Billionaire Donald Trump has just left his meeting with GOP Chairman Reince Priebus in Washington D.C. after the colorful Republican frontrunner decided to walk away from the loyalty pledge. The Republican National Committee pushed hard for Trump to sign it last fall. No specific details about the meeting were released, though the relationship has been contentious to say the least (via Politico):
TThe real estate mogul has had a fraught relationship with the RNC, openly flirting at times with a third-party bid and often complaining about mistreatment from the Republican Party in general and the RNC in particular. The RNC has publicly stated that it would back Trump if he clinches the nomination, but has also said it is preparing for the possibility of a contested convention.
Trump was seen entering the RNC’s Capitol Hill building through a backdoor entrance shortly after 2 p.m. ET. The meeting lasted about 50 minutes as a crowd of reporters and gawkers swelled to more than 100. Trump gave a broad wave and a thumbs up to the crowd before his motorcade sped away.
Trump’s visit to the RNC came as he swung back into presidential mode on Thursday, also convening a meeting in Washington with members of his newly established foreign policy team and rolling out his U.S. House Leadership Committee as the real estate mogul tries to build a more sturdy campaign.
[...]
The RNC was tight-lipped about the meeting, with top officials there declining to discuss the huddle between Trump and Priebus. One party official said the fourth floor of the RNC building, which houses Priebus’s office, had been shut down by security shortly before Trump’s arrival.
Trump waves at media while leaving RNC meeting in DC pic.twitter.com/9MksSoe6v6
— Jesse Byrnes (@jessebyrnes) March 31, 2016
.@LukeRussert says on MSNBC he stayed outside RNC for an hour to wait for/confirm Trump was attending a meeting there.
— Hadas Gold (@Hadas_Gold) March 31, 2016
Cable nets show Trump leaving RNC meeting. Doesn't give a statement.
— Catherine Thompson (@KT_thomps) March 31, 2016
Just had a very nice meeting with @Reince Priebus and the @GOP. Looking forward to bringing the Party
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 31, 2016
together --- and it will happen!
UPDATE: Meeting was about the convention, finances, and the general election, according to CNBC:
JUST IN: Trump's surprise meeting w/ RNC today was about convention, financing & general election activities - aidehttps://t.co/eSWud5lmEi
— CNBC Now (@CNBCnow) March 31, 2016
UPDATE II: Trump breaking GOP loyalty pledge could cost him 50 delegates (via the Hill):
When Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he would no longer abide by a pledge that he signed to support the party’s nominee, he may have cost his campaign at least 50 delegates, according to a Time report.
The Republican Party in South Carolina, whose entire 50 delegates were awarded to Trump from his victory in February, required candidates to make the pledge in order to be on the state’s primary ballot. Now that Trump has said that he would break his promise, state party officials are exploring a legal challenge to withhold delegates from him.