Donald Trump on Tuesday celebrated the final primary wins of 2016, but the presumptive GOP nominee who stood at a podium and read from a teleprompter was a more chastened, less bombastic version of the larger-than-life political phenomenon that brought him to this moment.

Mired in a weeklong controversy over his racially charged comments about the Mexican heritage of the American-born judge handling a Trump University lawsuit, Trump shifted into general election mode by unleashing new attack lines on Hillary Clinton and promising more to come.


“I understand the responsibility of carrying the mantle and I will never, ever let you down,” Trump said, looking to reassure a fragile Republican coalition unnerved by his stubborn refusal to pivot toward a more unifying message with resonance beyond his base.

Entering the ballroom at Trump National Golf Club in Westchester, New York, with his family to a recording of Queen’s “We Are the Champions,” Trump stood behind a podium and spoke from a teleprompter, eschewing his familiar off-the-cuff vernacular and delivering a more refined, scripted sales pitch that portrayed his signature bombast in a more flattering light.

“Some people say I’m too much of a fighter,” Trump said. “My goal is always, again, to bring people together. But if I’m forced to fight for something I really care about, I will never back down and our country will never back down.”

Taking stock of his unlikely victory over 16 Republican rivals, many of them far more experienced, the Manhattan mogul stuck to his anti-establishment message but with a different foil, the presumptive Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton.

“We can’t solve our problems by relying on the people who created our problems,” said Trump, who announced plans to give a comprehensive speech next week “discussing all of the things that have taken place with the Clintons.”

“Hillary Clinton turned the State Department into her private hedge fund,” Trump continued. “The Russians, the Saudis, the Chinese all gave money to Bill and Hillary and got favorable treatment in return.”

Just as Clinton is securing the Democratic nomination amidst controversy over her heavy reliance on superdelegates, Trump made an overt play for the supporters of her rival, Bernie Sanders, noting that they share an opposition to free trade.

“To all those Bernie Sanders supporters left out in the cold by a rigged system of superdelegates, we welcome you with open arms,” Trump said.

After weeks of protests from Hispanic groups outside his rallies in California and New Mexico, Trump did not mention immigration or his most well-known policy idea, erecting a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Trump closed his 16-minute speech with an explanation of his “America First” mantra, one reminiscent of the isolationist, anti-Semitic national organization that urged the United States to appease Adolf Hitler in the run-up to World War II.

With regard to foreign policy, Trump explained, the term means “we will never enter into any conflict unless it makes us safer as a nation.” With regard to trade, a signature issue for Trump, he continued, “America first means the American worker will have his or her job protected from unfair foreign competition.”

He also expressed a commitment to harvest domestic energy resources, to grow jobs and revitalize urban areas.

“We're going to rebuild our inner cities, which are absolutely a shame and so sad,” Trump said. “We're going to take care of our African-American people that have been mistreated for so long.”