Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump will strike a presidential tone when he is giving policy speeches in staid settings, his convention manager said, hoping to assuage concerns that he’s “playing a part” at his rock ’em-sock ’em rallies.
Paul Manafort told party officials at the Republican National Committee’s spring meeting in Florida Thursday that Mr. Trump is going to be able to dial back his brash public persona going forward.
“When he’s out on the stage, when he’s talking about the kinds of things he’s talking about on the stump, he’s projecting an image that’s for that purpose,” Mr. Manafort said, according to a recording that was leaked to the media.
Speaking to “Fox News Sunday,” Mr. Manafort said that those comments have been misconstrued and that he was trying to assure RNC officials that Mr. Trump will strike a serious tone when the setting calls for it.
The real candidate, he said, is the blunt-spoken guy you see out on the campaign trail.
Mr. Trump could pad his 286-delegate lead over Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in the GOP race by sweeping five East Coast primaries on Tuesday, though Mr. Cruz says it is unclear who the real Mr. Trump is at this point.
“He is telling us he is lying to us,” Mr. Cruz said at a Pennsylvania rally.
For instance, the real estate mogul struggled to explain his stance on North Carolina’s transgender “bathroom law” last week, saying attempts to force people to use restrooms that comport with their biological gender will hurt business.
Later, Mr. Trump said the issue should be left up to the states.
Mr. Cruz said Mr. Trump seems to think “men should be able to go into the girls’ bathrooms if they want to.”
In response, Mr. Manafort said Mr. Trump maintains that it is a states’ rights issue.
“There’s the liar, not Trump,” Mr. Manafort said of Mr. Cruz. “He has to change the narrative. He’s losing.”
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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