If Donald Trump wins the Republican presidential nomination this summer, Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus is vowing not to give the billionaire’s campaign control over the party leading up to the November election, according to a report in The New York Times. The Times said Priebus "has also let it be known that he does not plan to let the Trump campaign take over the party apparatus if he captures the nomination.
"At an off-the-record happy hour with reporters last week, Mr. Priebus said clearly that, regardless of precedent, he would not be layered over by Mr. Trump’s loyalists, according to two people present." If true, Priebus' decision would be a stunning reversal of precedent and a serious slap in the face to the Trump campaign.
In modern presidential campaigns, the presumptive nominee of the party, even before gaining the nomination, takes de facto control over the party and its apparatus.
The candidate and the campaign takes the helm of the national campaign effort, with the party and RNC chair taking direction from them.
The Times report by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Martin details Trump's Thursday meeting with Priebus and other party staff in Washington, D.C., which Trump described as "a very good meeting . . . It's really a unity meeting."
The Times report painted a more nuanced picture, with Priebus and top aides complaining about Trump's combative approach to the party, its officials, and other candidates.
The paper also cited three people who were briefed on the meeting, and claims Priebus told Trump both sides need to have a better relationship moving forward. Trump has criticized the party for months, and this week he backed out on his promise not to run as an independent candidate should he lose the nomination.
Poster Comment:
If ever there was someone in need of a good asskicking...