Autocue Trump sticks to script and calls for unity a day after ranting at media and Republican critics

A day after Donald Trump delivered a blistering attack on the media and critics inside his own Republican Party, the US president has called for a “new unity” as he addressed military veterans.

His measured tone contrasted with his freewheeling campaign event on Tuesday.

"We are here to hold you up as an example of strength, courage and resolve that our country will need to overcome the many challenges that we face," he said in Reno, Nevada.

He called on all Americans to emulate the patriotism and work ethic of veterans.

Mr Trump had opened his Tuesday rally in Phoenix in the same spirit, but quickly went off script. He blamed the media for twisting his response to recent violence in Charlottesville, attacked two local senators without naming them and threatened to shut down the government if Congress did not fund his border wall.

But on Wednesday he stuck to the teleprompter.

In a 22-minute address to the American Legion, he said: "It is time to heal the wounds that have divided us, and to seek a new unity based on the common values that unite us."

It is a sign of the more moderate Trump that many hoped would emerge in office once the vigour of the campaign trail was in the past.

He told his audience that in the US, "we are not defined by the colour of our skin, the figure on our pay cheque, or the party of our politics.

"We are defined by our shared humanity - by our citizenship in this magnificent nation, and by the love that fills our hearts."

It is a reminder that Mr Trump has frequently used the language of unity only to revert to divisive rhetoric soon after. Every move to placate his opponents is followed by a pivot back to his shrinking base.

After his speech he signed into a law a bill that will speed up decisions by the Department of Veterans Affairs on disability payment appeals.