On Monday, a Republican National Committee (RNC) panel approved a draft of the party’s platform, which sticks closely to Donald Trump’s key positions on immigration, the economy, and foreign policy.
The statement, posted on Donald Trump’s site highlights the key points of President Trump’s 2024 Republican Party Platform, emphasizing its clear and voter-friendly articulation of “America First” principles.
RNC Chairman Michael Whatley and RNC Co-chair Lara Trump assert that only President Trump can “restore our economy, restore our Southern Border, and restore America’s standing in the world.” They describe the 2024 platform as a “bold roadmap” designed to reverse the damage inflicted by Biden’s policies and lead to a historic victory in November.
A 16-page document reveals how Trump’s campaign rhetoric has inspired the Republican Party’s platform, which mimicks Trump’s characteristic language and style from social media, featuring capitalized phrases, slogans such as “DRILL, BABY, DRILL,” and broad, sweeping promises.
Preamble: America First
The preamble of the new platform underscores a reverence for American history and the enduring spirit of its people. It begins by celebrating the nation’s legacy, stating, “Our Nation’s History is filled with the stories of brave men and women who gave everything they had to build America into the Greatest Nation in the History of the World” that overcame “seemingly insurmountable challenges,” from defeating the British Empire to triumphing over Nazism and Soviet Communism.
However, the preamble starkly contrasts this historical resilience with the present-day challenges, declaring that America is now “a Nation in SERIOUS DECLINE,” which the document attributes to decades of misguided policies and leadership, criticizing politicians for selling out American jobs, allowing borders to be overrun, and creating a sense of hopelessness among the youth. The document asserts that President Trump’s leadership reignited national pride and economic growth, positioning him as the champion capable of reversing the current state of affairs.
Inflation
The first priority listed by the party is combating inflation and reducing living costs. The plan includes “unleashing American energy” by lifting restrictions and ending the Green New Deal. It also focuses on reining in wasteful federal spending, cutting burdensome regulations, and reinstating Trump’s deregulation policies, which previously saved households $11,000 each, according to the party.
Additionally, the platform addresses illegal immigration, reversing policies that have increased housing, education, and healthcare costs.
Finally, noting that “war breeds inflation,” it promotes restoring peace through strength and ending “global chaos.”
Related to this first priority is the outline of “bringing back the American Dream,” which promises to reduce costs in housing, education, and healthcare and lower everyday expenses. Key measures include reducing mortgage rates, opening federal lands for new home construction, and reducing regulatory burdens, among others.
Immigration
The RNC emphasizes the critical importance of border security and immigration control. Quoting President Trump, “If we don’t have a Border, we don’t have a Country,” the platform outlines an aggressive plan to stop open-border policies by securing the border by shifting federal law enforcement to immigration enforcement, using advanced technology for border monitoring, deploying troops and the U.S. Navy to block fentanyl smuggling, halting releases of illegal aliens into the interior, and completing the wall, fewer than 500 miles of which were constructed along the 1,954-mile U.S.-Mexico border during the Trump tenure.
To enforce immigration laws, the platform proposes strengthening ICE, increasing penalties for illegal entry and visa overstays, reinstating policies such as “Remain in Mexico,” invoking the Alien Enemies Act to remove gang members and drug dealers, reintroducing the travel ban, and using Title 42 to address child trafficking.
Additionally, the plan includes initiating “the largest deportation program” in American history, implementing strict vetting to exclude those who do not align with American values “to keep foreign Christian-hating Communists, Marxists, and Socialists out of America,” cutting federal funding to sanctuary cities, and requiring local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. Lastly, the platform emphasizes a merit-based legal immigration system that prioritizes American workers and ends chain migration.
“The Greatest Economy in History”
The economic agenda outlined in the plan focuses on cutting regulations and taxes, securing fair trade deals, ensuring reliable and abundant low-cost energy, and championing innovation such as artificial intelligence (AI) and cryptocurrency while opposing CBDC.
In addition to that, the plan aims at “protecting American workers and farmers from unfair trade.” Key measures include rebalancing trade with baseline tariffs and the Trump Reciprocal Trade Act, securing strategic independence from China and stopping its purchase of American assets, and reviving the American auto industry by reversing harmful regulations and canceling electric-vehicle mandates.
Furthermore, the platform focuses on bringing critical supply chains back to the United States, strengthening “Buy American and Hire American” policies, and becoming a “manufacturing superpower.”
Abortion
The platform delegates the issue of abortion to individual states, while claiming credit for the landmark overturning of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court on June 24, 2022.
Despite calls from the party’s conservative wing, including many evangelical leaders, for a federal ban on abortion, both Trump and the GOP adopted the stance that seemingly tries to balance the party’s conservative base with appeasing liberal voter demographics such as suburban women and young people. The platform reflects this attempt at compromise, stating, “We proudly stand for families and Life,” and highlighting the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of life and liberty, allowing states to pass protective laws. The document specifically mentions “abortion” only once, opposing “late-term abortion,” and expresses support for access to birth control and in-vitro fertilization treatments (IVF).
Foreign Policy and Military
The new platform emphasizes an “America First” approach to foreign policy “centered on the most essential American Interests” and promises significant investments in the military, building it “bigger, better, and stronger than ever before.”
The platform outlines plans to increase troop pay and boost the production of defense equipment. It also commits to building an Iron Dome missile defense system similar to Israel’s. Regarding the ongoing conflicts that America is involved in by proxy, the party mentions Israel directly once, saying, “We will stand with Israel, and seek peace in the Middle East.” While not mentioning Ukraine directly, the platform aims to “restore peace in Europe.”
Other Priorities
Other priorities encompass a broad range of issues, from improving the public education system by cleansing it from teachings of critical race theory (CRT) and LGBT-related sexual topics to “fighting for and protecting social security and Medicare,” securing elections, ending weaponization of the federal government, and deporting “pro-Hamas radicals” and making college campuses “safe and patriotic” while “dismantling censorship” and “protecting free speech.”
Party delegates will vote on the proposed platform at their convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, next week, where they will formally endorse Trump as the Republican nominee for president.
