Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus has scheduled a Wednesday call with members of the party as Donald Trump continues to face a tough map with two weeks to go in the election, according to an invitation obtained by CNN.
The Republican National Committee holds periodic conference calls with its members, including one held two weeks ago during which Priebus stressed the party’s “great relationship” with the Trump campaign. Wednesday’s call topic is only listed as “political update.”
Politico first reported the planned call.
Typically, members are not given the opportunity to ask questions on the calls.
The invitation stresses that only members will be allowed on the call and will be required to provide their name, state and code. In the call two weeks ago, Priebus acknowledged that members of the press may have been listening in and the information was widely reported shortly after the presentation wrapped.
That call was held days after a tape of Trump describing sexually aggressive behavior against women on a hot mic surfaced.
The RNC has presented a united front with the Trump campaign since the tape emerged, and as 11 women have stepped forward to accuse Trump of sexual assault or unwanted sexual advances. Trump has denied all of the women’s claims.
Still, Republicans have increasingly stressed over the possibility that Trump is a drag on candidates down the ballot, and GOP Senate hopefuls in vulnerable positions and groups supporting them have made ads emphasizing the importance of electing members to be a check on Hillary Clinton.
A Monday poll from CNN/ORC had Trump down 5 points nationally, and CNN’s Poll of Polls has him down by 9 points. He is also behind in key states, making Clinton favored to win the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House.
The RNC has made a heavy investment in ground forces and resources leading up to the presidential campaign, a process that began long before Trump had declared as a candidate. The Trump campaign has heavily relied on the RNC for that support, lagging far behind the Clinton campaign’s state-by-state infrastructure.
The RNC members consist of a party chair, a committeeman and committeewoman from each state and territory.