Donald Trump's response after the Orlando gay nightclub shootings left some Republicans worried about him staying on a message they can stand behind.
Politico reports lawmakers are worried that the presumptive Republican presidential nominee won't perform well in a president's role as a national healer after major tragedies.
House Speaker Paul Ryan said, again, that he would not support Trump's Muslim ban, according to
NPR.
"I do not think a Muslim ban is in our country's interest. I do not think it is reflective of our principles, not just as a party but as a country," Ryan said.
Some GOP lawmakers have also apparently tried to distance themselves from the ban. According to
NBC News, Sen. Marco Rubio called the ban "offensive and outlandish."
And many appear to worry that Trump will not keep to the Republican message.
"He just blows up everything we want to do," a senior Republican lawmaker told Politico. "Every time you turn around, he's said something new. It's impossible for us to keep up," the lawmaker said.
After the Orlando attacks, Trump criticized the Obama administration's terror response, and called on the president to step down if he would not use the term "radical Islam." He then appeared to make his proposed Muslim ban a centerpiece for his campaign, according to
New York Magazine.
"Saying nothing would have been better," one member of the Republican National Committee said, according to Politico.
"Every Senate candidate will be forced to answer for Trump's bizarre response. His lack of empathy is jarring," the lawmaker said.
Few Republicans responded when called out by Democrats about Trump's comments. Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker said, "I'm not going to make a career out of responding to every comment and every tweet," he said.
Trump's call for a Muslim ban appears to remain popular with Republican voters. In March, a poll reported by
The Hill showed that 71 percent of Republican voters favored the ban, while 49 percent of independents and 34 percent of Democrats did.
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