Stung by criticism, Trump vows to work for ethnic harmony

In a departure from his usual freewheeling style, Mr Trump read a carefully scripted speech from a teleprompter as part of a new push by his campaign to tone down the outspoken New Yorker’s harsh rhetoric.

“I don’t care if the judge is Mexican or not”, Trump told O’Reilly.

But Trump on Friday worked in earnest to unify Republicans around his campaign, ticking down a list of cookie-cutter conservative policy positions, including pledging to protect religious liberty, appointing anti-abortion judges and abolishing Obamacare. So important. Freedom of any kind means no one should be judged by their race or their color and the color of their skin; should not be judged that way.

A few dozen faith-based activists are gathered outside the Omni Shoreham Hotel, and more are expected, said clergy and others who say they expect more from presidential candidates than what Mr. Trump is offering.

The real estate mogul’s struggle to unify Republicans behind his insurgent candidacy was apparent at the evangelical Faith & Freedom conference, where several speakers studiously avoided speaking his name.

If the first third of Trump’s speech was an appeal to the Christian Right, the latter two thirds of his speech seemed to be created to appeal to those Republicans – Christian or otherwise – still hesitant about supporting Trump in a general election.

Mr Romney blasted Mr Trump for comments that he said denigrated Mexicans, women and religion.

“We have to restore the rule of law – on our border, in our government, no matter where it is”.

Trump promised that he will only be beholden to the American people. “We’re going to bring our nation together”, Trump said.

He also highlighted faith as a cornerstone of United States society.

“We don’t want this contest to just be a contest of personalities”, she said.

Trump’s speech was interrupted by a couple of protesters – one of whom yelled “Refugees are welcome here!” and another who held up a sign, ripped down by a pro-Trump attendee, that said “Build bridges not walls”. “We will respect and defend Christian Americans – Christians”.

Mr Trump on Friday criticised Mrs Clinton’s willingness to accept thousands of Syrian refugees into the United States and challenged her to “replace her support for increased refugee admission” in favor of a new jobs program for inner cities.

“Make America great again – I’m adding, ‘for everyone, ‘ because it’s really going to be for everyone, it’s not going to be for a group of people”.

The protesters were quickly escorted out of the conference hall by security.

Rabbis Gil Steinlauf, senior rabbi at Adas Israel Congregation, Washington’s largest Conservative synagogue, said he decried “the words of hatred and bigotry, the demagoguery, the dehumanizing, the promises of discrimination and oppression that characterize the campaign of Donald Trump”. We’re so divided. It’s such a shame.

Trump accused the protesters of being paid “agitators” sent by the opposing party to foil his plot.

While Trump spoke to Christian conservatives in Washington on Friday, Clinton was in D.C. on Friday to speak to the national conference of Planned Parenthood.