(AFP) – Donald Trump, famed for his unpredictable and inflammatory outbursts, is opting for self-censorship in a bid to expand his electorate to more moderate voters ahead of the US presidential election. The 78-year-old billionaire appears to be dialing back his rhetoric on key issues such as immigration and abortion — a tactic that analysts say is buoyed by his confidence in the loyalty of his conservative base ahead of November’s vote.
In recent days, the self-proclaimed architect of overturning Roe v Wade, the federal guarantee of abortion rights, has softened his take — well aware that a hard-line approach does not enjoy majority public support. The Republican Party’s Trump-endorsed platform now adopts the former president’s position of leaving the question up to states, dropping a proposed call for a nationwide abortion ban.
Trump, who will officially become the Republican presidential nominee at the party’s convention next week, has also denounced a controversial document called “Project 2025.” The 900-page text — seen as a governing roadmap and drafted by a conservative think tank with some of Trump’s close allies — was subject to harsh criticism for its calls for mass deportations of migrants and a weakening of federal agencies. Trump himself has championed such ideas, but that hasn’t stopped him from criticizing the text’s propositions as “absolutely ridiculous and abysmal” — without specifying which ones.
This week, he said he represented the “Party of Common Sense” — a catch-all phrase that could entice voters from all walks of life. “Trump is using this moment to broaden his appeal outside of his usual conservative base,” said Matthew Continetti of the conservative think tank American Enterprise Institute. Continetti told AFP that Trump is confident in the support of his core voting base, “so he can begin to present a program and a personality that is trying to take voters from the Democratic coalition.” That core base — notably including conservative Christians — helped elect Trump to the White House in 2016 and has remained largely loyal since his election defeat in 2020.
On top of substance, Trump’s style of communicating has also been relatively constrained as Democrats debate the state of President Joe Biden’s health and his fitness to run again for office. Even on immigration — one of Trump’s core election issues — his tone has cooled since his widely criticized remarks months ago of migrants “poisoning the blood of our country.” But Princeton University professor Julian Zelizer urged caution, saying that Trump is simply backing away from issues that could cause him political vulnerabilities. Zelizer told AFP “there is no reason to think he has changed his fundamental views.” “His strategy is to win. But it’s his record in office that should define him,” he said. – Camille CAMDESSUS
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