Get on board or get out of the way: Trump's path to White House

May 09, 2016 22:01

For Donald Trump, party unity is a good thing. But he's making clear he won't change his views or soften his rhetoric to get it.

"Look, I'm going to get millions and millions of votes more than the Republicans would have gotten" without me, Trump said.

In other words, get on board or get out of the way.

It's a risky calculation for a presumptive Republican nominee who this November would likely go up against Hillary Clinton, a seasoned campaigner who is faring well in the polls and has broad support across her party.

But to Trump supporters like adviser Paul Manafort, shrugging off hostility from party insiders is something Trump can afford to do.

"The important thing to remember is the national titular head of the party is the nominee of the Republican Party," Manafort said. Trump "just won that overwhelmingly, faster than anybody in Washington thought and running as an outsider against Washington. So, his agenda is the people's agenda."

Trump moved from presidential front-runner to presumptive nominee last week when he crushed rival Ted Cruz in the Indiana primary, and Cruz dropped out of the race.

Ahead of a private meeting Thursday with House Speaker Paul Ryan, Trump used several televised interviews that aired Sunday to knock Ryan and other influential Republicans, along with a nomination system he says is "totally rigged."

Trump said Ryan "blindsided" him by declining to endorse him. He called South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham a "lightweight," and suggested Republicans Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush wouldn't back him because they were sore losers after their own failed presidential bids.

The New York billionaire seemed to be sending a message to party critics who are withholding support or planning to skip the convention.

"I don't think (the party) actually has to be unified" in the traditional sense, he said.

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