begin quote from:
Donald Trump’s post-convention days have been spent feuding with families …
ANALYSIS: Donald Trump Creates Existential Crisis for Republican Party
Evan Vucci/AP Photo
Donald Trump’s post-convention days have been spent feuding with families of fallen service members, Paul Ryan, John McCain, Ted Cruz, John Kasich, Reince Priebus, his own staff, a crying baby and — almost as an afterthought — President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
His behavior is not surprising to anyone who has watched the campaign
unfold. If Trump is a counterpuncher, as he likes to say, he’s one who
doesn’t know when to stop hitting.
But events of the last 72 hours have shaken confidence in his campaign at the highest levels of the Republican Party.
They are now posing an existential challenge to a party that has been
riven by divisions despite the natural unity that should come with
opposing the Clintons.
The perceived slight that pushed many Republicans to a breaking point
was an ostensibly political one. Trump, who says he values loyalty above
all, made a point of not endorsing Ryan and McCain in their primary
campaigns — even though both men, somewhat reluctantly, came around to
endorsing Trump.
But the concerns about Trump as a candidate are significantly deeper.
His public feud with the family of a slain service member is no mere
gaffe; it’s inexcusable to a swath of leaders in both parties.
The inexcusable became inexplicable when Trump refused to apologize and
dug in for further battle. Combine that with a Trumpian array of other
storylines this week — calling Clinton “the devil,” saying he had always
wanted a Purple Heart, tone-deaf comments on how sexual harassment
should be handled — and Republican leaders are at a crisis point with
their candidate.
Evidently, Trump believes he doesn’t need the Republican establishment
that resisted him for so long. He has bragged about channeling voters’
voices, and the voices he hears at his rallies still shout his name with
pride and glee.
But at the moment when the Republican nominee should be expanding his
appeal and looking outward, the GOP is stuck looking at itself in the
mirror. A growing number of party voices do not like what they see.
Mike Pence Breaks With Donald Trump: 'I Strongly Support' Paul Ryan
AP Photo
A day after Donald Trump declined to endorse House Speaker Paul Ryan
in his upcoming primary election in Wisconsin, Trump’s running mate,
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, broke with the Republican presidential nominee
by offering his own endorsement.
“I strongly support Paul Ryan, strongly endorse his re-election,” Pence
said in a phone interview on Fox News today. “He’s a longtime friend.
He’s a strong conservative leader. I believe we need Paul Ryan in
leadership.”
Trump told The Washington Post in an interview published on Tuesday, “I
like Paul, but these are horrible times for our country. We need very
strong leadership. We need very, very strong leadership. And I’m just
not quite there yet. I’m not quite there yet.”
Trump’s comments about Ryan and similarly tepid remarks about Arizona Sen. John McCain,
who is facing a tough re-election battle — rippled across the political
landscape over the last 24 hours, signaling discord between several of
the biggest names in the Republican Party.
Pence sought to soothe the perception of any rift with his remarks
today, explaining that “it takes time to have relationships together.”
“I think what Donald Trump said is he’s not there yet,” Pence said.
“These are two men building a good relationship, and I'm very confident,
after Donald Trump’s elected president and Paul Ryan is re-elected to
Congress and as speaker of the House, these two men are going to do
great things."
The wrangle over Trump’s lack of support for Ryan is not the first time
Pence has played the role of mediator since becoming the vice
presidential nominee. In the past week, Pence has come to Trump’s
defense after Trump’s call for Russia to hack Hillary Clinton’s
emails and after his contentious statements about the Khizr and Ghazala
Khan, the parents of a Muslim U.S. soldier killed in Iraq.
Pence also pushed back on reports that the campaign was planning an intervention with Trump to address the recent controversies.
“I have never heard anything about a meeting of that kind,” Pence said.
Still, Pence reached out to Trump before going public with his comments
today. “I talked to Donald Trump this morning about my support for Paul
Ryan. He strongly encouraged me to endorse Paul Ryan in next Tuesday’s
primary,” Pence said.
After Trump’s rebuke of Ryan and McCain was made public yesterday, Pence met with McCain before a rally in Phoenix.
The vice presidential candidate later praised McCain in an interview
with ABC affiliate KNXV, saying, “Sen. McCain has provided the kind of
leadership throughout his career that has stood up for our military,
stood up for a strong America,” but Pence did not go so far as to offer
an explicit endorsement.
No comments:
Post a Comment