Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has had a whirlwind week. From relentlessly attacking the family of a dead U.S. soldier to refusing to endorse House Speaker Paul Ryan or Sen. John McCain's primary races (and even praising Ryan's primary challenger), Republicans are concerned about Trump's campaign. Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus is reportedly not pleased.
Now NBC News reports that Priebus is stepping in, and he's bringing help.
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Republicans who have endorsed Trump, such as former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, are meeting in an attempted campaign intervention. They hope to include Trump’s children in the conversation, as they are influential in their father’s campaign.
Trump campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, said "the candidate’s in control of his own campaign.” He disputes the necessity of such a meeting.
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On Tuesday, President Obama questioned Trump’s fitness to be president. To the Republicans who had already endorsed Trump yet were spending their time apologizing for their chosen candidate, Obama asked a simple question:
Trump’s attitude has cost him the support of several Republicans and has attracted the criticism of others. Some Republicans have said they will only support Trump should he decide to change his tune.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich did not attend the Republican National Convention despite its Ohio location. Kasich expressed hesitation to endorse Trump since dropping out of the race for the White House. On several occasions, Kasich has said Trump must become more presidential to receive his support.
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When Ryan initially cited Trump's behavior as one of the reasons why he was not ready to back Trump, the presidential nominee shamed him on Twitter. Though he eventually decided that he was committed to working with Trump, Ryan has spent his summer criticizing many of Trump’s statements as divisive.
Ryan joined McCain and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to disavow Trump's attacks on the Khan family, whose son died while serving in Iraq.
“America’s greatness is built on the principle of liberty and preserved by the men and women who wear the uniform to defend it,” said Ryan. Without mentioning Trump by name, Ryan said that Capt. Khan and his family’s sacrifice “should always be honored. Period.”
Ryan recently said Republicans needed to take the high, moral ground. He said doing so “will help us retake the soul of our own party, which we have our own challenges with these days.”
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