By , ,
Published January 12, 2017
The newest stop-Trump movement, reportedly backed by hundreds of delegates, also has reignited the feud between the presumptive Republican presidential nominee and supporters of his defeated primary rival Jeb Bush.
Over the weekend, Donald Trump made fresh accusations against Bush, claiming the former Florida governor is behind a developing effort to keep him from securing the nomination at the party convention in Cleveland next month.
“By the way, Jeb is working on the movement, just so you understand,” Trump said. “I love competition like that. I love it.”
Former Bush campaign spokeswoman Kristy Campbell shot back on Twitter, calling Trump’s “unending obsession” with Bush “really unhealthy.”
Tim Miller, former communications director for Bush’s campaign and co-founder of the America Rising PAC, told FoxNews.com Tuesday that Trump’s allegations are far-fetched.
“It’s another ridiculous conspiracy theory from Trump,” he told FoxNews.com.
Despite the dueling claims over who's driving the movement, what’s becoming clear is that there is one -- even after several botched attempts by anti-Trump conservatives to derail his bid.
The Washington Post first reported last week that a new campaign to deny Trump the Republican nomination was picking up steam. According to the Post, nearly 400 delegates attending the Cleveland convention are supporting a plan to derail Trump’s ambitions.
The plan is for the group of anti-Trump delegates to change party rules to include a “conscience clause” that would allow delegates to vote for whomever they want at the convention regardless of which candidate won the state primary or caucus.
Organizers like Kendal Unruh, co-founder of the group Free the Delegates, admits that the plan to strip Trump of delegates could further divide an already fractured Republican Party, but says that it’s worth it.
“Short-term, yes, there’s going to be chaos,” Unruh told The Washington Post. “Long-term, this saves the party and we win the election. Everything has to go through birthing pains to birth something great. We’re going to go through the trauma of the birthing pains, but the reward will be worth it.”
Republicans supporting the movement are miffed at a number of missteps and comments Trump has made in recent weeks, including an attack on a federal judge’s Mexican heritage, a push for gun control and his doubling down on a ban to prevent Muslims from entering the United States.
Any such push, though, threatens to stoke a backlash from the millions who supported Trump in the primaries -- and from his supporters on the ground at the convention site in Cleveland.
Trump has called attempts to siphon his delegates “totally illegal” and a slap in the face for people who voted for him.
RNC aides have downplayed the movement to change the rules, with some calling it “silly.”
Meanwhile, the Trump campaign itself is changing.
On Monday, Trump split with campaign manager Corey Lewandowski following an apparent power struggle between Lewandowski and campaign chairman Paul Manafort. Trump is now actively fundraising -- after a dismal May fundraising report -- and is hiring new staffers as he prepares for the general election.
Trump’s poll numbers also have taken a hit in recent weeks.
A Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday shows Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presumptive nominee, took an 8-point lead over Trump in the swing state of Florida.
According to the same poll, a sizable majority in Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania say Trump’s comments about Judge Gonzalo Curiel’s Mexican heritage were “racist.”
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dump-trump-push-revives-feud-with-bush-camp