Donald Trump has not forgiven the Republican primary opponents who have declined to support his bid for president.
“They signed these really, really powerful pledges. If you read them you would’ve said, ‘Wow, that was a really good lawyer that drew that up,’ ” Trump said in an interview on Newsradio 970 in Tampa Bay, Fla.
{mosads}”And they didn’t back — and, you know, I don’t know how they live with themselves in one way, because they have to live with themselves and also when they have to run sometime in the future, I think it would be very difficult for them.”
Republican primary candidates signed a pledge vowing to support the eventual nominee, and Trump said in the interview that he would have honored the pledge had he not secured the GOP nod himself.
“We had some people that signed pledges, and they signed the pledge and it basically says that, ‘I swear that if such and such gets in that we will back him,’ and I would have had to back them,” Trump said, as reported by CNN.
“And I would’ve done that. I wouldn’t have thought about it.”
Former 2016 GOP White House hopefuls who have refused to endorse Trump include Ohio Gov. John Kasich, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.).
“I, [name], affirm that if I do not win the 2016 Republican nomination for President of the United Sates I will endorse the 2016 Republican presidential nominee regardless of who it is,” reads the 62-word pledge, which Trump initially refused to sign.
“I further pledge that I will not seek to run as an independent or write-in candidate nor will I seek or accept the nomination for president of any other party.”