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Trump Slams Top GOP Leaders, Tells Ryan 'This Is What the People Want'

Trump Slams Top GOP Leaders, Tells Ryan 'This Is What the People Want'
Donald Trump (Photo by Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

By    |   Friday, 06 May 2016 07:00 PM EDT

Donald Trump drove a wedge further between himself and top Republican leaders — from House Speaker Paul Ryan, Jeb Bush and former President George W. Bush, to Sen. Lindsey Graham — for refusing to support him.

Addressing a rally in Omaha, Neb., Trump reminded his supporters that it was Ryan — whose name triggered loud boos from the crowd — that urged "We're supposed to be coming together."

"Paul Ryan, I don't know what happened," he said to his jeering supporters. "I don't know. He called me two, three weeks ago, it was a very nice conversation, he was congratulating me, this was before we had the ultimate victory — but he was congratulating me on doing so well."

"I figured routinely he'd be behind it and the other day in a big surprise," he said, referring to Ryan's public refusal to support Trump yet.

In a separate interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos that'll air on "This Week" Sunday, Trump said he's got a strong message to Ryan when they meet on Capitol Hill next week.

"I'm gonna say, 'Look, this is what the people want,'" he tells Stephanopoulos. "I really think I earned the support from the people. You know, we've gotten more votes than anybody in this position that's ever run for the office."

At his Omaha rally, Trump was just as unforgiving about the snub from former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

"I'm not surprised at the Bush family… because I'm critical of what happened during [George W. Bush's] term," Trump said. "Jeb we hit hard. … what people don't say is that he hit me hard."

"He spent $14 million on negative ads, so people will say, 'you weren't nice to the Bush family.' The guy spent $14 million in negative ads," Trump complained.

Trump was harshest, however, on his former rival from South Carolina.

"He leaves the primary campaign a disgrace — he can't represent the people of South Carolina well," Trump said of Graham.

"He goes on television knocking me all the time. It's hard to believe I win everything in a landslide. This guy goes on television and talks about 'I know more about the military than Trump. I've been dealing with it for years.'

"Yeah for years, that's why we can't beat ISIS… We need new thinking. So he fails with his campaign horribly."

He also took a swipe at former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who dropped out of the primary early — but has now endorsed Trump.

"He got up, remember he went to Washington and made a speech for half an hour about Donald Trump?" he asked. "He said I'm a cancer on the Republican Party."

But, Trump added, Perry in his endorsement, "said [I was] one of the most talented or brilliant or something candidates ever to run for the presidency, in the history of the presidency."

"So you have that statement and then you have this statement," he said. "This is a big difference, that's a big gap, but I appreciate it, and I like Rick Perry, and he's a good man, and I appreciate that he did that."

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Politics
Donald Trump drove a wedge further between himself and top Republican leaders — from House Speaker Paul Ryan, Jeb Bush and former President George W. Bush, to Sen. Lindsey Graham — for refusing to support him.
trump, slams, republican, leaders, omaha, rally
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2016-00-06
Friday, 06 May 2016 07:00 PM
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