Donald Trump didn’t slip up when he insulted the host city of the Republican convention this week, according to the ex-aide of a GOP speaker. The former president was laying the groundwork in case a judge stops him from attending.
"Milwaukee, where we are having our convention,is a horrible city," he told congressional Republicans at a meeting Thursday.
Almost immediately he tried to backtrack, including on Saturday with a Truth Social post in which he blamed the Democrats for a “fake story.”
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“The Democrats are making up stories that I said Milwaukee is a 'horrible city,” he said.
“This is false, a complete lie.”
However Brendan Buck, the former spokesman for ex-Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican who represented Wisconsin, said Trump was preparing in case his criminal conviction means he can’t attend the convention.
He’s due to be sentenced on 34 charges of business fraud just days before the event starts on July 15, with house arrest or even prison being a possibility.
"I don't think that was an accident,” Buck said on MSNBC Saturday, talking about the “horrible city” remark.
“I think he is very much aware there is either a possibility or a likelihood he will not be able to be there. It may not come to fruition, but it's on his mind.
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“I've been in enough of those rooms where he is rattling around saying a bunch of nonsense, but there's usually something tied to it. Something has gone into his head and he thinks that's a possibility and I think he is trying to lay some groundwork as to why he may not be able to be there.”
He went on, “That's why the only reason I think he would say such a thing is he's trying to lay the groundwork for not showing up.”
Buck pointed out that Trump’s comment could have insulted voters in a key state that’s important for him to win if he’s to return to the White House.
“The constant problem with Donald Trump is that he shoots from the hip, and that always undermined the politics, for in some ways he actually has decent political instincts," he said.
“But he can't help himself by doing things like this and revealing his true character, for he thinks maybe he said it behind closed doors. He says all kinds of crazy stuff like this all the time. … I've been in rooms hearing him say stuff like this to me and it reminds people that is not a very stable person at a time we need strong leadership. He's not really something you can rely on.”