By Steve Holland, John WalcottBehind the scenes at the White House, US President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka was a key advocate for the more measured, less combative tone he struck in his speech to a joint session of Congress. The biggest speech of Trump's month-old presidency was the product of a 10-day effort with his top aides. While he unveiled no significant changes to policy, the tone of Trump's speech was a far cry from his bleak "American carnage" inaugural address when he took office in January. Polls conducted immediately after the speech showed a clear majority of Americans approved of the softer approach and aides described Trump as buoyed by the reception. A White House official said Trump was the principal author of the speech but had a lot of help in drafting it, including from his daughter.

Source: New Zealand Herald March 02, 2017 01:30 UTC