United States | The party line

The Republicans’ policy platform previews the coming campaign

Social conservatives and fiscal hawks will be disappointed. Opponents of immigration will not

An anti abortion protestor in front of the US Supreme Court, Washington DC
Don’t mention the warPhotograph: Getty Images
|Washington, DC

While Donald Trump was relatively quiet in the days after his debate with Joe Biden—preferring to let the president’s troubles fill the headlines—he still posted steadily on Truth Social. Amid notes criticising the media and sharing favourable polling, Mr Trump made some noticeable attempts to soften his message for a general-election audience. He distanced himself from a controversial group of former staffers preparing an agenda for his second term and emphasised the official 2024 Republican platform.

Explore more

This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline “The party line”

How to raise the world’s IQ

From the July 13th 2024 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from United States

The demise of an iconic American highway

California’s Highway 1 is showing the limits of man’s ingenuity

How the election will shape the Supreme Court

A second Trump administration could lock in a conservative supermajority for decades


Could the Kamala Harris boost put Florida in play for Democrats?

Some party enthusiasts think so, but realists see re-energised campaigning there as a savvy Florida feint


America is not ready for a major war, says a bipartisan commission

The country is unaware of the dangers ahead, and of the costs to prepare for them

The southern border is Kamala Harris’s biggest political liability

What does her record reveal about her immigration policy?