Donald Trump 'promises to change image'

Advisers on Thursday sought to reassure Republican leaders that their candidate's belligerent foul-mouthed image "is now evolving" and that he was in the process of becoming more presidential.

"The part that he's been playing is now evolving into the part that you've been expecting. The negatives will come down - the image is going to change," Trump's senior adviser, Paul Manafort, told party leaders.

The closed-door meeting came not long after Trump swept New York state's presidential primary, making it ever more likely that he could be the Republican Party's nominee. That reality has sparked concern in the party's leadership, which is concerned that Trump's divisive personality could put him at odds with the Washingon establishment and ultimately cost them the election.

'You'll see a real different guy'

Manafort assured those attending the meeting they had no reason to worry. "He gets it," Manafort said.

"You'll start to see more depth of the person, the real person. You'll see a real different guy," he added.

Trump himself has been resistant to changing his image, even telling followers in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, that he wasn't ready to do so.

"I just don't know if I want to do it yet," Trump said.

The New York billionaire is gearing up for five primary contests in the Northeast on Tuesday. He's the only nominee who can possibly get the 1,237 delegates necessary to win the nomination process outright.

blc/jil (AP, Reuters)