Trump blasts ‘failed candidates’ Bush, Graham over loyalty pledge

by Harper Neidig - 05/07/16 2:24 PM ET

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump kept up his attacks on former candidates Jeb Bush and Lindsey Graham on Saturday for their refusal to back him after signing a pledge to support the party’s nominee.

{mosads}During a rally in Spokane, Wash., Trump noted that all of the candidates signed the pledge when he flirted with the prospect of a third-party bid.

“I said, ‘I’ll sign a pledge,’ ” Trump said. “A pledge means something. Jeb Bush, a very low-energy individual, signed the pledge. While he was signing it, he fell asleep, so maybe that’s his excuse. The only reason I speak badly about him is that he speaks badly about me.”

He blasted Graham for also coming out against him this week, calling him a “total dope” and a “lightweight like I’ve never seen.”

“So Jeb Bush is not an honorable person, Lindsey Graham is not an honorable person,” he continued. “Because when you sign a pledge, that’s supposed to mean something.”

Trump also took to Twitter earlier on Thursday to blast the two “failed presidential candidates,” saying they were dishonorable.

Remember when the two failed presidential candidates, Lindsey Graham and Jeb Bush, signed a binding PLEDGE? They broke the deal, no honor!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 7, 2016

Both Graham and Bush announced this week that they would not be voting for Trump or his expected general election opponent, Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton.

The presumptive nominee blasted Graham in a statement on Friday, boasting about his success in the GOP primary.

“I fully understand why Lindsey Graham cannot support me,” said Trump. “If I got beaten as badly as I beat him, and all the other candidates he endorsed, I would not be able to give my support, either.”

All of the Republican presidential candidates signed a loyalty pledge last summer promising to support the party’s eventual nominee. The pledge came in response to Trump’s threat to run as a third-party candidate if he wasn’t treated fairly.

Tags Donald Trump Hillary Clinton Lindsey Graham