Staffers at the Republican National Committee have been instructed to leave by the end of the week if they don’t support presumptive nominee Donald Trump, according to a report Thursday.
According to an article in New York Times, some RNC staffers "were told Wednesday that if they were unable to get behind the nominee, they should leave by the end of the week." A spokesman for the party quickly dismissed the report, calling it "not true."
More like it's just not true https://t.co/82p82LpPK7
— Sean Spicer (@seanspicer) May 5, 2016
The Times report also indicated that Republican Party members, including elected officials and donors, have sought to cope with Trump’s presumptive nomination in the the wake of his competitors’ departure from the race.
Following Trump’s significant win in Indiana Tuesday evening, Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas), the business mogul’s chief competitor, suspended his campaign. Ohio Gov. John Kasich followed suit soon after.
RNC chairman Reince Priebus encouraged party members to rally around Trump’s candidacy following the results Tuesday, labeling him the "presumptive GOP nominee."
Still, lawmakers and party leaders have resisted Trump’s controversial campaign. Mitt Romney, the 2012 GOP presidential nominee, has publicly rebuked Trump, labeling him a "phony" and a "fraud." Romney intends to skip the July Republican convention in Cleveland where Trump will be officially nominated, the Washington Post reported.
Former Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush plan to skip the GOP convention like Romney, Politico reported Thursday. Both have also said that they will not endorse Trump for the nomination.
Sen. Ben Sasse (R., Nebr.), who is vocally opposed to Trump, penned a nearly 1,500-word open letter on Facebook Wednesday in which he called for an "adult" and "honest leader" as an alternative to Trump and likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in the general election.
According to the Times, roughly 20 out of the 70 Republican governors, senators, representatives, officials, and donors contacted about Trump in recent days have responded in some capacity to the requests. Many of those who did respond--directly or through aides--neglected to take a position on the frontrunner.