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" .