Trump: ‘Very disappointed’ GOP senator dropped support

by Jordain Carney - 10/20/16 9:14 PM ET

Donald Trump knocked Sen. Rob Portman during a stop in Ohio Thursday, saying he was “very disappointed” the Republican unendorsed him.

“We have a couple of cases where people who aren’t supporting me. They are losing and I’m winning states, and you’ve seen that, that’s all over the place. So, you know, I was very disappointed in Rob, but he is free to do whatever he has to do,” Trump told WMCH, a local NBC affiliate.

{mosads}He added that GOP leaders who have distanced from him are “doing themselves a tremendous disservice.”

“We are actually up substantially in Ohio. We have tremendous support from the people,” he said. “We’re doing fantastically well in Ohio.”

Trump is currently leading Clinton by less than a percentage in Ohio, according to the RealClearPolitics average.

He walked away from Thursday’s interview when the NBC reporter asked him about being called a “racist” and “sexist.”

Portman rescinded his support of the GOP nominee after The Washington Post published a 2005 recording of Trump talking about trying to grope women, calling the remarks “offensive and wrong.”

In addition to Portman, GOP Sens. Kelly Ayotte (N.H.) and John McCain (Ariz.) dropped their support for Trump after the tape went public.

But Democrats have continued hounding the GOP incumbents, arguing they supported Trump for months and are distancing themselves to try to shore up their reelection bids.

Former Gov. Ted Strickland, Portman’s Democratic opponent, knocked Portman for backing Trump during their debate Thursday night.

“He even stood with Donald Trump after Donald Trump said the president was not a citizen,” he said. “So when you hear independence and bipartisanship just remember this: He is the great pretender.”

Portman is currently leading Strickland by nearly 16 percentage points, according to RealClearPolitics.

Tags Donald Trump John McCain Kelly Ayotte Rob Portman