Keith BieryGolick, Chrissie Thompson and Jeremy Fugleberg

The Cincinnati Enquirer

CINCINNATI — Donald Trump promised to put "America first," refocusing on the populist feelings that have fueled his campaign, and largely avoided his more controversial positions in a double-shot campaign stop in southwest Ohio Thursday.

In a midday rally in Wilmington, Trump advocated for "bold" changes to the country's immigration system, but avoided details of his stances on deporting people who are in the U.S. illegally. Instead, he spoke of building a wall on the Mexican border and of treating immigrants with "compassion."

It's not that Trump has changed course on immigration: He generally doubled down on his hard-line immigration stances in a Wednesday night speech in Arizona. But this was not Trump unleashed.

With no 'softening' on immigration, can Trump broaden support?

Instead, reading largely from prepared remarks, Trump pitched himself to swing-state Ohioans as a fighter for people who lack a voice.

"We will all win together," he said in Wilmington.

In Downtown Cincinnati Thursday morning, Trump told American Legion members he would prioritize "Americanism, not globalism" as president, a stark contrast with Democrat Hillary Clinton's message of global engagement to the same convention the day before.

"Remember: America first, America first," Trump said at the Duke Energy Convention Center. "You’re one group I don’t need to tell. ... We will stop apologizing for America, and we will start celebrating America.”

Trump's speeches were short, roughly 20 minutes each, compared to some rally remarks that have dragged on for 45 minutes or more than an hour. Trump used a teleprompter and supplemented his remarks with ad-libs, though he stayed away from typical elements such as calling his opponent "Crooked Hillary" and inviting the audience to boo journalists covering the event. The rally also lacked much of the call-and-response from previous Trump rallies; fewer audience members called out to Trump or interrupted him with raucous-but-supportive shouts, and he generally didn't respond.

For the most part, Trump could have given either speech in any other city or state. Trump, who has built his candidacy on promising to "bring jobs back," failed to mention Wilmington by name or the 8,000 people laid off when DHL closed its shipping hub there in 2008. Most politicians who visit cities such as Wilmington do it so they can talk about the job losses and, in some cases, the cities' subsequent recoveries.

The omission didn't bother Brad Lakes, an industrial maintenance worker in the city.

"I don't think he had to say it," said Lakes. "The focus isn't Wilmington. The focus is the people – all of us."

The main signature policy Trump did mention: his promise to build a wall on the border with Mexico. "Build the wall" reverberated throughout the convention center in Wilmington.

"Don't worry," he said, before boasting: "Mexico is going to pay for it."

Mexican president: I told Trump we wouldn't pay for wall

Then, he took a different tone: “We will treat everyone with dignity, respect and compassion, but our greatest compassion will be for the American citizen," Trump said, repeating a line from his immigration speech Wednesday night.

Chants of "USA! USA!" followed.

The day before, Trump had made a surprise visit to Mexico to meet with its president, then gave a strident speech generally affirming the immigration stances he held in the primary, including his plans to deport people who are in the U.S. without proper documentation.

Trump left open the possibility that people who moved to the U.S. illegally before President Obama took office might not be deported, but said his administration wouldn't make a final decision about them until its other plans were implemented.

He also affirmed he would build a wall on the border with Mexico and get that country to pay for it, despite saying earlier in the day that the two countries share the responsibility for building the wall. Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto said he told the Republican nominee Mexico wouldn't pay for a wall, but Trump said the two didn't talk about the subject.

With no 'softening' on immigration, can Trump broaden support?

Despite Trump's line about "compassion," Lorella Praeli, who heads the Clinton campaign’s efforts with Latino voters, saw a different theme.

"He showed us, very clearly, what's at stake in this election by painting a picture of his idea of America: one in which immigrants are not welcomed and one in which innocent families are torn apart," said Praeli, in a emailed statement.

Trump's Southwest Ohio visit came the day after Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton addressed the American Legion, attacking Trump for his rejection of the notion the U.S. is "exceptional" among world nations. While Trump wants to "make America great again," Clinton insists the U.S. already is great. She advocated for the use of the United States's good standing to engage globally, saying Trump's isolationism would threaten the U.S.'s standing and values.

Clinton blasts Trump for rejecting 'American exceptionalism'

The two candidates returned to Ohio this week as polls show them locked in a tight race in the quintessential swing state. Clinton has just under a 4-percentage-point lead over Trump in the RealClear Politic average of Ohio polls in the last month. Her lead over Trump nationally is slightly larger, nearly 5 percentage points, and she is dominating in swing states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan and New Hampshire.

Clinton didn't name her Republican rival, but did focus much of her speech on criticizing and contrasting with him, which made some American Legion members uncomfortable. They cited the Legion's non-partisan policy.

Poll: Fear, not excitement, driving Clinton and Trump supporters

Trump's short speech to the American Legion was well-received by the veterans with whom The Enquirer spoke at the convention, although none would say whether they supported Trump or Clinton. ("I fought for that right," said one.)

In his own American Legion speech, Trump criticized Clinton once by name and referred to the former secretary of state occasionally. He said a Trump administration would ensure its State Department didn't trade in favors or delete its emails.

"I bet you didn't hear that yesterday," Trump said, in a reference to Clinton's private email server and questions about State Department meetings with donors to the Clinton Foundation.

In Wilmington, he often chided former President Bill Clinton for the amount of money he charges for his speeches.

Contributing: Angela Hatcher