One of Donald Trump’s key strategists said the presumptive GOP presidential nominee will unify the party behind his agenda before the convention in Cleveland.
Paul Manafort said on “Fox News Sunday” that Trump wants the country unified behind him, but the first step will be uniting the Republican Party against Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton. While many top Republicans have refused to support Trump, Manafort says he expects them to fall in line.
“It’s a healing process and it’s a process that will happen over time,” he said.
Ahead of Trump’s highly-anticipated meeting with Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wis., this week, Manafort said Trump plans on having Ryan’s support, but he doesn’t think Trump is beholden to his agenda.
Manafort said Trump is now the leader of the Republican Party, having won the primary by millions of votes.
“His agenda has just been cemented as what Republicans and independents who voted for him want,” he said.
Host Chris Wallace also questioned Manafort about Trump’s comments on Clinton and her marriage with former President Bill Clinton on Saturday in Washington.
Trump said Bill Clinton is one of the worst abusers of women in the history of politics and Hillary Clinton is an enabler who destroyed the lives of the women her husband “abused.” When Wallace asked what Hillary Clinton did to destroy those women, Manafort did not answer.
“Donald Trump has made it very clear that he’s not going to allow hypocrisy on the women’s issue,” he said.
Wallace stopped Manafort and asked him directly what Hillary Clinton did to destroy women. Manafort, seeming unsure, said he’ll let Trump answer.
“The history is clear, she’s been an enabler in the past, I’ll let him speak to those issues,” Manafort said.
