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Trump Pivots on Tax Plan, Takes Aim at Paul Ryan

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Donald Trump is finding himself at odds again with some of his fellow Republicans, including House Speaker Paul Ryan.

The news comes as the presumptive GOP nominee is re-defining party unity and his position on taxes.
 
In Trump's original tax plan, the highest earners got a break, with the top rate going from 39 percent to 25 percent.  But now the presumptive GOP nominee says, after negotiations with the Democrats, the rate will probably go up.

"I am willing to pay more.  And you know what?  The wealthy are willing to pay more," Trump said.

Trump's pivot on taxes may help to defuse attacks from Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, who's been telling people that the wealthy are the biggest beneficiaries of Trump's tax plan.

Another big challenge for the billionaire: bringing together a fractured GOP that will raise money for him and bring in the votes.  

But publicly at least, he says he has a very different view of party unity.

"Does the party have to be together?  Does it have to be unified?  I'm very different than everybody else, perhaps, that's ever run for office," Trump told ABC's "This Week."

"I actually don't think so. I think that it doesn't have to be unified? No, I don't think so," he continued.

"I think it would be better if it were unified," he added. "I think -- there would be something good about it -- but I don't think it actually has to be unified in the traditional sense."

Perhaps Trump's biggest test right now is his relationship with Speaker Ryan. The presumptive GOP nominee is set to meet with the Wisconsin lawmaker Thursday to hash out their differences.  

Trump has complained that he was "blind-sided" by Ryan's recent refusal to endorse him.  

Adding fuel to the fire, Sarah Palin is slamming Ryan for that move, saying she will work to defeat him in his primary re-election challenge.

"His political career is over but for a miracle because he has so disrespected the will of the people," Palin said.

For his part, Trump says he won't rule out removing Ryan as the chairman of this summer's Republican National Convention.  It's a tough stance to take just days before the two power brokers are set to meet in Washington.

Outside his party, Trump is making clear he will have no problem going after former President Bill Clinton. The threat comes in response to attacks on him about his attitude toward women.

"I think he gets involved when she plays the women card. If he's involved in the campaign he should absolutely, you know, he could be brought into it," Trump said.

"Here's a guy who was impeached because he lied.  He lied," he continued.

"Remember the famous 'I did not have sex with that woman' and then a couple months later 'I'm guilty,' and she's taking negative ads on me!" he exclaimed.

It's all part of the battle for the women's vote, which Trump and Clinton will both need come November.

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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