International

Donald Trump's press aides have revoked access to his Twitter account, a new report claims, as the GOP nominee tries to stay on message for the campaign's final stretch.

The New York Times reports on Sunday that Trump no longer has control of what goes out on his Twitter account, with aides drafting and sending out messages with his help.

In one example given by the Times, Trump and top press aide Hope Hicks co-authored a tweet about how President Obama shouldn't be spending his time in office campaigning for Clinton that Hicks approved and sent.
     Trump's social media account boasts more than 13 million followers and the unconventional politician has regularly leaned on it to tar political rivals and give voters an unfiltered look at his thoughts. But his Twitter musings have been a regular source of headaches for his campaign both during the primary election and the general election.

He provoked the ire of Republican Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) when he retweeted an unflattering photo of his wife during the GOP primary. More recently, a late-night series of tweets disparaging a former Miss Universe who claims Trump belittled her for gaining weight distracted his campaign and opened the door for ridicule from Democrats.

Last month, he also promised an all-out war against the GOP establishment and Hillary Clinton in a series of tweets, warning that the "shackles have been taken off."

The more-restrained social media approach over the last few days mimics Trump's overall direction as he heads into Election Day. His rallies have been increasingly reliant on scripted remarks, more subdued with less departures into areas that could come back to haunt him.