GOP ponders plan to manage Trump
PARTY FRUSTRATED
WASHINGTON • Their party in crisis, Republicans’ frustration with Donald Trump reached new heights on Wednesday as GOP leaders inside and outside the presidential nominee’s campaign contemplated new ways to persuade him to moderate his divisive tactics with the election just 96 days away.
Party chairman Reince Priebus and a handful of other high-profile Republicans were considering whether to directly confront the billionaire businessman following a series of startling stances and statements. Those included Trump’s refusal to endorse GOP House Speaker Paul Ryan’s re-election and his continued criticism of the family of a slain U.S. soldier.
An official with direct knowledge of Priebus’ thinking was granted anonymity to discuss internal strategy after one of the most tumultuous weeks of Trump’s presidential campaign.
Priebus, a close friend of Ryan, is deeply irritated by Trump’s recent actions and his unwillingness to accept guidance from senior advisers. The party chairman has already been speaking with campaign chairman Paul Manafort and the candidate’s grown children, who are said to agree that he needs to stop picking fights within his own party.
“The candidate is in control of his campaign,” Manafort told the Fox News Network Wednesday afternoon. “And I’m in control of doing the things that he wants me to do in the campaign.”
Priebus and the Trump confidants, as well as numerous GOP lawmakers, have been particularly irked by the candidate’s repeated criticism of an American Muslim family whose son, a U.S. army captain, was killed in Iraq.
“I would say in the last couple of weeks, he has been remarkably underperforming and we’ll see whether or not he can take a deep breath and learn these lessons,” said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich on Fox Business News.
Gingrich may join Priebus and another Trump ally, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, in specifically urging Trump to adjust his approach, according to the Republican official.
Trump on Wednesday dismissed suggestions that the GOP frustration was hurting his campaign.
Trump wrote on Twitter: “There is great unity in my campaign, perhaps greater than ever before. I want to thank everyone for your tremendous support. Beat Crooked H!”— a reference to Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
Manafort dismissed reports of a so-called intervention by Priebus and other high-profile Republicans, including Gingrich and Giuliani.
“The campaign’s focused and the campaign is moving forward in a positive way,” Manafort told Fox. “The only need we have for an intervention is maybe with some media types who keep saying things that aren’t true.”