Trump Tweaks His Brand

Donald Trump

Donald Trump is refining his brand as he seeks to unite a fractured Republican Party around his presidential bid.

Trump stormed the primaries by selling himself as a truth-telling firebrand ready to take a hard line on hot-button issues, even if it offended vast swaths of the population or many within his own party

He embraced the image of a self-funding candidate beholden to no one and promised war against the Republican establishment and conservative elites that he blamed for running the country into the ground.

Now, as the presumptive nominee, The Hill reports Trump is signaling he’s more than willing to refine that image it if will help him defeat likely Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in the fall.

• Trump has acknowledged the expense of the general election campaign means he might need help from donors, suggesting a willingness to fundraise ahead of November.
• On policy, he’s offered a number of shifts that could improve his appeal to general election voters, or make his populist brand more attractive to the Republican establishment.
• Most notably, Trump has walked back his call for “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.”
• Trump has also expressed a new willingness to consider raising the minimum wage, and to raise taxes on the wealthy.

And he isn’t moving too far away from his core brand, which has been a hit with GOP voters.

He still insists that he’ll build a wall along the Southern border and that Mexico will pay for it.

And on the issue of trade — which could be an effective punch against Clinton in the fall — Trump’s rhetoric against foreign governments and U.S. companies seeking shelter abroad remains as strong as ever.

At the same time, Trump is now portraying himself as a leader willing to change his views if he hears a compelling argument.