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Bob Dole Supports Trump Because of 'Obligation to the Party'
Friday, June 10, 2016 12:41 PM
By: Joe Crowe
Bob Dole said he is supporting Donald Trump as the Republican nominee for president out of "obligation to the party."
Dole, a former senator and Republican presidential nominee, said that he recognized the faults of both Hillary Clinton and Trump.
"I know that both candidates are flawed, and Trump has done some things that would curl your hair, things that he shouldn't have said," Dole said in an interview with NPR.
Dole said some Republicans have said they can't vote for Trump, "but I have an obligation to the party. What am I supposed to do? I can't vote for George Washington."
Dole was a U.S. senator from Kansas from 1969 to 1996. In 1976, he ran for vice president alongside Gerald Ford's Republican presidential run. He became the Republican presidential nominee in 1996, but was defeated by incumbent Bill Clinton.
The former presidential candidate also recommended Newt Gingrich to run with Trump.
"He knows the Congress better than anyone, and he also knows policy," Dole said in the NPR interview.
Trump is on the right track now, Dole said, but if he fails to stay there, Dole said, "There is going to be a lot of disappointed people who will stay home and not vote."
Dole said he hopes to provide advice to Trump as a senior adviser, alongside two of Dole's associates who already work with Trump, Michael Glassner and Paul Manafort.
"I've learned a little over the years; it might be helpful," Dole said.
Dole said he believes Trump is discovering the importance of talking about policy in his speeches.
"A sound bite is important, but you've got to have some meat on the bones."
Dole addressed Trump earlier in June, telling the New York Times that Trump has to focus his criticism of Hillary Clinton.
"He has got to catch up," Dole said.
