On Monday the RNC’s Platform Committee adopted Donald Trump’s platform as the Republican Party platform for 2024 – and it’s been slimmed down from 66 pages to 20 bullet points.

Trump’s major themes of securing the border and ending the migrant crime epidemic, requiring voter ID and proof of citizenship to vote, strengthening the military, bringing the manufacturing industry back to the United States, and ending the weaponization of government are featured prominently. The platform also opposes any cuts to Social Security and Medicare, including opposition to raising the retirement age, and proposes middle class tax cuts and the “no tax on tips” point that Trump’s repeatedly brought up at rallies. It also emphasizes rebuilding America’s cities and making them “safe and clean” again.

As has been anticipated, the platform is silent on abortion and gay marriage, though the ongoing battle against radical gender ideology and sexualization of children is addressed in two bullet points:

CUT FEDERAL FUNDING FOR ANY SCHOOL PUSHING CRITICAL RACE THEORY, RADICAL GENDER IDEOLOGY, AND OTHER INAPPROPRIATE RACIAL, SEXUAL, OR POLITICAL CONTENT ON OUR CHILDREN

KEEP MEN OUT OF WOMEN’S SPORTS

Every four years, generally, the platform is voted upon, but in 2020 the RNC voted to keep the 2016 platform until the 2024 convention, mostly due to the constraints of meeting in-person at that time due to COVID. However, at that time Trump signaled that he wanted to eventually see a slimmed-down platform:

The Republican Party has not yet voted on a Platform. No rush. I prefer a new and updated Platform, short form, if possible.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 12, 2020

On the platform, Trump Campaign Senior Advisors Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles said:

“President Trump’s 2024 Republican Party Platform articulates his vision to Make America Great Again in a way that is concise and digestible for every voter. While Joe Biden and Democrats argue about who will be at the top of their ticket and have implemented policies that have raised prices on everyday families, opened the floodgates to migrant crime via wide-open borders, shackled American energy with red tape forced by Washington bureaucrats, and sewn chaos across the world through weak foreign policy, President Trump will Make America Great Again through these America First principles.” 

Pro-life advocates have been rallying to keep language related to a federal 20-week abortion ban in the platform, but since the Dobbs decision many party insiders believe that plank should be removed not as an indication that the Republican party is moving away from pro-life beliefs, but as an acknowledgement of political reality. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) said Sunday on CNN:

“Well, I think our platform has to reflect our nominee, and our nominee’s position actually happens to be one grounded in reality. The reality of it is the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. And what that basically means is that now it’s not states; it’s voters at individual states who will get to decide how and to what level they want to restrict abortion, if at all. Some states will have restrictions. Some states will not. And so, I hope that our platform will reflect our nominee.”

The absence or inclusion of language about abortion (or any other issue, for that matter) doesn’t restrict individual candidates or elected officials’ position or actions on the issue, but the absence of the ban language takes away one issue Democrats can use to scare swing voters – and there’s some polling to suggest that Dem scaremongering in 2022 was a big factor in the predicted “red wave” not materializing.

UPDATE:

The initial email from the Republican National Committee to the press stated “Read the 2024 Platform, as passed by Committee, below” and included everything contained above in italics without any attachment or reference to a much longer document. The ellipses in the email indicate that there is some text missing, and it was learned late Monday that the platform document voted upon by the RNC Platform Committee was 16 pages long and contains 10 “chapters” related to a 10-point table of contents:

The entire document can be read below.

Read the 2024 Republican Party Platform by Jennifer Van Laar on Scribd