SKIP TO MAIN CONTENT

Trump wants Republicans behind him

More Republicans in the US Congress are saying they will not attend the party convention and are not endorsing Donald Trump's candidacy.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Source: AAP

2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Skip to article content

Donald Trump has railed against some Republicans planning a last-ditch effort to try to thwart him from becoming the party's nominee, threatening to stop fundraising if Republicans don't rally around him.

Speaking at a theatre at the Treasure Island hotel on the Las Vegas strip, Trump referred to "an insurgent group" trying to deny him delegates at the party's July convention.

"Now you have a couple of guys that were badly defeated and they're trying to organise maybe like a little bit of a delegate revolt," he said.

"I thought they already tried that."

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Trump pushed back against such efforts several times during his speech, claiming they were somehow "illegal" and then dismissing them as a media-generated fabrication.

"It's all made up by the press," he said. "It's a hoax, I'm telling you."

While Trump dismisses the effort as invented, more Republicans in Congress are saying they will not attend the party convention and are not endorsing his candidacy.

Meanwhile, a movement exists among some conservative delegates and operatives to change party rules to allow a different nominee, though it's a longshot effort lacking sufficient backing and a candidate to offer up at an alternative.

Indeed, Trump wondered aloud who his opponents would pick as a replacement, a problem that has plagued the "Never Trump" movement for months.

"Who are they going to pick? I beat everybody. But I don't mean beat - I beat the hell out of them," he said.

Trump has continued to face resistance from Republicans who have voiced increasing concern over his inflammatory rhetoric. And he appeared increasingly frustrated on Saturday, saying, "It would be helpful if the Republicans could help us a little bit."

The billionaire businessman also threatened that, if Republicans don't come together, he was prepared to stop fundraising and go back to largely self-funding his campaign.

"I'd love to do it," said Trump.


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world