Tough-talking Trump looks to soothe Republican base

WASHINGTON, Sept 16 (AFP) - President Donald Trump sought to reassure his camp of his conservative bona fides after embracing a deal with opposition Democrats that would allow hundreds of thousands of young immigrants illegally brought to the US as children to stay.

After being pilloried by Republicans furious at his seeming retreat from a pledge to curb illegal immigration, the president weighed in on a host of redmeat issues -- political correctness, terrorism and racial tensions -- aimed at assuring his base that he was not going soft.

No final deal has been reached, but Trump's agreement to work with Democrats to find a way for the 700,000 immigrants known as 'Dreamers' to remain in the country legally has roiled his political base.

Last month he earned praise from conservatives for rescinding an amnesty decreed by his predecessor Barack Obama, which shielded the young immigrants from deportation. But in setting a six-month deadline for the full repeal of the scheme known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, he also urged Congress to use the time to craft a permanent solution for the Dreamers.

“Chain migration cannot be allowed to be part of any legislation on Immigration!” Trump boomed in a tweet.