The chants of "guilty" and "lock her up" from the Republican convention floor reflect the mood of much of America, Donald Trump’s campaign manager said Wednesday.
Paul Manafort also told reporters that there would be "two main speakers" Wednesday, one by Eric Trump, son of the Republican presidential nominee, and by Mike Pence, Donald Trump’s running mate. Traditionally the vice presidential nominee gets star billing on his acceptance speech night.
Tuesday night, speech after speech Tuesday night bashed Hillary Clinton, highlighted by Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey urging the delegates to holler "guilty" after he’d make an allegation.
Asked about the tone, Manafort told a press conference that the evening had "multiple tones."
He said "there is an anger in the delegates that is out there in America" about "failed
But, Manafort said, "that’s not the tone of the convention. That may be the undertone."
He contended most people are angry that Clinton, due to become the Democratic presidential nominee next week, was not charged in connected with a private email server used while she was secretary of state from 2009 to 2013.
The chant "probably reflects the attitude of a lot of people in America.”
They don’t understand why justice wasn’t done
Paul Manafort at a Wednesday news confernce disussing the public’s view of the Clinton email controversy
The Clinton decision " plays right into the narrative of why things need to change in Washington, There’s special justice for some and it’s not equal justice," Manafort said.
Trump was nominated easily Tuesday, but others, notably Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, got votes. Cruz, who is speaking to the convention Wednesday, has been reluctant to embrace Trump.
"I think he’ll give a sign on where he is on Donald Trump that will be pleasing to the Trump campaign," Manafort said.
Manafort insisted the GOP was unfied.
"The messaging of this convention is dealing with the economic crisis in America, it’s dealing with the crisis of security," he said. "Those aren’t republican red meat issues anymore. Those are issues that reflect all of society."
He also dismissed the notion that Pence is an afterthought. Trump waited 28 minutes during the vice presidential rollout to introduce the governor of Indiana, and dominated Sunday’s joint "60 Minutes interview."
"I’m comfortable that it’s a less awkward situation than I’ve seen in many marriages," Manafort said. He hinted that Trump could join Pence on stage Wednesday night.
David Lightman: 202-383-6101, @lightmandavid
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