Trump's Team Pitches His Legitimacy At Hollywood RNC Meeting
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HOLLYWOOD (CBSMiami) — Donald Trump's team hit the floor of the Republican National Committee meeting at the Hollywood's Diplomat Resort & Spa Thursday to lay out the plan for the front-runner's path to the White House.
"How'd it go in there?" CBS4's Hank Tester asked Paul Manafort, Trump's new top aide.
"I was very pleased. We came here to let everybody know we are committed to work with them and answer any question. We are very happy that everybody knows we are a united team. In May or June we will all be one team again," he said.
It's good news after the Republican National Committee voted down a plan to recommend a rules change for the national convention.
"We're basically in the 7th inning of the ballgame and I don't think it's right to change the rules of the game in the middle of the game," said RNC Committeeman Randy Evans.
The RNC is acting very cautiously as the convention draws closer.
Members are feeling the heat from Trump's claim that the delegate selection process is fixed and working against him.
"It's a rigged, crooked system that's designed so that the bosses can pick whoever they want and that people like me can't run and can't defend you against foreign nonsense," said candidate Donald Trump at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.
The GOP front-runner is making the claim that the Republican rules are not fair, though he's confident he'll have enough delegates to claim the nomination before the convention. If he doesn't, Ted Cruz and John Kasich, who both are also in Hollywood, will continue trying to woo Republican delegates to back them.
"If Donald trump is the nominee, Hillary Clinton wins and she wins by double digits," said Kasich. "We were going to go to an open convention that no one was going to get the delegates and the delegates would choose who they want as president."
Gov. Rick Scott, a Trump supporter called for party unity – of course touting his candidate as the one to get behind.
"Donald Trump is either going to get to 1,237 or get very close. I'm focused on winning in November and the way to win in November is rally behind Donald Trump and make sure we win in November," he said.
And Trump's team of Dr. Ben Carson and Manafort believe Scott is right. They laid out the case for Trump to the members of the RNC.
They told members he can beat Clinton by "toning it down."
"We talked a little bit about strategy, what the landscape is, the path going forward," Carson said.
The Associated Press reports that inside the closed door meeting Manafort said, "You'll start to see more depth of the person, the real person. You'll see a real different guy."
The message was welcomed by some party officials but criticized by others who suggested it raised doubts about Trump's authenticity.
"We are going to run a Donald Trump campaign," Manafort said as he started laughing, "but it is going to have a traditional element to it."
For more on Campaign 2016, click here.