Todd Talks By Todd Muller

It's an absolute privilege to be over in the United States watching the Republican convention. I'm here as part of the New Zealand delegation to the International Democratic Union, a collective of centre right parties from around the world.

The CBD of Cleveland is in complete lockdown, streets closed, parameter fences around the blocks and around the venue, and thousands of law enforcement including hundreds of Secret Service officers – including on our bus – at all times.

To get into the venue you walk through a corridor of Police and then through metal detectors. Inside there is as many Police again, every 20 metres or so, checking your credentials.

Despite all this it all feels very safe and almost carnival-like when you walk around outside the venue, with the mix of huge numbers of Police, delegates and pockets of protestors, who have as many people rushing to capture any moments of conflict with their cellphone.

Inside the convention is just as surreal – there's 20,000 delegates and observers who really wear their political passions on their sleeves, literally!

Everyone wearing republican memorabilia, lots of Trump supporters. But there are still many delegates who prefer someone other than Trump – and they wear their loyalty for everyone to see.

The most striking experience is how divided the Republican Party and the wider United States is. Within the Republican Party I've found it very hard to find any senior republican office-holder who supports Trump. But they have to, because he won the nomination. The party is very split between those who are fiscally conservative and socially tolerant – quite similar to NZ – and those who are very intolerant of globalisation and diversity, using language to describe their opposition that many of us in NZ would feel as extreme.

But there is one unifying feeling among Republicans and that is their visceral dislike of Hillary. Most of the time in NZ, we might have disagreements on policy but we don't take it out on the person. But state-side, it's simply extraordinary – delegates chanting ‘lock her up' and they genuinely mean it. I suspect I will see as much vitriol next week when I attend the Democratic Conference in Philadelphia. For the Democrats detest Trump as much as the Republicans hate Hillary.

It's simply staggering and reflects the severe divide in the community and suggests the US will remain highly polarised for years to come.

Obama has failed to bring the country together. Trump and Clinton, whoever wins, will continue to deepen the animosity both sides have towards each other. Where does it end? I'm not sure, but it's clear not for a while – and we will feel the implications here in NZ for years to come.

It makes me feel very privileged to live where we do. From afar our country seems hugely successful; our problems eminently solvable, and our people attractively understated and humble.