In an unprecedented move, Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus says he will not give the Trump campaign control over the party apparatus if he wins the nomination.
Newsmax reported:
If Donald Trump wins the Republican presidential nomination this summer, Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus is vowing not to give the billionaire’s campaign control over the party leading up to the November election, according to a report in The New York Times.
The Times said Priebus “has also let it be known that he does not plan to let the Trump campaign take over the party apparatus if he captures the nomination.
“At an off-the-record happy hour with reporters last week, Mr. Priebus said clearly that, regardless of precedent, he would not be layered over by Mr. Trump’s loyalists, according to two people present.”
If true, Priebus’ decision would be a stunning reversal of precedent and a serious slap in the face to the Trump campaign.
In modern presidential campaigns, the presumptive nominee of the party, even before gaining the nomination, takes de facto control over the party and its apparatus.
The candidate and the campaign takes the helm of the national campaign effort, with the party and RNC chair taking direction from them.
The Times report by correspondents Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Martin detail Trump’s Thursday meeting Chairman Priebus and other party staff in Washington, D.C. Trump said afterward the gathering was “a very good meeting . . . It’s really a unity meeting.”
But The Times report painted a more nuanced picture, with Priebus and top aides complaining about Trump’s combative approach to the party, its officials and other candidates.
