Rnc Chair Reince Priebus Gets Behind Trump

WASHINGTON — Reince Priebus took a clear step toward Donald Trump on Saturday. The Republican National Committee chairman told reporters that Trump had become the party’s best option after his win in the South Carolina primary. Priebus had spent months trying to keep the primary field open and avoid any early coronation. That effort appeared to end once Trump posted another strong showing against a splintered field.

The move marked a shift for Priebus, who had kept some distance from the New York businessman in public comments. Party donors and elected officials had pressed the RNC to slow Trump’s momentum, but the chairman signaled he saw little point in continuing that fight. Several strategists close to the committee said Priebus concluded that blocking Trump would only damage the party’s chances in the fall.

Trump’s campaign welcomed the statement. A spokeswoman said the candidate appreciated the chairman’s “straight talk” about where the race stood. Priebus did not go so far as to call Trump the presumptive nominee, but his language left little doubt that the RNC would now treat the front-runner as the central figure in the contest.

Some inside the committee still worried the decision came too soon. They pointed to upcoming contests in states where Trump’s support looked softer and argued that Rubio or Cruz could still mount a comeback. Priebus dismissed those concerns in private calls, telling allies the math had already turned against the other candidates.

By the end of the weekend, several RNC members who had stayed neutral began to echo Priebus’s line. The chairman’s public stance removed one more layer of official resistance to Trump’s path.