On Monday, the Republican National Committee (RNC) adopted a new platform, heavily influenced by former President Donald Trump. The revised platform introduces significant changes to previous GOP positions on marriage and abortion, while making ambitious economic promises.
Key economic commitments include ending inflation, transforming the United States into a manufacturing powerhouse, and implementing deep tax cuts for workers. The platform aligns with Trump’s pledges to maintain funding for Social Security and Medicare, two widely supported but expensive government programs.
The new 16-page platform, much shorter than those from the 2016 and 2020 cycles, passed by a vote of 84 to 18, according to a person familiar with the proceedings. It reflects a shift toward Trump’s populist, nationalist vision for the party, deemphasizing some traditional GOP issues.
In a press release, the Trump campaign introduced the new platform as “President Donald J. Trump’s Republican Party Platform for 2024.” The document begins with language that echoes Trump’s campaign slogans, “Make America Great Again” and “America First,” and outlines 20 key promises, including securing the southern border and conducting a large-scale deportation operation.
The platform also addresses national and international policy issues, such as preventing World War III, reducing regulations on electric vehicles, ending the militarization of government, and excluding men from women’s sports.
In particular, the platform’s approach to abortion has softened. A previously hardline stance, which called for a constitutional amendment to ban abortion, has been replaced with support for states to establish their own abortion laws and a pledge to oppose late-term abortions. This shift comes as President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign emphasizes abortion rights, especially after the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, a move supported by Trump-appointed justices.
On marriage, the platform has moved away from its previous assertion that traditional marriage is the foundation of a free society. Instead, it now promotes a culture that values the sanctity of marriage without specifying its traditional definition.
The platform also revised its stance on Social Security and Medicare. Unlike the 2016 and 2020 platforms, which highlighted the programs’ financial challenges and proposed reforms, the new document avoids discussing solvency issues. Instead, it promises to address inflation, increase U.S. energy production, and ensure economic growth to ensure the programs’ longevity.
This new platform solidifies Trump’s hold on the GOP, a week before the party formally nominates him as its presidential candidate for the 2024 election.