In a freewheeling interview with The Washington Post, Donald Trump shot down reports that Republican Party leaders are trying to contain the fallout from his presidential campaign. He claimed that Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus had, in fact, called him up on Wednesday to congratulate him on his campaign thus far, telling Trump that he had "really hit a nerve." Trump has been in hot water for claiming that Mexican immigrants are "killers" and "rapists."
Trump also had some colorful opinions about the upcoming GOP presidential debate, which Republican officials fear could be hijacked by the brash real estate tycoon. As he told the Post:
"I'm not a debater," he said. "I don't debate. I build buildings, and I grow jobs. These [other candidates] debate every [expletive] night of their life. That's all they do. They talk."
Trump suggested that Mitt Romney spent too much time preparing for debates as the 2012 Republican nominee.
"He became a frozen jelly fish," Trump said. "He spent so much time in prep he couldn't speak." [The Washington Post]
The first GOP debate is scheduled for Aug. 6 in Cleveland.