Trump pivots to general election fight as last rival Kasich set to bow out:
Donald Trump pivoted Wednesday to an expected general election brawl with Hillary Clinton, as he watched the political bramble in his path to the Republican nomination clear away entirely – with last remaining rival John Kasich set to join Ted Cruz in suspending his campaign.
Fox News has learned the Ohio governor plans to exit the race Wednesday afternoon.
Trump, now the presumptive nominee and no longer facing the prospect of a bruising open convention, has effectively crushed any lingering bids to halt his outsider primary campaign, which has defied the odds and political convention ever since his entry into the race less than a year ago.
Trump turns next to the weighty task of uniting a fractured party and told Fox News Wednesday morning he plans to focus on November.
“We’re going to unify the party,” he said. “I think we’re going to beat Hillary Clinton.”
The coming weeks will test Trump as he recalibrates his campaign – and potentially his tone – in preparation for that fight. While one recent poll gave him the edge over Clinton, most have shown Trump trailing her in hypothetical general election match-ups.
He told Fox News he’s building up staff and vetting potential running mates as he prepares for November.
“I’m considering a lot of people [for running mate], to be honest,” he told Fox News. “We want to have great at every level.”
In a shift, Trump also said he “most likely” will look to raise money for the general election, though he said it would be more for the party and congressional candidates than for himself. Such a move could help ease tensions with other wings of the party, whose leaders have been sharply divided over Trump’s rise since the beginning.
Trump also told The New York Times that his VP selection committee will include former rival Ben Carson.
