Trump: GOP pledge breakers shouldn't be allowed to run for office
Bangor, Maine Donald Trump had his toughest words yet for several of his GOP primary opponents who refuse to support him and honor the RNC pledge they signed to back the winner of the Republican nomination.
At a campaign rally in Maine on Wednesday, the presumptive GOP nominee opined that the holdouts "should never be allowed to run for public office again because what they did is disgraceful."
His comments would apply to former rivals like Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. Of that group, the billionaire only specifically called out Bush, who is also the son of one president and brother to another.
"Am I supposed to say I like him?" Trump said reminiscing about the primary,
"It was a rough campaign, and I wasn't nice. But they weren't nice either. Jeb spent $15 million, $18 million on negative ads."
Upon Trump securing the nomination in early May, Bush wrote in a Facebook post, "Donald Trump has not demonstrated that temperament or strength of character. He has not displayed a respect for the Constitution. And, he is not a consistent conservative. These are all reasons why I cannot support his candidacy."
"I would have honored the pledge," if he had lost, Trump claimed. He complained that it was a "terrible thing" that the holdouts "broke their word" to "back the candidate of the party." At the first Republican primary debate in August, Trump was the only candidate who wouldn't say that he would back the eventual nominee. Concern that Trump could bolt from the party and launch a third-party bid if he lost the primary prompted the RNC to circulate a pledge for candidates to back the eventual nominee.
"If Paul signed a pledge he'd honor it," Trump said referring to controversial Maine Governor Paul LePage who introduced him at the rally and then praised primary opponents who backed him, "guys like Ben Carson who came not because of that because we have a great relationship. And Chris Christie. Rick Santorum just signed on. We have great people. We have great people. We have amazing people and we have amazing endorsements."
Trump has become increasingly combative about his former primary opponents.
Earlier in the week, he threatened to withhold speaking spots from Kasich and Cruz at the Republican National Convention next month in July, he said in an interview with the New York Times.