Trump Tweet Storm Further Divides Republican Party Before Election

Twitter

Donald Trump attacked House Speaker Paul Ryan and other Republicans who he claimed had been “disloyal” to him in a series of defiant Tuesday morning Twitter messages.

The tweets come after a number of GOP luminaries announced they could no longer support their nominee in the wake of the publication of a 2005 video showing Trump bragging about groping women. Trump apologized for his “locker room” talk and has flatly refused to drop out.

On Monday, Ryan said he would no longer defend Trump through the last month of the general election campaign — but he neglected to rescind his endorsement of the New York businessman.

In the messages, Trump said “the shackles” had been removed, and he said the “disloyal” Republicans are more of an impediment to a victory than Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton — analysis that could well be correct if some portion of his base refuses to support him at the polls.

Pundits have warned for some time that the Republican Party could be on the verge of a civil war.

A spokesman for the House speaker said, “Paul Ryan is focusing the next month on defeating Democrats, and all Republicans running for office should probably do the same.”

As Trump attacked his fidelity, Ryan’s own Twitter account posted a series of policy discussions on Tuesday morning.

During the primary season, Trump rose to prominence by attacking the “establishment” elements of his party, whom he painted as self-serving and unconcerned with the general populace’s well-being. That populist tactic had seen less use, however, during the general election as Trump sought to win over moderate voters.

(h/t CNBC)

Trump Campaign: GOP Must Get Behind Trump or ‘Shut the Hell Up’

Donald Trump’s campaign co-chairman says Republicans should either unite behind their party’s presumptive presidential nominee or shut up.

Sam Clovis, speaking on CNN’s New Day said:

The leadership of the Republican Party needs to figure out what they want.

 

Either they want to get behind the presumptive nominee who will be the nominee of this party and make sure that we do everything we can to win in November, or we’re just asking them, if they can’t do that, then just shut the hell up.

(h/t The Hill)

Reality

The quote from the Trump aide is in-line with Donald Trump himself. Earlier in the week Trump told a rally in Atlanta, Georgia that his Republican critics should
be quiet and don’t talk or he’ll go it alone.

Media

 

Trump’s Advice to Republican Critics: “Please Be Quiet. Don’t Talk.”

Businessman Donald Trump had a message for Republican leaders: “Just please be quiet. Don’t talk.”

While closing his speech on Wednesday in Atlanta, Trump was lamenting what he called weakness from his GOP colleagues. Trump made clear that he wasn’t going to try to bridge the gap between those in the party that support him and those that don’t.

“You know the Republicans, honestly folks… our leaders have to get tougher. This is too tough to do it alone, but you know what I think I’m going to be forced to. I think I’m going to be forced to.”

And for his Republican critics, Trump had more to say:

“And be quiet. Just please be quiet. Don’t talk. Please be quiet. Just be quiet, to the leaders, because they have to get tougher, they have to get sharper, they have to get smarter.”

Party unity is, once again, not a meal on Trump’s campaign dinner menu. The comments came right after Larry Hogan, the Republican governor of reliably Democratic Maryland, announced that he would not vote for Trump.

But Trump’s comments were ostensibly aimed at House Speaker Paul Ryan, who was extremely critical of Trump’s plan to ban Muslims from entering the country and said he would continue to speak out when he disagreed with him. Ryan’s office did not directly address Trump’s request for silence and referred to his comments earlier in the week.

(h/t CBS News)

Media

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/video/donald-trump-gop-quiet-lead-39899385