WASHINGTON—

Thirteen months after announcing his U.S. presidential bid, Donald Trump took to the stage in Cleveland, Ohio to utter the words that launched his unprecedented campaign.

"We will make America proud again. We will make America safe again," Trump said. "And we will make America great again."

It's this promise that drove millions of Republicans to the polls during the primary and brought Trump the Republican nomination this week.

"Together, we will lead our party back to the White House, and we will lead our country back to safety, prosperity and peace," Trump told Republican delegates in his acceptance speech late Thursday.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump takes the stage during the final day of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, July 21, 2016.

The businessman's ability to tap into the national mood of what some say is a divided country could make it a close race between Trump and presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, says American Enterprise Institute senior fellow Karlyn Bowman.

"He speaks to something in the electorate today," Bowman says. "There is deep dissatisfaction with the way things are going in Washington and a real desire to shake things up."

And Trump has certainly shaken up the race for American president.

Running unconventional race

Since announcing his decision to run, Trump has called for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the country and praised the leadership of Iraq's Saddam Hussein.

Instead of torpedoing his campaign, the controversial comments have only seemed to bolster support for the Republican candidate.