Just when it looked as if the tide was turning on a rough start to the Republican National Convention on Monday in Cleveland, disaster struck again. A day that started out with divisive floor fights ended with a speech from Donald Trump's wife Melania that was initially well received, but soon became marred by accusations of plagiarism.
The headliner of the night sought to reassure America that her husband stands for "kindness, love and compassion."
"These are the values Donald and I will bring to the White House," Melania Trump said as loud cheers erupted in Quicken Loans Arena.
But it was the first section of the speech, a description of her upbringing in Slovenia, that drew harsh criticism. Members of the media quickly noted that two paragraphs of the speech appeared to be lifted from Michelle Obama's address to the 2008 Democratic National Convention. Tuesday morning, Trump's campaign denied plagiarizing the first lady's speech.
The accusations added insult to injury on the first day of the convention, which saw party infighting erupt soon after it began and a disorganized mishmash of discordant messages permeate throughout.
Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort kicked off the day by insulting Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican who is playing host to the convention that is crowning his primary rival as the party's nominee but boycotting the proceedings at the same time. “He’s embarrassing his party in Ohio,” Manafort said to reporters Monday morning, starting a day-long feud with the popular local leader.
A fight over voting for adoption of rules led to anti-Trump members of the delegations from swing states Colorado and Iowa leaving the floor. Virginia delegation chairman Ken Cuccinelli threw off his credentials shortly after the results were announced. Gary Emineth, a member of the Republican National Committee finance committee, resigned his post in protest.
Former U.S. Senator and New Hampshire delegate Gordon Humphrey had some choice words for the convention organizers on MSNBC. "This is not a meeting of the Republican National Committee," Humphrey said. "This is a meeting of brown shirts."
Humphrey described Trump supporters as "people who act like fascists."
"In this respect they are only too reflective of Donald Trump himself," he said.
Meanwhile, Democrats watched cable news reporters highlight the chaos. "Donald Trump lost control of his own convention before it even started," Hillary Clinton tweeted shortly after the afternoon session concluded.
Republican leaders struggled to rise above the negative coverage. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan told reporters at a lunch that Trump is “not my kind of conservative.” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell took the stage, only to be booed by delegates still upset over the earlier dispute. Iowa Congressman Steve King stepped into a racial controversy on MSNBC when he appeared to suggest white supremacy in response to questions over lack of delegate diversity.
The evening session offered little respite for the party as the program began with a host of B-list celebrities taking the stage.
Willie Robertson, one of the stars of "Duck Dynasty," praised Donald Trump's blunt speech and lack of political correctness. “Donald Trump will always, always tell you the truth as he sees it," Robertson said through his thick beard, sporting a red, white and blue headband.
1970s sitcom star Scott Baio had a message for America's youth.
"For you first time voters, it’s important for you to know what it means to be an American," said the former star of "Joanie Loves Chachi." "It doesn’t mean getting free stuff."
Former Calvin Klein model Antonio Sabato Jr., an Italian-American, said Trump's immigration policies are one reason he's supporting the candidate. "Having secure borders, protecting our citizens – none of this is hateful," Sabato said. "This is the responsibility of the government.”
A tribute to America's veterans began with Texas Gov. Rick Perry giving a speech that did not mention the party's presidential nominee at all. Following him was retired Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell, and Benghazi heroes Mark Geist and John Tiegen spoke later in the program.
Perhaps the most moving speech of the night came from Patricia Smith, mother of one of the four Americans killed in the Benghazi attack. "I blame Hillary Clinton personally for the death of my son," Smith said.
Smith spotted a sign in the crowd as she finished her remarks. "That's right, Hillary for prison!" she said. "She deserves to be in stripes!"
Smith was cut off on FOX News by a phone interview with Trump in which the candidate declared he is not a racist and continued his campaign's feud with Kasich. Smith was just one of a number of relatives who spoke in memory of Americans killed by undocumented immigrants, drug cartels or terrorists.
Also speaking in prime time were Texas Congressman Mike McCaul and Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, whose speeches focused on themes used previously by Ronald Reagan and Dick Cheney.
A pair of African-American speakers were critical of Black Lives Matter; Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke and Colorado GOP senate nominee Darryl Glenn attacked the protest movement.
“Somebody with a nice tan needs to say this," Glenn said. "All lives matter.”
The high number of presenters meant the program ran long and cost key Trump allies retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn and Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst coveted speaking time. In addition, Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions was poorly received, rushing his speech to ensure former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani could appear when scheduled. One speaker that did appear in a plum timeslot was former "Real World" star turned Wisconsin Congressman Sean Duffy.
Giuliani delivered a fiery, defiant and, at times, angry speech in which he blasted the media for attacking Trump before Trump entered, lighted in green, to the song "We Are the Champions" by Queen. The band disavowed the use of their song on Twitter on Tuesday morning.
"We’re going to win. We’re going to win so big," Trump said Monday night before introducing his wife Melania and leaving the stage.
Melania paid tribute to the only former GOP nominee attending the convention, Bob Dole, before promising a unique general election campaign. "It would not be a Trump contest without excitement and drama," she said.