Trump softens immigration stance

President Donald Trump told Congress on Tuesday he was open to immigration reform, shifting from his harsh rhetoric on illegal immigration in a speech that offered a more restrained tone than his election campaign and first month in the White House.  

Trump, in a prime-time address to a country that remains divided over his leadership, emphasized his desire to focus on problems at home by boosting the U.S. economy with tax reform, a $1 trillion infrastructure effort and an overhaul of President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law, known as Obamacare.  

After a first month in office dominated by a fight over his temporary travel ban on people from seven Muslim-majority nations, Trump looked for a reset to move past a chaotic period that sowed doubts about his ability to govern effectively.  

He called for national unity and showed a more measured tone, avoiding a repeat of his attacks on Democratic opponents and media organizations.  

Democratic Senator Tom Carper said that “the person who wrote this speech must not have written the inaugural address. That one was “dark” and this one was more uplifting.”  

At his Jan. 20 inauguration, Trump painted a bleak picture of the country and described it as beset with “American carnage.”  

U.S. stock futures advanced at the start of Trump’s address, but gave back some gains later in the speech.  

Trump focused part of the speech on foreign policy, stressing his support for NATO but insisting allies pay more for their defense. 
REUTERS, 01st MARCH, 2017