Donald Trump: 'We Have To Bring Our Party Together'

The message is at odds with how the candidate has run his campaign.
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Donald Trump addressed friends and supporters on Tuesday from the ballroom of his Mar-A-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, after winning primary contests in Florida, North Carolina and Illinois.

Trump stressed the need for unity within the GOP, a message that is at odds with most of the insulting, personal attacks he has thrown at fellow Republicans throughout his campaign.

"The fact is, we have to bring our party together," Trump said. "We have something happening that actually makes the Republican Party probably the biggest political story anywhere in the world." While that may be true, many GOP leaders likely wish the party's internal divisions weren't such a big story.

Trump repeated many of the same points he has made during many other speeches. He blamed gridlock in Congress for the problem of corporate inversions, insisting that "you could make a deal on that in 10 minutes if you knew what you're doing."

He also boasted of having spoken to House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, with whom he said he had a "great conversation." Earlier in the day, McConnell told reporters he used the chance to tell Trump to condemn the violence that has come to characterize the reality TV star's political rallies.

"They're not angry people, but they want to see the country properly run," Trump said of his supporters during the speech.

Trump's campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, was positioned at the candidate's right throughout the speech. Lewandowski's prominence surprised some observers, as former Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields alleged last week that he had physically attacked her. She has filed charges against Lewandowski, who has denied them.

During his speech, Trump praised the work of Lewandowski and press secretary Hope Hicks. "Good job, Corey, good job," Trump said.

Midway through his speech, Trump applauded Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who suspended his presidential campaign earlier in the night after losing the primary in his home state to Trump. "He’s tough, he’s smart and he’s got a great future," Trump said of Rubio.

As he has during past rallies, Trump portrayed himself as a victim of "lies, deceit, viciousness [and] disgusting reporters." He did not take questions, despite having billed the event as a press conference.

Trump's dominance in Florida's winner-take-all GOP primary means the real estate mogul walks away with all of the state's 99 delegates.

The candidate also won his party's primaries in North Carolina, which awards 72 delegates proportionally, and Illinois, where he nabbed 24 delegates.

But it was not a perfect night for Trump. Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) defeated him in the Buckeye State, notching its 66 delegates.

Editor's note: Donald Trump is a serial liar, rampant xenophobe, racist, misogynist, birther and bully who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims -- 1.6 billion members of an entire religion -- from entering the U.S.

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