The head of the Republican National Committee says he is up to the task of bringing his party together following what has turned into one of its most divisive nominating contests.
Reince Priebus told the Washington Examiner’s “Examining Politics” podcast that he sees his role as chairman of the GOP as a complicated one. Priebus acknowledged the need to be a unifying force while simultaneously protecting the party.
“I have to constantly balance the need for us to unify with the need for me to protect the party along the way, and that sometimes can be complicated,” Priebus said.
Despite past criticism from presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump that the party’s nominating system is “100 percent crooked,” Priebus said he prides himself on spending the past four years fighting for what he considers fair rules that respect the will of its members.
“I find it ironic that the same people that don’t want the RNC and the big bad D.C. party to dictate, now want the party to dictate,” he added.
As he looks to bring the party together, Priebus’ larger challenge is to provide the apparatus for his party to successfully take on its Democratic opponent.
Infrastructure, he recognizes, failed to match the organizational prowess and strength of the Democrats during the 2012 election. In the aftermath of Mitt Romney’s loss, Priebus believes the party has seen a “miraculous turnaround over the last six years.”
As a result, Priebus said Trump will be able “to tap into something that Mitt Romney could only dream about today.” While voicing frustration with the divisiveness of the 24-hour cable news cycle, Priebus sees the GOP in a much better position to turn out the voters who are “not watching the news everyday.”
As his party continues to wrestle internally with the reality of Trump being its standard-bearer, Priebus is confident that the Republican convention in July will lack the fireworks pundits have been expecting.
“The sting that some are anticipating from a national convention is not going to be there,” he said.
