Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus told WISN-TV in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that candidate Donald Trump was “a positive” for the GOP, reported Politicus USA. This praise comes shortly after Priebus announced his worries that Trump could damage the party.
Priebus said Trump “brings a lot of interest” to the GOP race, adding that his candidacy was a “net positive for everybody.” Priebus backed away from his concerns that Trump’s campaign would have negative effects on the Republican Party, and he insisted he would support whoever won the GOP nod.
Priebus’ comments are in stark contrast with what was reported in July, when he apparently called Trump and asked the candidate to “tone it down.” However, Trump went public and stated that Priebus never said such a thing.
Totally false reporting on my call with @Reince Priebus. He called me, ten minutes, said I hit a “nerve”, doing well, end!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2015
Priebus is a GOP leader, but he’s now afraid to cross Trump, which is indicative of the real estate mogul’s influence and emerging control of the Republican constituency. Trump isn’t likely to win. But the fact that he’s the front-runner shows how dysfunctional the dying party is, and how extreme and out-of-touch its constituency is becoming.
