Donald Trump’s allies are quietly working to influence the selection of members for the committee responsible for setting the Republican Party’s national platform, with a focus on preventing the platform from being pushed too far to the right on issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage. The Trump campaign is engaged in selecting candidates for positions on the Republican National Committee’s Platform Committee, which plays a significant role in shaping platform changes every four years. In 2020, the RNC made no adjustments to their platform due to the Covid-19 pandemic, angering both social conservatives and moderate Republicans. Now, some of the platform fights that could have occurred in 2020 are carrying over into the 2024 election cycle.
Trump’s team and its allies are involved in selecting candidates for the platform committee, giving them an advantage in the elections. The committee’s leadership consists of Trump supporters, including former ambassador Randy Evans and former director of the Office of Management and Budget Russ Vought. The involvement of Trump’s allies in the selection of platform committee members has raised concerns among some party leaders that they may want to control the platform and prevent it from being pushed too far to the right on issues like abortion and marriage. The current platform mentions abortion 35 times and defines marriage as between one man and one woman. Some Republicans disagree with any attempt to moderate the party on social issues, arguing that it could impact voter turnout negatively.
Abortion has become a dominant electoral issue following the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022. Trump has attempted to balance pleasing social conservatives who support strict federal abortion bans with the broader electorate that supports abortion access. He has stated that abortion policy should be determined by individual states, a position that does not satisfy some socially conservative factions of the party. Another sticking point in the RNC platform is the definition of marriage, which refers to marriage as between one man and one woman. Trump has made efforts to appeal to LGBTQ rights groups, such as picking up the endorsement of the Log Cabin Republicans in 2020.
While Trump has made efforts to appeal to LGBTQ rights groups, he has not been revered by groups outside of the conservative political ecosystem due to his stances on transgender rights. Trump has expressed a desire to roll back government programs supporting transgender rights and has been critical of what he calls “left-wing gender insanity.” The Human Rights Campaign is planning to spend $15 million in key swing states to back President Joe Biden, citing concerns about the potential rollback of LGBTQ rights under a Trump administration. This has led to a renewed focus on LGBTQ rights and the progress that has been made in recent years.
