The Republican National Convention platform committee released its new platform on Monday, solidifying the party's alignment with Donald Trump ahead of next week's convention in Milwaukee.
The document focuses on many issues, such as immigration, that Trump hammers home at his rallies. The platform even mirrors Trump’s typical language and format in social media posts, with lots of capital letters, slogans like “DRILL, BABY, DRILLER” and broad promises.
Party delegates will vote on the proposed platform at their convention, where they will also formally accept Trump as the Republican presidential nominee.
Here's what you need to know:
No to a nationwide abortion ban
The party is leaving it up to states to decide how to resolve the contentious issue. The platform also takes credit for overturning Roe v. Wade, the long-standing Supreme Court case that allowed abortions nationwide.
Trump frequently cites the 2022 Supreme Court decision overturning Roe during the election campaign. Trump appointed three conservative justices to the Supreme Court who ruled in the Dobbs vs. Jackson Women's Health Organization case, which essentially gave states decision-making power over abortion.
Still, many on the Republican Party's more conservative flank — including many evangelical leaders — have called for Trump and the party to go further and push for a federal abortion ban.
Aware that tighter abortion restrictions could drive key constituencies like women and young people away from the suburbs, Trump has sought to navigate a narrow path, taking credit for rolling back abortion access nationwide but leaving it up to states to decide how far to go. The party’s new platform reflects that tightrope.
“We proudly stand for families and life,” the platform says. “We believe that the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees that no person can be denied life or liberty without due process and that states are therefore free to pass laws protecting those rights. After 51 years, thanks to us, that power has been given to the states and the vote of the people.”
The document mentions the word “abortion” only once, when articulating the party’s opposition to “late-term abortion.” It also notes that the party supports access to contraception and in vitro fertilization treatments.
The foreign policy of “America First”
In line with Trump’s “America First” foreign policy mantra, the Republican Party platform says a second Trump administration would invest heavily in the U.S. military by increasing troop pay and ramping up production of defense equipment.
The platform, like Trump, promises to build an Iron Dome missile defense system, like the one Israel has deployed against attacks by the militant group Hamas.
The platform does not mention Ukraine directly, but it does say that one of its goals is to “restore peace in Europe.” Many Republicans have called for cutting off military aid to Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia two years ago.
Part of his “America First” policy includes promoting American manufacturing and deregulating the energy industry.
Immigration control is everywhere
Immigration remains a top priority for Republicans in the 2024 election, and the party’s platform capitalizes on the issue. In almost every section, even on seemingly unrelated topics like support for seniors, the platform includes a detail about how to curb illegal immigration.
The party promises to restore Trump-era border policies, including the controversial “Remain in Mexico” policy for asylum seekers entering through the southern border. The party claims that a Trump administration would complete the U.S.-Mexico border wall, despite the fact that during Trump’s four years as president, less than 500 miles of wall was built along the 1,900-mile border, most of which replaced outdated fencing. Furthermore, despite Trump’s repeated claims that Mexico would pay for the wall, it never did.
The proposed party platform outlines deporting millions of immigrants who are in the country illegally, including deploying federal troops to the southern border. It also promises to increase penalties for those who overstay their visas and cut federal funding to sanctuary cities.
“Republicans will secure the border, deport illegal immigrants, and reverse Democrats’ open border policies that have driven up the cost of housing, education, and health care for American families,” the platform reads.
The Republican Party is Trump's party
The new platform, dedicated to “America’s Forgotten Men and Women,” shows how closely the party adheres to Trump’s campaign rhetoric, with a heavy emphasis on big issues like immigration and few details on how policies would be designed or implemented.
Jon Fleischman, a Republican political strategist and former executive director of the California Republican Party, said the proposed platform is a continuation of the party's move over the past eight years away from traditional Republicanism and toward Trump loyalism.
Fleischman said the Trump campaign has not only put its people in charge of many state party organizations, but has also changed the rules of many state parties to ensure that delegates are loyal to Trump and carefully selected. That way, Trump supporters are the delegates who attend the convention and vote on party rules and platforms.
“This clearly shows that the United States lives in a weak party system,” Fleischman said. “I mean that the parties are not in charge, but the candidates.”
The platform is a 16-page document, 50 pages shorter than its 2016 version.
“A generation ago, it would have been heresy to say we want to replace the party platform, which is a very long document,” Fleischman said. “Now it has become campaign fodder.”
