Donald Trump's vice-presidential candidate Mike Pence appeared to split with the Republican nominee on Wednesday by endorsing House speaker Paul Ryan in his primary election, a day after Mr Trump said he was not yet ready to do the same.
Although Mr Pence told Fox News that he backed Mr Ryan with Mr Trump’s blessing, the move underlined the increasingly fractious split in the party.
Last week Mr Pence issued a statement calling Captain Humayun Khan an “American hero” following Mr Trump’s criticism of his parents.
As Mr Trump insisted all is well with his campaign, Republicans grow increasingly worried about a candidate who seems to have gone permanently off-track.
Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus is reportedly among a handful of high-profile Republicans considering whether to confront Mr Trump about his approach to his presidential campaign.
“There is great unity in my campaign, perhaps greater than ever before,” Mr Trump tweeted on Wednesday.
But in recent days, as Mr Trump has continued to pursue a feud with the parents of Captain Khan, pointedly refused to endorse Mr Ryan and 2008 presidential nominee John McCain in their primary elections and suggested that November’s election would be rigged, his conduct has led to reports that top Republicans may be attempting an intervention.
Aggressively pushed
The Trump campaign aggressively pushed back against the reports, with spokesman Jason Miller boasting on Tuesday: “Our campaign just finished our strongest month of fundraising to date, we’re adding talented and experienced staffers on a daily basis and Mr Trump is turning out bigger, more enthusiastic crowds than
Hillary Clinton
ever could.”
According to the Associated Press, Mr Priebus may join a small group of well-respected Republicans to confront Mr Trump in the coming days.
The group may include former House speaker Newt Gingrich and former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, both Trump allies. Mr Priebus has already been speaking with campaign manager Paul Manafort and the billionaire's children, who are said to agree that Mr Trump needs to stop picking fights within his own party and back off his criticism of the Khan family.
Guardian Service