So much for party harmony.
The Bush family is "part of the past," Paul Manafort, Trump campaign chairman, told reporters Monday morning and do not "reflect the broad strokes of the Republican party."
Gov. John Kasich of Ohio, a Trump primary season rival, is not planning to show up. That’s embarrassing, Manafort said.
Then again, he added, "The party is unifying."
Former Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush are not attending the convention. Trump insulted Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida, throughout the primary season.
"Certainly the Bush family, while we would have liked to have had them, you know, they are not…they’re part of the past," Manafort told a news conference to kick off the convention. "I mean, we are dealing with the future.
"We are dealing with the issues that relate to the future and so while we'd like to have them, they do not reflect the broad strokes of the Republican Party,” Manafort added.
Kasich’s schedule has him in Cleveland part of this week, but not at the convention.
"I was asked, is it embarrassing that the governor is not participating in the convention? I said it is, but he doesn't want to participate," Manafort said. "We didn't make that decision; we invited him. We wanted him to participate and he chose not to. And we think that was a wrong decision."
David Lightman: 202-383-6101, @lightmandavid
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