Trump acknowledges he could come up short in election
Facing criticism over a recent string of controversial statements, a beleaguered Trump admits to difficulties in his campaign and his general election fight against Democrat leader Hillary Clinton.
The Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump appears to be straying from his usual tone as he campaigns in the battleground state of Florida, even telling a gathering of evangelical ministers Thursday he's "having a tremendous problem in Utah."
The same day, he acknowledged that his lack of political correctness could cost him the election if Americans reject his blunt approach.
"We're having a problem," Trump told the ministers, adding that the next president could get to nominate up to five high-court justices. "It could cost us the Supreme Court."
Trump is encountering difficulties as his campaign moves into the general election. Democrat Hillary Clinton's lead over Trump in national polls has widened in recent days, while a growing number of fellow Republicans have declared they won't support their own party's nominee.
Trump cited a poll that showed him a few points behind Clinton but argued that the race between them was close. Asked how he planned to reverse Clinton's advantage, Trump said he simply planned to do "the same thing I'm doing right now."
"At the end, it's either going to work, or I'm going to, you know, I'm going to have a very, very nice, long vacation," Trump told CNBC.
Even while working to restore confidence in his campaign, Trump appeared to court controversy anew when he said late Thursday that he was open to trying Americans suspected of terrorism at the Guantanamo Bay detention center in Cuba. Asked specifically about US citizens, Trump said he didn't like that President Barack Obama and others wanted to try them in traditional courts rather than military commissions at Guantanamo Bay.
"I would say they could be tried there," Trump said. "That'll be fine."
In traditionally GOP-leaning states, such as Arizona, Utah and Georgia, Republicans are concerned Trump's unpopularity could give Democrats an improbable victory. Those concerns are compelling enough that dozens of worried Republicans gathered signatures Thursday for a letter urging the GOP chairman to stop helping Trump and focus on protecting vulnerable House and Senate candidates.
Trump's campaign planned to sit down with RNC officials in Orlando on Friday. But both Republican Party officials and Trump's campaign said the meeting was focused on Florida campaign operations and not tensions between the campaign and the GOP. The officials weren't authorized to comment publicly and requested anonymity.
Trump's candid reflections about his electoral prospects come as he is attempting to keep the focus on his opponent Clinton and avoid distractions.
Earlier this week he caused a major stir with comments about the Second Amendment that were perceived as advocating violence against Clinton, and then faced questions yet again after declaring Wednesday that President Barack Obama was the "founder" of the Islamic State group.
It is comments such as these that Clinton has seized to try to contrast her "serious, steady leadership" with the more "volatile approach" which she says Trump would take in running the country.
"I just do not think insults and bullying is how we are to get things done," Clinton said as she laid out her economic plan Thursday in Warren, Michigan.
