Donald Trump would like House Speaker Paul Ryan’s support but he doesn’t need it. That was the message that son Eric brought to Fox News Wednesday night.
“He has more votes than any Republican in any primary, you know, ever. I mean the guy’s done an incredible job. He really has grown the party. He has brought the party together, for whatever that’s worth,” the younger Trump said.
“And, listen, if he doesn’t have the speaker’s vote and if he doesn’t have the, you know, his will or whatever it may be, we’ll go on. And those people will continue to march behind my father.”
Last week, Ryan said he was not yet ready to support Trump, even though the businessman’s two remaining GOP presidential rivals, Ted Cruz and John Kasich, exited the race. Ryan is scheduled to sit down with Trump on Thursday.
“Would it be nice? Yes,” Eric Trump added. “Is the ultimate goal to beat Hillary Clinton? Yes. That’s everybody’s goal. No one wants her to be president. It’d be an absolute disaster. So everybody should band together and they should march forward. If he doesn’t have it, will life go on? Absolutely.”
Host Megyn Kelly prodded: “What if [Ryan and company] want him to change? What if they want him, you know, ‘We don’t like what you said about Planned Parenthood. We don’t like what you said about trade.’ What if they want that?”
“He probably won’t,” said Eric Trump. “He speaks from the heart, all right. He’s not bought by anybody. He’s self funded his own campaign thus far. He’s got his own ideas and those ideas obviously are resonating with people because he’s winning, so I’m not sure how much he will change.
“I mean are there little things here and there? Yeah, possibly. But my father carries real conviction with him. He carries real belief with him. Obviously the people are lined up behind him. So he’s going to go to these meetings, no question, with open arms. But he wants to win.
“Is it smart for the Republican Party to embrace it? I mean, it’s over. He’s the nominee. Is it smart for them to embrace it? Of course it is. But we’ll see tomorrow,” Eric Trump concluded.
