace."

Trump, speaking at the conclusion of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, pledged to improve public safety and reduce violence in the nation's streets.

"Together, we will lead our party back to the White House, and we will lead our country back to safety, prosperity and peace. We will be a country of generosity and warmth. But we will also be a country of law and order."

His 75-minute speech was interrupted at times by an enthusiastic audience chanting "U-S-A, U-S-A" and "build the wall, build the wall."

C-SPAN noted that Trump's speech was the longest by a nominee going back to at least 1972, if not further. The second-longest was Bill Clinton's re-election nomination in 1996, at 64:44 minutes.

Turning to his Democratic opponent, Trump argued that the world was safer before Hillary Clinton became secretary of state.

"Libya was cooperating. Egypt was peaceful. Iraq was seeing a reduction in violence," Trump said.

Now, he said, ISIS has grown in power, "Libya is in ruins" and Egypt is dominated by a radical Muslim brotherhood.

"This is the legacy of Hillary Clinton: death, destruction, terrorism and weakness," Trump said to big roars from the convention crowd.

Clinton's campaign was live-tweeting as Trump spoke, criticizing his economic plans and asking supporters to donate $1 every time Trump told a lie.