“The bottom line is that the RNC is controlled by the establishment and the RNC is controlled by the special interests and the donors. And that’s too bad.
That’s why the Republican party for president has lost so much for so long.”
HANAHAN, S.C.
Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump did not close the door Monday on a possible third-party run after accusing the Republican party of breaking its pledge to stay neutral in the race.
The New York billionaire is upset that
tickets to GOP presidential debates, including one held Saturday in Greenville, have gone to what he calls special interests and big donors. Trump was booed several times during the most recent debate for criticizing other Republican candidates, especially former Florida Gov Jeb Bush.
“The (Republican National Committee) is in default,” Trump said during a news conference at the Hanahan Town Hall on Monday. “When somebody is in default, that means the other side can what they have to do.
“
We have warned them twice and they don’t listen,” he continued. “The bottom line is that the RNC is controlled by the establishment and the RNC is controlled by the special interests and the donors. And that’s too bad. That’s why the Republican party for president has lost so much for so long.”
Out of 1,600 seats available for the debate Saturday, the RNC said: each candidate received 100 tickets; the S.C. GOP and local-elected officials received 550; the RNC received 367; and debate partners — CBS News, Peace Center, and Google — received 100.
The RNC did not have immediate comment on the possibility of Trump mounting a third-party run if he does not win the nomination.
Trump signed a RNC loyalty pledge last year to support the party’s nominee and not mount an independent bid. Trump balked at signing the pledge at first because he feared the Republicans might try to undermine his insurgent campaign.
The reality TV star has surprised pundits by remaining the GOP front-runner for so long. His promises to overturn initiatives of Democratic President Barack Obama and beef up national security have resonated with voters who want a non-politician to tear down Washington politics.
Trump won the New Hampshire primary last week and is the favorite to win in South Carolina on Saturday. He was the runner-up in Iowa. Trump leads nationwide polls as well.
During a speech to several hundred people at a Mount Pleasant hotel earlier Monday, Trump pounced on GOP rivals who attacked him at a weekend debate.
“I have never met people like politicians. They are the most dishonest people I have ever met,” he said. “They lie, lie, lie and then they apologize.”
Trump spent most of the time going after U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, his closest rival in South Carolina.
He blasted Cruz for distorting his stance on the Second Amendment during the debate. Cruz has said Trump would erode gun ownership laws if elected, while Trump calls himself the biggest gun rights advocate in the race.
“I think he’s an unstable person,” Trump said of Cruz.
Trump called Cruz a “bad liar” who stole the Iowa caucus when the senator’s volunteers spread rumors about GOP candidate Ben Carson leaving the race. Cruz won the Iowa caucus.
Trump said the Iowa Republican party should disqualify Cruz’s win “if they had any guts.”
Cruz’s contradictions — touting his religious background while misstating other candidates’ records — is the reason why he is not leading among evangelical Christian voters, Trump said. Trump has been the favorite among evangelicals in South Carolina.
“The worst thing ... is you’re willing to lie about anything and then hold up a bible,” Trump said. “Christianity is being chopped away at. Chopped, chopped, chopped.”
Trump’s appearance came hours before former President George W. Bush’s 2016 campaign debut for his brother, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, in North Charleston.
Trump criticized President Bush during the debate Saturday. Trump noted that he lost hundreds of friends during the 9/11 attacks under President Bush and said no weapons of mass destruction were found after invading Iraq.
Jeb Bush shot back at Trump during the debate: “I am sick and tired of him going after my family. While Donald Trump was building a reality TV show, my brother was building a security apparatus to keep us safe. And I'm proud of what he did. And I'm proud of what he did.”
On Monday, Trump wondered why Bush has not called for help from his brother sooner.
“I think he would have done better,” Trump said. “It’s better than exclamation points,” a reference to Bush’s campaign logo.
http://www.thestate.com/news/politics-government/politics-columns-blogs/the-buzz/article60464171.html