GOP chair: Republican rebellion against Trump is dead

In an interview with The Associated Press published early Saturday, Republican Party Chairman Reince Priebus said the GOP has come to accept Donald Trump as its leader, which would put the party in the fifth and final stage of grief.

"There is no other candidate," Priebus said. "That was one of the problems that this 'Never Trump' issue had last night. Who is the other candidate? What VP nominees are you vetting? We're voting next week — on Tuesday or Wednesday. What money are you raising? Where is this person?" Any attempts at rebellion, he concluded, are "over."

Priebus also defended Trump against charges that his promised pivot into statesmanship for the general election has yet to materialize. Trump's pick of Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate plus increased focus on fundraising and campaign hires "should tell you a lot about his pivot to the general," Priebus said. "This is a person that has never run for public office. It just takes longer to move into that mode."

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