Donald Trump isn’t known for apologies and mea culpas, let alone expressing regret. Yet, Thursday night in Charlotte, North Carolina–in the first major speech under new campaign management–Donald Trump expressed regret over statements that may have caused pain to people.
“Sometimes in the heat of debate and speaking on a multitude of issues, you don’t choose the right words or say the right thing,” Trump told the crowd at the Charlotte Convention Center. “I have done that and, believe it or not, I regret it. And I do regret it. Particularly where it may have caused personal pain.”
It was the new Trump Republicans had been waiting for and he brought with him a new theme. The New York businessman vowed to lead a unified nation into a “New American Future” and characterized the nation’s challenges as a common struggle, using the word “together” seven times.
“We are one country, one people, and we will have together one great future,” he said. “I’d like to talk about the New American Future we are going to create together.”
“This isn’t just the fight of my life, it’s the fight of our lives — together — to save our country,” Trump said. “We are going to bring this country together.”
“Together, we will make America strong again.”
The dramatic pivot did have one vintage Trump component–it defied conventional wisdom. The campaign shakeup demoting Paul Manafort and promoting Breitbart executive Steve Bannon–who advocates letting the political incorrect Trump be Trump–was widely viewed in D.C. and by mediates as a signal the candidate would double-down on controversy. Kellyanne Conway, a pollster and campaign advisor who specializes in making Republican candidates more appealing to women, was promoted to campaign manager.
“We cannot make America Great Again if we leave any community behind,” Mr. Trump said. “Nearly four in ten African-American children are living in poverty. I will not rest until children of every color in this country are fully included in the American Dream. Jobs, safety, opportunity. Fair and equal representation. This is what I promise to African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, and all Americans.”
Trump also made another the appeal to black voters that he made Tuesday night at a speech in West Bend, Wisconsin, in which he noted how Hillary Clinton and Democrats have taken black support for granted. He rattled off statistics on poverty, education and crime, vowing reform and opportunity after decades of Democratic leadership with no result.
“If African-American voters give Donald Trump a chance by giving me their vote, the result for them will be amazing … Look at how badly things are going under decades of Democratic leadership … It is time for a change … What do you have to lose?”
A statement by the Clinton campaign dismissed the speech as a “teleprompter apology,” something of a strange response considering the Democratic candidate never speaks without a teleprompter.
“The American people are still waiting for Hillary Clinton to apologize for all of the many lies she’s told to them,” Trump said. ‘Tell me, has Hillary Clinton ever apologized for lying about her illegal email server and deleting 33,000 emails? Has Hillary Clinton apologized for turning the State Department into a pay-for-play operation where favors are sold to the highest bidder? Has she apologized for lying to the families who lost loved ones at Benghazi?”
Mr. Trump continued to slam job-killing trade deals, which his opponent called the “gold standard” and now opposes, a corrupt political, economic and immigration system. But the “champion of the little guy” message was expanded and he said as president he would “refuse to let another generation of American children be excluded from the American Dream.”
“Let our children be dreamers, too.”
