A senior adviser for the Romney campaign hinted on Monday that despite the cancellation of the day's events at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, controversial celebrity Donald Trump may yet play a role.
Trump, who flirted with a presidential campaign last year, spoke at a press conference in the Tampa area on Sunday but does not have a speaking slot at the convention.
The Washington Post reported on Monday that Trump had been slated to stage a "surprise" publicity stunt on the floor on Monday, apparently at the request of the Romney campaign.
Romney adviser Russ Schriefer told reporters that the cancellation of Monday's program doesn’t mean Trump is out of the picture. "Just because he’s not here doesn’t mean he’s not going to be showing up,” Schriefer said.
Associating itself with Trump, who wrongly but continually questions whether President Obama was born in the United States, is a curious move for the Romney campaign. The “birther movement” has been discredited by fact-checkers and a vast majority of voters, including Romney and many Republicans.
Romney drew backlash when he joked last week during a campaign rally in Michigan, “No one’s asked to see my birth certificate.”
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