Donald Trump is causing something of a problem for Republican leaders.
Party sources leaked to reporters at The Washington Post and NBC News on Wednesday that Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus spent nearly an hour on the phone with the newly minted Republican candidate, asking him to “tone down” his anti-immigrant rhetoric.
Trump’s rambling announcement speech last month called Mexican immigrants “rapists” and drug dealers, even though his empire of hotels and golf courses is largely built on immigrant labor. Since then, Trump has doubled down, saying he has nothing to apologize for and predicting that he will go on to actually win the Latino vote.
The remarks have since landed him in hot water, with NBC canceling his reality show and Macy’s ending their relationship with him. The Republican party didn’t go so far as to condemn the remarks, instead opting for saying publicly that the remarks were “not helpful” and apparently privately telling Trump to pull back on his fiery rhetoric.
But Trump announced on Twitter Thursday morning that the conversation between him and Priebus didn’t go as media outlets are reporting, and that Priebus actually offered support.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/619135211121561600
In an interview with the Washington Post on Thursday, Trump elaborated on the call, saying it only lasted 15 minutes and it wasn’t until the end that Priebus gently suggested he tone it down. “Then, in closing, he said, ‘You know, if it would be possible, maybe you could tone it down just a little bit, but you are who you are, and I know you have to do what you have to do.’”
Trump added, “It wasn’t a lecturing-type call. He’s going to lecture me? Give me a break.”
By trying to deal with Trump privately rather than publicly condemning him, they are ceding the public narrative to Trump. The result is, at best, a decidedly mixed message to Latino and immigrant voters.
Some high-profile Republicans, including fellow 2016 contenders Ted Cruz and Chris Christie have actually gone so far as to praise him. Trump is also experiencing a spike in the polls, suggesting that his anti-immigrant rhetoric is resonating with the Republican base rather than turning them off. Right-wing pundit Ann Coulter is giving Trump high praise, saying that the Republican party should only worry about white voters anyway.
This sudden rush of support to Trump wasn’t the Republicans’ original plan. A 2012 “autopsy” report after the election expressed concern that Republicans were struggling with voters of color. The initial pushes by candidates like Marco Rubo and Jeb Bush were set up to appeal to Latino voters, with Bush even advertising that he spoke Spanish at home.
It actually echoes the Republican handling of inflammatory anti-abortion rhetoric in 2012, with Republican officials reluctant to condemn candidates like Todd Akin or Rupert Murdock and instead opted for private counseling sessions with Republicans to offer advice on how to speak about women.
Update:
Updated with Trump’s interview with the Washington Post.