The four U.S. House members joined their Republican colleagues for a meeting at the Capitol Hill Club.
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Trump also had words with Flake, another vocal critic of the GOP standard bearer.
According to the Washington Post and other media outlets are reporting that Trump had a spirited exchange with two members of the group. John McCain, according to a source familiar with the closed-door meeting. Still, Flake said later, “I want to support the nominee. I just can’t support him given the things he’s said”. (Kirk was not in attendance.) Aides to Trump denied to the Times that he called Kirk a loser.
Kirk said later, “We haven’t seen a personality like his too much in the Midwest”. Cruz said he accepted Trump’s offer.
Trump’s meeting with House Republicans was more subdued, earning him mostly accolades.
“There was no talk of pivoting. There was no talk of changing his style or anything like that”, said Rep. Peter King of NY.
“The same voters who are creating those opportunities for us and are making … districts competitive are the voters that like Donald Trump the least”, DCCC Executive Director Kelly Ward said.
For Donald Trump the Constitution is yuge.and a lot bigger than it actually is. While Election Day nationwide is November 8, early voting begins in some states in September.
Flake responded in kind, tweaking Trump for his attack on Sen. Ted Cruz, announced Thursday he would speak at the Cleveland gathering.
Ward stopped short of predicting that Democrats would wrest control of the House from Republicans, although she said her party would gain seats.
Newt Gingrich said Thursday that if asked, he would feel “compelled to serve the country” as Donald Trump’s running mate. “I hope that’s their entire game plan”.
The two other senators that Trump called out were Ben Sasse of Nebraska and Mark Kirk of IL.
Sasse’s spokesman, James Wegmann, said that Sasse went to the meeting ready to listen, and that the two men had a good exchange. Perhaps nothing can unite Republicans like the specter of expected Democratic Party nominee, Hillary Clinton, taking up residence in the White House. A month ago, there was pressure for all Republicans to get behind Trump. Many saw the symbol as a Star of David and considered the image to be anti-Semitic, and Ryan and others criticized the retweet.
At the meeting, Trump brought up criticism of his praise of Saddam Hussein for killing terrorists and faulted the press for not reporting that he first said Saddam was a bad man, King said.
Dozens of protesters awaited Trump, shouting slogans and waving signs that said Trump is “Dangerous, Divisive, Deceitful”.
“His message was that we need to come together and [he] really talked about the issues in regard to jobs, the fact that for the last several years, that people’s wages were flat. It was fantastic”, said Representative Tim Huelskamp of Kansas, who said it was his first time hearing Trump in person.
Trump held a meeting with more than 200 members from the House G.O.P., billed as a meet-and-greet, in which he emphasized his desire to appoint a proven conservative justice to the Supreme Court. “At one point, somebody asked about Article I powers: What will you do to protect them?”
That explanation was well-received.
Outgoing Republican Congressman Reid Ribble said presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump has inflicted long-lasting harm on the reputation of the Republican Party – but he should win the party’s nomination anyway.
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Dent did not appear to be impressed with Trump’s response to questions about how he would appeal to Hispanics.
