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GOP Establishment Finally Warming Up to 'The Donald'?

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Both in front of the crowds and behind the scenes, GOP front-runner Donald Trump is continuing to build support.

On Thursday night, 18,000 people came out to Costa Mesa for the business mogul's first rally in California.

"You people – you're going to be sick and tired of winning," he told the crowd. "You're going to say, 'Please, we can't take it anymore. You're winning too much.'"
 
Following the rally, several hundred rowdy protesters blocked the streets and waved Mexican flags, forcing police on horseback to push them back.
 
But their numbers were small compared to Trump's supporters. And it's not just everyday voters that Trump is winning over. A growing number of establishment Republicans are warming to the billionaire.
 
On Thursday, two House Republican committee chairmen -- Reps. Bill Shuster and Jeff Miller-- announced their support. The Hill reports that regular meetings between House lawmakers and Trump aides have become must-attend events.

"A month ago when we started, there were a lot of empty seats. Today it was packed," Trump backer Rep. Tom Reed, R-N.Y., told The Hill.

"The realization is that Donald Trump is going to be our nominee," Reed said. "We're coming to the end of the process; it's time to unite the party and take on Hillary Clinton."
   
The news comes amid a growing sense of trouble for Sen. Ted Cruz, who has hoped to unite Republicans against Trump.

On Thursday, former House Speaker John Boehner said Cruz was difficult to work with in Congress, likening the Texas lawmaker to Satan incarnate.

"Lucifer in the flesh," the former speaker said. "I have Democrat friends and Republican friends. I get along with almost everyone, but I have never worked with a more miserable son of a b--ch in my life."
   
Meanwhile, Trump gained more strength after he crushed his opponents in the northeast primaries Tuesday. He now has 994 delegates -- less than 250 away from the number he needs to win the nomination.
   
On Thursday, a national Hispanic leader spoke in defense of Trump.  

Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC), told CBN News that he disagrees with Trump's rhetoric on immigration but believes he can work with him to create a solution.

"Donald Trump is not a racist," Rev. Rodriguez said.  "That's just hyperbole. That's hyperbole from the liberal media for the purpose of attempting to paint a fascist, sort of racist moniker on Donald Trump that I do not believe is accurate whatsoever."
   
With comments like that, Trump may be able to show he can reach out to new voters.
   
If he continues to win more primaries and gain more support from Republican leaders, some analysts believe he could begin to unify the party in the weeks ahead.

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About The Author

Heather
Sells

Heather Sells covers wide-ranging stories for CBN News that include religious liberty, ministry trends, immigration, and education. She’s known for telling personal stories that capture the issues of the day, from the border sheriff who rescues migrants in the desert to the parents struggling with a child that identifies as transgender. In the last year, she has reported on immigration at the Texas border, from Washington, D.C., in advance of the Dobbs abortion case, at crisis pregnancy centers in Massachusetts, and on sexual abuse reform at the annual Southern Baptist meeting in Anaheim