Donald Trump’s campaign manager on Wednesday said they want the support of anyone who will endorse them, but advised Republicans to stop “pussyfooting around” on whether or not they support their party’s presidential nominee.
“We want the support of anybody who’s going to publicly endorse us, but enough of the pussyfooting around in terms of do you support us or do you not support us,” Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway said on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “And the fact is that some of these leaders have been very wishy-washy.”
“He’s the top of the ticket — he’s the presidential nominee — and past presidential nominees have been able to rely upon much more support within the rank and file members, elected members, than he is,” Ms. Conway said in a separate appearance on “Fox & Friends” Wednesday.
She said they have a “great relationship” with the Republican National Committee and that she and RNC Chairman Reince Priebus talk several times a day.
“When Donald Trump goes and raises money, like he did 5 million or so strong yesterday in Texas, a lot of that money goes back to the party and it helps these down-ballot candidates, some of whom aren’t supporting him,” Ms. Conway said on Fox.
“The stark choice could not be more clear between [Hillary] Clinton and Trump, and yet you do have a number of Republicans who otherwise agree with the policies of Donald Trump and the Republican party now, I think, making it easier for Hillary Clinton in some ways to compete in some of their states,” she said.
“It’s unfortunate, but Donald Trump will do what he’s done all along, which is take his message directly to the people, through the noise or through the silence, whichever it may be,” Ms. Conway said.
Mr. Trump has taken incoming GOP fire since the Friday revelation of a 2005 video in which he’s caught on a mic talking about grabbing women “by the p—-y,” among other things.
He said during an appearance on Fox News Tuesday that he doesn’t want or care about the support of House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, who told his House GOP members earlier this week he planned to stop defending Mr. Trump in the final stretch of the campaign.
“I think that Paul Ryan has a job to do to keep the majority in Congress and [a] new president of the United States will go ahead and be with him to help get legislation through,” Ms. Conway said on ABC Wednesday.
Mr. Trump also speculated Tuesday that Mr. Ryan might be in a “different position” if Mr. Trump ends up getting elected president.
Asked if Mr. Trump wants Mr. Ryan to be speaker if the GOP nominee is elected president, Ms. Conway said that’s up to members of Congress.
“But I hope it means that we have a majority in the House, the Senate, and the presidency, because that actually would be the best indication that Americans who are voting for Donald Trump for president also want a mandate for him to push through different pieces of legislation,” she said.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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