Donald Trump has accused GOP’s leaders of conspiracy, saying they do not want him to win the presidential nomination.
The system was “stacked” against him, the Republican frontrunner said in New York, accusing the Republican National Committee (RNC) of conspiring against him.
Donald Trump’s comments come after his rival Ted Cruz was awarded all the delegates in Colorado without a state-wide vote.
He leads the race but may fall short of getting enough delegates to get the nomination outright.
That would lead to a contested convention in July, where delegates are free after the first ballot to back whom they want, opening the door for Texas Senator Ted Cruz or even the third candidate in the race, John Kasich.
The Washington Post reported on April 13 that Ted Cruz is likely to win on a second vote, because he has persuaded so many delegates to vote for him when they are “unbound” to vote as pledged.
However, Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus rejected Donald Trump’s charge that the rules in states like Colorado had been changed in response to his rise in the polls.
Reince Priebus tweeted that the nomination process had been well known for more than a year.
“It’s the responsibility of the campaigns to understand it. Complaints now? Give us all a break.”
Asked at a town hall event in New York whether the RNC wanted him to win, Donald Trump said: “No, I don’t think so. I really don’t.”
He has been criticized for not campaigning hard enough on the ground in states like Colorado.
However, Donald Trump said delegates who wanted to support him were being pushed out by the RNC.
“They don’t like when I put up my own money because it means they don’t have any control of me because I’m working for the people,” he said.
Most states have opted to hold state-wide primaries or caucuses to determine the number of delegates pledged to a particular candidate.
However, Colorado decided last summer to select its delegates in a different way, at its own state convention.
The state-by-state primary contests come to New York next week where a high number of delegates will be up for grabs.
Several senior Republicans have expressed opposition to Donald Trump winning, doubting his ability to win a general election and disagreeing with his hard line on immigration.
The property tycoon has broken an earlier pledge he made to support whoever the Republicans nominate, therefore refusing to rule out a third-party run.
Donald Trump has said there will be “riots” if he is not chosen as the party’s nominee, having headed to the convention with the most delegates.
