Trump pivots to general election, in his own unorthodox way

[...] there are clear indications Trump is confident he'll emerge from the turbulent primaries as the GOP nominee — and that he knows he has work to do to broaden his appeal with general election voters and his own party's leaders.

In battleground states like Ohio and New Hampshire in particular, Republican senators up for re-election could face constant questions about his policies and personal insults, forcing them to talk more about him than their own campaigns.

Following in the footsteps of many presidential nominees, Trump has begun signaling more moderation on policies that are important to general election constituencies, for example Hispanics and women.

Trump rocked the GOP race last summer with his call for building a wall across the entire length of the U.S-Mexico border and for deporting all 11 million people in the country illegally — a position out of step with the party's stated goal of comprehensive immigration reform.

The businessman has also raised eyebrows with his defense of Planned Parenthood, a frequent target of Republican candidates, saying "millions of women have been helped" by its health clinics.

While Trump says the federal government would not fund Planned Parenthood as long as it's providing abortions, his overall tone when discussing the organization could be more palatable to women, who have made up more than 50 percent of voters in recent presidential elections.