CLEVELAND – U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot, the Westwood Republican, has no problem with Donald J. Trump as his party's standard bearer.
But he believes the man who will almost certainly officially become the GOP's nominee tonight at Quicken Loans Arena should have accepted the NAACP's invitation to speak at its annual convention this week in Cincinnati.
"I think it would have been the right thing for him to do; it would have helped his candidacy too,'' the Westwood Republican told WVXU.
Trump certainly should have accepted the NAACP invitation, Chabot said, because his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, spoke to the group Monday at the Duke Energy Convention Center.
"I understand he's busy; he's preparing to be nominated as the Republican Party's candidate for president, and that would keep anybody busy,'' Chabot said. "I think it was a real mistake."
Chabot himself made a speech to the group Sunday night – right before Ohio Gov. John Kasich addressed the NAACP crowd.
"It was a good experience,'' Chabot said. "I think Trump should have been there."
