Recap of last day of the Republican National Convention

Cleveland rocked and the Republican National Convention is over.

It was the first major party convention in the state of Ohio since the 1930s.

The convention really kicked off the general election and set a clear tone. Republicans are unified in their dislike for Hillary Clinton, but not all the way unified on Donald Trump.

Here are the highlights of the last day of the convention.

Trump’s big night

Republican Donald Trump formally accepted the GOP nomination for president on Thursday and used the prime-time address to paint a picture of America in crisis both at home and abroad.

Trump said the country is under siege by crime, terrorism, illegal immigration, bad trade deals, weak foreign policy and other threats. He pinned the blame for these problems on President Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, his opponent in the fall campaign.

Trump loaded the speech with tough talk on trade and immigration — signature issues for him throughout the campaign.

“Americans want relief from uncontrolled immigration. Communities want relief. Yet Hillary Clinton is proposing mass amnesty, mass immigration, and mass lawlessness,” he said. “Her plan will overwhelm your schools and hospitals, further reduce your jobs and wages, and make it harder for recent immigrants” to escape from poverty.

“My message is that things have to change — and they have to change right now,” he said.

Kasich makes an appearance

Ohio Gov. John Kasich has drawn intense scrutiny this week as he’s crisscrossed Cleveland and showed up just about everywhere except inside Quicken Loans Arena, where Republicans nominated Donald Trump as their presidential candidate.

>>> What else did Kasich say at the Ohio delegation breakfast Thursday?

On Thursday, Kasich said he had no regrets.

“I think you can all understand why I didn’t show up to speak at the convention after what you saw last night,” Kasich told Ohio delegates at their daily breakfast meeting.

Cleveland shows how it’s done

The four-day Republican convention drew to a close Thursday night with a total of only two dozen protest-related arrests, a relief to city officials and police who had braced for mass disruptions and violence during this summer of bloodshed.

>>> More details on how security worked at RNC

The demonstrations that many feared would end in pitched battles between police and protesters turned at times into carnival-like scenes, with bongo players and with protesters dressed as nuns on stilts.

There were tense moments and some angry words as anarchists, anti-Muslim protesters and pro-capitalist groups filled the downtown Public Square, but most people seemed to get along.

Late Thursday night, police put the number of arrests since Monday at 24, with 17 of those from a melee that erupted during a flag-burning by avowed revolutionaries. In the run-up to the convention, some law enforcement authorities had feared hundreds of arrests every day.

What’s up with Ted Cruz?

A defiant Sen. Ted Cruz declared Thursday he's no "servile puppy dog" as he faced a torrent of GOP criticism over his refusal to endorse Donald Trump on the Republican National Convention stage.

>>> More fallout from Cruz speech

Irate convention delegates predicted Cruz had committed political suicide by accepting a prime-time speaking slot Wednesday only to urge Republicans to "vote your conscience," not vote for the nominee. Although the Texas senator had not been expected to offer an effusive endorsement of his primary foe, many GOP delegates had hoped and expected to hear some expression of support as they struggle to unite their party to defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton this fall.