Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus on Thursday swore that there was no truth to multiple reports that the GOP was collapsing under the strain of a presumptive nominee who frequently mocks his party’s own leaders.
Priebus called the dozens of stories about the clash between Donald Trump, the RNC and Republican officials “pure fiction,” noting that he was accompanying Trump on a flight to Dallas:
Flying to Dallas now with @realDonaldTrump…Reports of discord are pure fiction. Great events lined up all over Texas. Rs will win in Nov!
— Reince Priebus (@Reince) June 16, 2016
In the past two weeks, Republicans on Capitol Hill have alternately distanced themselves from or stayed silent on Trump, who has waged a public, racially-tinged smear campaign against a prominent federal judge, accused President Barack Obama of secretly supporting Islamic State terrorists and claimed that Muslims are incapable of assimilating into American culture.
Trump’s unfavorables have soared, with a new Washington Post-ABC News poll finding that seven in 10 Americans have negative views of the Republican candidate. Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R), Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) and Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI) are among the Republicans who’ve said they cannot support Trump in the last two days alone.
Meanwhile, Democratic leaders including Obama, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) rushed to embrace Hillary Clinton as she emerged as the presumptive nominee.
This series of events lent Priebus’ account of everything being peachy the same wince-inducing quality as his assurance in April that he was “not pouring Baileys” on his cereal.
Baghdad Bob has spoken, you dirty fucking hippies.
Some people seem incapable of using Twitter for anything but lies.
The RNC chair has learned well how to do this from Trump.
And once again…
Oh, lord. Reince, I sure hope you get a good going-away parachute.