Donald Trump Has Backed Off Some Campaign Promises

On Tuesday, President-elect Donald Trump abandoned in an abrupt fashion some of his promises he made during his campaign.

He said he is not planning to prosecute his opponent Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton for using her private email server or for her family foundation, holds an open mind about an accord on climate change from which he promised to withdraw the U.S. and now is not certain that torturing suspected terrorists is correct.

The real estate mogul turned politician also said there was not any need for him to separate himself from his many financial holdings, despite growing questions about how the global business dealings of his might affect the how he makes decision as the CEO of the nation.

The president-elect said the law was on his side and that the president cannot have conflicts of interest. Trump told reporters on Tuesday that in theory he could run his business and then operate the country as well.

Trump has sought to put more distance between himself and the small far right group that embraces anti-Semitic and racist rhetoric that has celebrated the election of Trump.

He commented that he did not want to energize such a group, and disavowed it at the same time.

The president-elect has a track record for inconsistent statements from one he previously made, which means it is not certain if any of the positions he had stated Tuesday will remain in the days ahead.

Some of the shifts by Trump also could spark backlash from ardent supporters.

Trump while talking with reporters took a more cordial posture than the past few days.

During the weekend, he took to his Twitter account and attacked Saturday Night Live and the cast of Hamilton a hit show on Broadway.

Monday he lashed out a broadcast news executives and journalists in a session off the record that was leaked quickly to mainstream media.

His announcement on Clinton was a huge pivot away from the campaign when he called her names such as “Crooked Hillary.” During one debate, he threatened to jail Clinton if he were elected.

However, on Tuesday he announced that he did not want to hurt the Clinton family saying she had suffered a great deal in different ways.

When asked if he would rule out appointing a special prosecutor, like he said at one time he would, the president-elect said it was not anything he felt strongly about.