‘Believe it or Not,’ Trump Has ‘Regret’
"Particularly where it may have caused personal pain"
Donald Trump stepped out of character at a rally Thursday night when he admitted regret over certain comments he’s made during his presidential campaign.
“Choose the right words or you say the wrong thing. I have done that. And believe it or not, I regret it,” he told a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, The Associated Press reported.
“And I do regret it. Particularly where it may have caused personal pain,” the Republican nominee added.
Trump opened his remarks with: “I’ve never been politically correct, it takes far too much time.”
“Too much is at stake for us to be consumed with these issues, but one thing I can promise you this — I will always tell you the truth,” he said.
On Wednesday, the Trump campaign announced its second major staff shake-up. Amid polls that showed the real estate mogul struggling in key states, the campaign promoted adviser Kellyanne Conway to campaign manager and added Breitbart’s Stephen Bannon as campaign chief executive.
He also sent condolences to victims of the recent flooding in Louisiana.
“We are one nation. When one state hurts, we all hurt. And we must all work together to lift each other up,” he said to the cheering crowd.
He tweeted out a similar sentiment Friday morning.
We are one nation. When one state hurts, we all hurt. We must all work together – to lift each other up. pic.twitter.com/XoDkW5X3Wy
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 19, 2016
Trump and running mate Indiana Gov. Mike Pence plan to visit the state later Friday, CBS News reported.
Democratic rival Hillary Clinton did not seem to be buying Trump’s words of contrition.
“Donald Trump literally started his campaign by insulting people. He has continued to do so through each of the 428 days from then until now, without shame or regret,” spokeswoman Christina Reynolds said in a statement, according to the AP.
“We learned tonight that his speechwriter and teleprompter knows he has much for which he should apologize. But that apology tonight is simply a well-written phrase until he tells us which of his many offensive, bullying and divisive comments he regrets and changes his tune altogether,” Reynolds said.
