RNC boss Reince Priebus vows Trump will 'bring it all out' in attacks on Hillary to make election close and says party was too soft on Obama in 2008 – but says The Donald's Muslim ban is 'not something that our party believes in'

  • Head of the Republican Party says GOP didn't 'hit hard enough' against Obama in 2008
  • Brushes off top GOPers who are skipping party convention, says people 'make their own choices' 
  • Lauds Trump for ham-handed gesture reaching to Hispanics by eating taco bowl – 'Honestly, he's trying'
  • Floats idea of monetizing primary debates after networks rake in cash over televised slug-fests

By Geoff Earle, Deputy Us Political Editor For Dailymail.com

Published: | Updated:

Republican Party chairman Reince Priebus says Donald Trump is going to keep the election close through withering attacks on Hillary Clinton – and insists that the hard-hitting candidate will 'bring it all out' by dredging up any unsavory material from in Clinton's past.

'If there's one person that knows how to bring all of that out in a way that people can understand, it's Donald Trump,' Priebus told Politico's Mike Allen in a televised interview just days after Trump became the GOP's presumed nominee.

'And he's going to do it, too. He's going to bring it all out and unfortunately for Hillary Clinton, it's not going to be very comfortable, because she's got a lot to answer for,' Preibus said.

'I think he will win and I think that you've got to look at Hillary Clinton and she's got a lot to answer for,' Priebus said, when asked if the election would be a blowout. 

Trump will 'bring it all out' and make Hillary 'uncomfortable,' says RNC chair

As Allen tried to move on in the interview, Priebus interjected. 

'Can I add one thing to that? Because sometimes in our party we get criticized because we don't don't hit hard enough. We didn't talk about Bill Ayers. We didn't talk about some of the things that had happened in Barack Obama's life in 2008,' he said, referring to the Weather Underground leader who was linked to Obama in media reports during the campaign.

'I don't think that Donald Trump's going to have a hard time bringing out some of the things that are going to be very not good for Hillary Clinton,' he said.

Priebus spoke a day after reports that FBI investigators probing Clinton's email scandal had interviewed Clinton's close aide Huma Abedin, an indication that the candidate herself might get interviewed soon.

Trump himself has vowed to bring up Bill Clinton's infidelities if Hillary Clinton goes after him as a sexist, and has even mentioned Whitewater and other 1990s-era controversies. 

Ay caramba! Priebus says of Trump's Taco Thursday tweet: 'He's trying.'

Ay caramba! Priebus says of Trump's Taco Thursday tweet: 'He's trying.'

Look out! Priebus suggests GOP was too soft on Obama in 2008 and won't repeat mistake in 2016

Look out! Priebus suggests GOP was too soft on Obama in 2008 and won't repeat mistake in 2016

Priebus spoke during a tense time for the GOP, as leaders and party members grapple with how to handle the Trump phenomenon. The Wisconsin native had a major role pursuing a post-2012 autopsy that identified the need to reach out to younger and minority voters in order to avoid long-term structural problems, only to watch Trump vault to the nomination with his call to deport illegal immigrants and ban Muslims from entering the U.S. 

In a gesture acknowledging the pickle he finds himself in, Allen presented Priebus with a bottle of Baileys cream liquor. It was a reference to a comment Priebus made during the fractious primary that, 'I haven't started pouring Baileys in my cereal yet, but I've certainly considered it.'

'Now where's the Lucky Charms and the bowl?' Priebus quipped. 

Drink up: Priebus joked during the primaries about pouring Baileys in his breakfast cereal

Drink up: Priebus joked during the primaries about pouring Baileys in his breakfast cereal

Asked about Trump's Cinco de Mayo tweet Thursday that featured a photo of the candidate digging into a tortilla bowl, Priebus said, 'I didn't see it I heard about it.'

Pressed, he responded: 'Uh He's trying. Honestly. He's trying. I honestly think he understands that building and unifying and growing the party is the only way we're gonna win and I think he gets that.

Asked about the Muslim ban, which the candidate has stood by in recent interviews, Priebus said: 'It's not something that I believe in or our party believes in ... we are the party of the open door.'


'We're talking about long term commit to Hispanic, black communities, Asian communities, every community in between,' he said.

Asked if it was now Trump's party, Prieubs said: No, it's the Party's party. The party is, was, and will remain the Republican Party of the open door, freedom, opportunity and equality.' He added: 'Our platform will remain much the same as it is right now.'

He tamped down reports that Trump was taking over the party, and that RNC officials had told staff to leave if they can't tolerate Trumpism. 'They have no intention of taking over anything,' he said.

He spoke a day after House Speaker Paul Ryan said he is 'not ready' to support Trump. 

Priebus expressed openness to Trump's idea -- first floated in an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com – off jazzing up the convention. Trump said the last one was boring.

Priebus tweeted that Trump was the 'presumptive' nominee after Trump won Indiana

Priebus tweeted that Trump was the 'presumptive' nominee after Trump won Indiana

'I like the idea of having more of a fun convention,' said Preibus, before raising concerns about costs.

Then he floated the idea of making networks pay for primary debates – which became a cash cow this year amid huge interest in Trump and the elections.

'Should media outlets be making tens of millions of dollars on a product that the Party should own?' he asked. 'Both parties should get together and figure out what the answer to that question is,' he said, comparing it to the NFL's lucrative contracts with TV. 

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