Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump acknowledges he spoke with the chairman of the Republican National Committee by phone this week, but he’s disputing the characterization that he was lectured for his recent comments on illegal immigrants.
What both the Trump campaign and the RNC are admitting publicly: the Republican candidate and RNC chairman Reince Priebus spoke by phone Wednesday about the 2016 race and the topic of his comments on immigration came up.
But Trump blasted the “totally false reporting” suggesting Priebus told him to “tone down” his rhetoric, as The Washington Post and other outlets reported. Instead, Trump maintains the conversation was more positive and casual.
Totally false reporting on my call with @Reince Priebus. He called me, ten minutes, said I hit a “nerve", doing well, end!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2015
For more than three weeks now, Trump has taken heat for saying in his announcement speech that some illegal immigrants from Mexico are rapists who bring drugs and crime into the United States.
The New York Times interviewed Trump and reported that he “did not dispute that at some point in the conversation, Mr. Priebus asked him to soften his rhetoric.” He also said Priebus “knows better than to lecture me.”
RNC spokesman Sean Spicer told the Times: “The chairman had a private conversation with Mr. Trump, as he does with all of our candidates pursuing the nomination,” said Sean Spicer, a senior aide at the Republican National Committee, who said Mr. Priebus was returning Mr. Trump’s call from last week. “It spanned several areas, including his recent comments about illegal immigration. The call lasted no longer than 20 minutes.”