Faced with a slew of past and present Republican leaders still refusing to accept him as the party’s presumptive nominee, Donald Trump on Sunday claimed that he can win the White House race even without Republican unity.
As one who has been boasting about his ability to attract independent and even Democratic voters, the New York billionaire told ABC News that while Republican unity would be welcome, it was not something absolutely essential for him.
“I think it would be better if it were unified….But I don’t think it actually has to be unified in the traditional sense,” Trump said, claiming, “I’m going to go out and I’m going to get millions of people from the Democrats. I’m going to get Bernie [Sanders] people to vote, because they like me on trade.”
His comment came even as former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Senator lindsey Graham, both of whom had quit the presidential race early on in the wake of the Trump surge, joined a growing group of senior Republicans who are firm on not voting for Trump.
Prior to that, House Speaker Paul Ryan said he was “not ready” to support Trump as yet. However, at the intervention of Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, he has since invited Trump for a meeting on Thursday.
Quizzed on Ryan’s comments and their upcoming meeting, Trump said in his Sunday interview: “I’m gonna say, ‘look, this is what the people want’.” Saying he has earned the people’s support in the Republican primaries, Trump claimed: “You know, we’ve gotten more votes than anybody in this position that has ever run for the office.”
As for Bush’s remarks that he will not vote for him, Trump remarked: “I understand Jeb Bush. I was rough with Jeb Bush. And I think if I was Jeb Bush, I wouldn’t vote for me either.” Bush was Trump’s chief target in the early part of the primary season, being constantly derided as a “low energy” individual.
Meanwhile, a group of naysayers, calling itself “Conservatives Against Trump”, has announced the launch of a formal effort for an “acceptable alternative candidate to run for President against Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton”.
“This is not just a fight for the heart and soul of the Republican Party; it is a battle for the future of our country,” the group said in a statement, claiming that the race was still wide open for a qualified conservative candidate.