TRUMP’S NEW CAMPAIGN MANAGER HINTS AT TONING DOWN OF STANCE ON DEPORTATION OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

WASHINGTON: Is this the new Donald Trump, re-staffed, re-set? The Republican nominee, who has had a tough few weeks, appears to be wavering on his earlier hardline position against illegal immigration, a cornerstone of his campaign.

His new campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, said in a TV interview on Sunday his position on the deportation of 11 million undocumented immigrants had yet “to be determined”.

That seemed like a comedown, but Trump sought to dispel that notion on Monday, saying he was not flip-flopping and he still favoured “firm, but fair” measures as before. Strong measures against illegal immigration – such as a wall along the border with Mexico – have been a key component of his campaign.

But it also cost him the support of Hispanics, who account for 17% of the US population – more than blacks, less than whites – and most undocumented immigrants are Hispanic. Trump has also been polling poorly among the other powerful ethnic minority, African Americans, getting only 1% support in a recent poll, with zero in some important swing states.

He tried to reach out to blacks last week, asking them to try him once as they didn’t have much to lose, arguing the Democratic party has always taken advantage of them and their vote.

In a similar outreach to Hispanics, Trump met a group of them on Saturday and, according to reports, told them deporting undocumented immigrants was “neither possible, nor fair”.

His campaign pushed back immediately, saying he was making the same argument as he has before – that he has always favoured being “fair and human”. Conway made the same point. But her statement that Trump’s position was yet “to be determined” was seen as an attempt to throw the door open to softening the rhetoric, as the campaign has done before.

Trump’s first call for banning Muslims from entering the US was whittled down to a temporary suspension from some areas of the world.