Republican takes new tone in North Carolina after campaign team shake-up, while supporter’s photography of each journalist sparks complaints
Donald Trump marked the relaunch of his struggling presidential campaign with a shock new tactic: an apology.
“Sometimes in the heat of debate and speaking on a multitude of issues, you don’t choose the right words or you say the wrong thing,” he told a rally in North Carolina on Thursday night. “I have done that. And, believe it or not, I regret it. I do regret it. Particularly where it may have caused personal pain.”
The remarks, during Trump’s first public appearance since the appointment of a new campaign manager, are a sharp reversal of an approach that seemed to follow the adage “never retract, never explain, never apologise”.
“I like not to regret anything,” the candidate previously told radio host Don Imus in May after controversy over comments that questioned senator John McCain’s war record. “You do things and you say things. And what I said, frankly, is what I said.”
Many more such controversies have passed without regret since, but Trump’s closely watched standing in opinion polls has plummeted after he last month attacked the parents of a Muslim war hero who died serving in the US army.
On Thursday he appeared to acknowledge for the first time the damage such incidents were doing to his election standing, though did not specify which precise “personal pain” he was responding to.
“Too much is at stake for us to be consumed by these issues,” he told the unusually subdued crowd at the Charlotte convention center.
“As you know I am not a politician,” he added, to initial cheers. “I have never wanted to learn the language of the insiders, and I’ve never been politically correct – it takes far too much time, and can often make it more difficult to achieve total victory.”
The rally, which began with a long tribute to victims of flooding in Louisiana, was also unusual for relying entirely on a teleprompter. Previously the campaign’s use of prepared remarks has mostly tended to be reserved for formal policy addresses, rather than standard stump speeches at rallies.
Often stiff, the sight of Trump reading out lines rather than ad-libbing seemed to perplex a crowd not used to hearing him saying phrases such as: “I’ve travelled all across this country laying out my bold and modern agenda for change.”
The campaign for his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, dismissed Trump’s professed change of heart. “Donald Trump literally started his campaign by insulting people,” her campaign said. “We learned tonight that his speechwriter and teleprompter knows he has much for which he should apologize.”
“But that apology tonight is simply a well-written phrase until he tells us which of his many offensive, bullying and divisive comments he regrets – and changes his tune altogether.”
The use of a teleprompter was also out of keeping with expectations that this week’s appointment of outspoken Breitbart News executive Steve Bannon to take overall charge of the campaign would immediately mark a more “gloves-off” approach.
Instead, it appears part of the team’s new strategy is to attempt to draw a line under past controversies before trying to shift attention onto Clinton campaign weaknesses instead.
Aides watching the speech were pleased with its disciplined timing and suggested the influence of veteran pollster Kellyanne Conway, who was promoted to become campaign manager on Wednesday, would begin to make a difference to the tone. She is thought to be the most senior official now traveling regularly with Trump.
Yet Kirk Bell, communications director for North Carolina, denied he was disappointed with the turnout in Charlotte, which filled less than half of a venue the size of which was often packed before July’s national convention. “We got over 5,500. We feel pretty good about that,” he told the Guardian.
The newly contrite Trump did not seem to affect the behaviour of some of those supporters who did attend.
One man sparked complaints from several reporters after he individually photographed many of those sitting inside a penned-off media area at close range. Trump has been particular critical of the media’s coverage of his campaign and often appears to incite supporters to criticise alleged bias against him.
Other supporters continued to direct fierce anger toward Clinton. “She’s the anti-Christ,” one woman remonstrated with the media pen. “Chelsea isn’t Bill’s daughter,” insisted another. “He had mumps, he’s sterile.”
Random quotes of “lock her up!” punctuated the night much as they did during the Republican convention.
But many supporters seemed to welcome the change of tack from Trump.
“I would like him to say ‘yes, I’m a smart ass’ and ‘yes, I say what’s on my mind but I hope what comes out of my mouth doesn’t take away what I’m really fighting for’,” said Christy Cranston of Charlotte. “I have never heard him say anything that was directly racist or against women. They were like comebacks for someone attacking him first.”
“He’s got to stop that,” added her husband, Chris, a self-employed flooring contractor. “The schoolyard semantics has got to end. He won’t lose my vote, but he’s gonna lose the fringe voter.”
Don Mcsheehan, a home remodeling contractor from Midland, North Carolina, agreed, but favoured only superficial restraint. “Him being himself is fine. Especially with me. What Trump has to sell is genuineness and if he becomes politically correct and canned and not off-the-cuff, he will lose touch with his base,” said the 49-year-old.
“I think he’s doing well considering he has got the whole US media against him. He’s at a 99% disadvantage. It’s good that he’s constantly in the news, but they are constantly berating him,” he concluded. “If he would learn to temper what he says just by 5% and let what is happening to Hillary get out there, he’ll be fine.”
