Hume: GOP Leadership Wants to Back Trump But He, ‘Continues to Make It Hard for Them’

On this weekend’s broadcast of “Fox News Sunday,” network senior political analyst Brit Hume said Republican leaders have a desire to get behind Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump but added he “continues to make it hard for them.”

Partial transcript as follows:

WALLACE: Well, Brit, I think it’s fair to say that Ryan’s endorsement of Trump could not have been more tepid. There was no joint appearance. There was no talk about campaigning together. And, since then, he’s already called out Trump for his attack on that judge in the Trump University case. So what does the endorsement mean for Trump, for Ryan and for Trump’s – for, rather, Ryan’s goal of trying to hold on to the House Republican majority?

BRIT HUME, FOX NEWS SENOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Tepid though it was, it does signify the desire of Republican leaders, and Republicans in general who are in politics, to get behind Trump. And they are all looking for an excuse or a reason or a way to do that. And Trump continues to make it hard for them. I mean no sooner does the Ryan endorsement come than the next day he makes – approximately at that time, he makes this incendiary attack on this judge, which, you know, clearly bordered, in the eyes of so many people, an outright racism. And so next thing you know, there’s Ryan saying, well, I – you know, I have – I don’t want any part of that. You heard Newt Gingrich denounce it as well today as completely unacceptable. These are all people that are trying to move in Trump’s direction.

Trump has this funded opportunity afforded by his earlier than expected locking up of the nomination to use the time to build his case against Hillary Clinton and to bring the – his party behind him. He seems to be squandering that opportunity by these outbursts that come that are out of phase with the idea of unifying his party and making him appealing – an appealing character to a larger base.

Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN

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