"For every indication of softening, however - either from Mr Trump himself or one of his surrogates - there's been a quick retrenchment. Balloons popped and signals quashed.
"There's no different message," Trump spokesperson Katrina Pierson said last week. "He's using different words to give that message."
It turns out she was half-right.
When Mr Trump delivered his much-hyped immigration speech on Wednesday night, the message was the same. But so, largely, were the words.
As he did during his nomination acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention in July, Mr Trump eschewed calls for moderation and modulation, and instead delivered - no, shouted - the kind of red-meat populist stemwinder that powered him through his successful primary campaign.
Reach out to minority voters? Nah. Display a more empathetic side to attract moderate Republicans, particularly suburban women? Not happening. Instead, Mr Trump was combative as ever - and the Phoenix crowd loved it.
Once Mr Trump got around to detailing the policy aspects in his "detailed policy address", he led with what, thanks to his surprise visit with President Enrique Pena Nieto, was already the topic of the day.
The Mexican border wall - that "impenetrable, physical , tall, powerful , beautiful" barrier, in Mr Trump's words - would be built, he promised.
Just hours earlier a much more subdued Trump had said he spoke about the border wall in a private meeting with the Mexican president, but the subject of financing hadn't been discussed. "That'll be for a later date," he said.
This had set off a firestorm of debate over why, exactly, the Republican candidate had seemingly backed down from what had been one of the signature aspects of his candidacy. Was this the Great Pivot to the political middle in action?
After he had put thousand miles between him and Mr Nieto, however, Mr Trump gave his answer.
"Mexico will pay for the wall," he said. "A hundred percent. They don't know it yet, but they're going to pay for it."
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Donald Trump breathes fire in immigration speech - BBC News