Republican National Committee Chair Reince Priebus says he thinks Donald Trump is a “net positive” for his party.
During a TV interview on WISN’s “Upfront” this weekend in Milwaukee, Priebus, who has previously asked Trump to tone down his remarks on immigration, now says the “Trump show” is a good thing for the GOP.
“It brings a lot of interest in the Republican field. I think it’s a net positive for everybody and I think it’s an indicator that there’s a lot of folks out there who are sick and tired of Washington and Trump has tapped into that,” Priebus said. “When you have 30 million people watching [the first GOP debate], not to mention the fact that we have 16 other incredible candidates out there, I think we are showing America that we are the young, diverse party, offering a whole slew of options for people and that’s a good thing.”
The RNC chair said he would be comfortable with Trump being the Republican nominee and does not question his loyalties to the party, despite the real estate mogul’s previous support for liberal positions on issues like abortion and universal health care.
“He says he’s a Republican and I take him at his word,” Priebus said.
The RNC chair also said he had serious doubts that Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton will find it easy to secure her party’s nomination.
“I think that right now, at best, she’s a coin flip for the Democrat nomination,” Priebus said.
“Look at the numbers — her numbers are completely upside down. She’s losing to Bernie Sanders right now in New Hampshire. She’s all over the place with these emails. She’s clearly committed a violation of State Department policy if not federal law and now everyone around her is being investigated. … People don’t trust her. They don’t like her.”