Americans would be wise to expect Mr. Trump embark on an accelerating rhetorical slide towards the median voter, who he has currently lost through the season of strident bigotry that passed for Republican presidential debates. In many cases his remarks either directly or tacitly condoned acts of physical violence against his chosen target. Until now, through the inexorable process of whittling down the eclectic, 17-member cast of the circus show that was the Republican primary election, Mr. Trump seemed to be sliding farther to the right with each passing week. Mr. Trump laced his familiar references to "violence in our streets and the chaos in our communities" and his promise to "build a great border wall to stop illegal immigration," with a new, more conciliatory rhetoric. On U.S. foreign policy Mr. Trump appeared to be prepared to “bomb the hell out of” enemies such as Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, and kick allies like Saudi Arabia and NATO members in the teeth for not paying more cold cash for American munificence.

Source: The Hindu July 22, 2016 13:07 UTC