Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's
son-in-law and top adviser, has been working on condensing the
Republican Party platform.
According to AXIOS, the work to
overhaul the platform started six months ago.
“[Kushner] has told confidants he
wants to shrink the GOP's extensive platform of policy beliefs and
principles down to a single card that fits in people's pockets,”
the outlet reported.
The platform is updated every four
years and approved at the GOP convention. The 2016 platform runs 58
pages. It includes support for so-called conversion therapy to minors
and state laws that restrict transgender bathroom use and opposition
to marriage equality.
Kushner said that he wanted language
that would alienate voters removed from the platform. An example of
this he said was anything about “gay conversion therapy.”
The platform does not explicitly
mention support for therapies that attempt to alter the sexual
orientation or gender identity of LGBT youth, but does include this
line: “We support the right of parents to determine the proper
medical treatment and therapy for their minor children.”
Tim Murtaugh, the Trump campaign's
director of communications, said that the call for a more concise
platform “has been driven by the campaign.”
“As recently as 2016, a more focused
platform was considered. Ultimately, the platform committee of the
convention will make the decision, but as is the case with all
national conventions, the President’s campaign will play a major
role. In any event, we expect the 2020 platform to be the most
conservative in history and one which will reflect the President’s
conservative imprint on the Republican Party,” Murtaugh
said.