In a surprise appearance, Republican National Committee Chair Reince Priebus introduced GOP candidate Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania, showing supporters the party is standing behind Trump despise the media reporting otherwise.
“Don’t believe the garbage you read,” Priebus said, introducing Trump. “Let me tell you something: Donald Trump, the Republican Party, all of you, we’re gonna put him in the White House and save this country together.”
The surprise appearance in Erie, PA came at the time amid reports of 70 high profile Republican officials of the #NeverTrump movement, calling for the RNC to redirect funding away from Trump campaign to invest in down-ballot Republican candidates instead.
Priebus praised Trump during his short five minute introduction to a crowd of over 9,000 at the Erie Insurance Arena, touting the GOP candidate while slamming his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton.
“Here’s the difference — Donald Trump and Mike Pence will tell the truth. They’ll protect your Second Amendment rights. They’ll protect our southern border,” Preibus said. “Look at the choice we’ve got. Hillary Clinton has a problem with lying. She lied. She lied. And she lied over and over and over again. She lied when she said she turned over those work-related emails. She lied when she said nothing in these emails was confidential. She lied when she said she only only one device.”
The crowd began chanting “lock her up!” in which Priebus responded to the crowd chants.
“Let’s do this,” Priebus said. “Let’s beat her in November.”
Once introduced, Trump praised the RNC and the chair for the joint effort working his campaign in regards to fundraising and the tough battle he faces as a Republican to the road to the White House.
“Reince has done such an amazing job and the media is portraying him slightly inaccurately,” Trump said. “The head of the Republican National Committee has done such a great job. We’re friends. We work together. We work with a lot of other people and I have to say we have great unification. Now, every once in a while, you read about somebody that wants to be a rebel, so they can get a little free publicity for themselves.”
“Republicans have a tougher path,” Trump said, acknowledging he is facing a difficult electoral path. “Not my fault. It’s a tougher path for presidency.”
Regarding the remark that both Hillary and President Obama are the founders of ISIS that has taken over the media headlines this week, Trump told the crowd that he was being sarcastic.
“When I said that Obama — and of course I’m being sarcastic. And they know that. Because after I said that, I said he’s the MVP,” Trump said. “So I said ‘the founder of ISIS,’ obviously I’m being sarcastic — but not that sarcastic to be honest with you.”
On his former rivals who refused to endorse his presidency candidacy, Trump lashed out, telling them to get over it and to acknowledge the pledged they promised to honor, adding the pledge was created for to keep Trump in line and he would have kept his word and honor it had he lost the nomination.
“Some of them just can’t get over it, — Get over it,” Trump said. “We were just having fun. You signed a pledge to endorse whoever won the nomination.”
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