Reince Priebus says Republican party remains behind Trump
Reince Priebus said on a conference call Monday afternoon that the Republican party continues to stand behind its presidential nominee, Donald Trump, after the release of a 2005 tape on which Trump can be heard making lewd comments about women.
“Nothing has changed in terms of our support for the nominee,” he told Republican National Committee members on the emergency call. He dismissed the “false rumors” of the last 24 to 48 hours. Though he didn’t specify, he was likely talking about a Wall Street Journal report that said Priebus told party officials to redirect funds away from Trump and toward the down-ballot races.
On Friday, after the tape was published by the Washington Post, Priebus condemned Trump for the language he used then, including grabbing them by their genitalia. “No woman should ever be described in these terms or talked about in this manner. Ever,” Priebus said in a brief statement.
Since the video of Trump emerged Friday, 29 Republicans have called for Trump to drop out of the presidential race and 44 Republicans have condemned his remarks from 11 years ago, according to a running count by CBS News.
Priebus said on the call that Trump’s “heartfelt apology” took care of the issue at Sunday’s debate.
Earlier Monday, House Speaker Paul Ryan had also held a conference call with Republican members, in which he told them he would not campaign with nor would he defend Trump, and he encouraged members to “do what’s best for you” in their districts.
CBS News’ Jacqueline Alemany contributed to this report