Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus said Friday that presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump understands the need to change how he speaks about marginalized groups.
Trump has labeled Mexicans "rapists" and "killers," and has proposed a blanket ban on Muslims entering the United States. He also plans to round up and deport the 11 million undocumented residents living in the United States.
"If people don't think you like them, they're not going to vote for you," Priebus said at a breakfast hosted by Politico.
"Do Hispanics think Donald Trump likes them?" asked moderator Mike Allen.
"I think there is work to do," Priebus replied. "There's work on tone to do."
Priebus said he has spoken to Trump about his incendiary language, and that the candidate "understands it. He gets it. I think you're going to see the change in tone."
Priebus' prediction came one day after Trump tweeted out a bizarre Cinco de Mayo greeting that some people viewed as offensive.
"He's trying," Priebus said when asked about the tweet. "Honestly, he's trying." This response elicited laughs from the audience of mostly journalists.
Editor's note: Donald Trump regularly incites political violence and is a serial liar, rampant xenophobe, racist, misogynist and birther who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims -- 1.6 billion members of an entire religion -- from entering the U.S.