US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said on Tuesday he had no plan to change his temperament as he was grappling with his sagging poll numbers following recent feud with a family of a fallen Muslim American soldier and leaders within his own party.
"I think that my temperament has gotten me here," Xinhua cited Trump as saying in an interview with Fox Business Network.
"I have always had a good temperament and it's gotten me here. We beat a lot of people in the primaries and now we have one person left, and we're actually doing pretty well there, but we'll see how it all comes out," he added.
Rupture between Trump and the Republican leadership resurfaced after Trump derisively answered criticism from Khizr Khan, the father of the soldier killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq.
During the Democratic National Convention held in July, Khan blasted Trump for his divisive remarks and proposal to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the country and divisive tone and implored voters to vote for Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee.
Trump responded by implying that Ghazala Khan, who accompanied his husband on stage on the final day of the Democratic National Convention, was forbidden to speak by his husband.
Backlash to Trump's comments came in swiftly from both parties, with the press office of House Speaker Paul Ryan, the highest-ranking US Republican officeholder, releasing a scathing statement without mentioning Trump's name that denounced "a religious test for entering our country."
"Many Muslim Americans have served valiantly in our military and made the ultimate sacrifice. Captain Khan was one such brave example. His sacrifice -- and that of Khizr and Ghazala Khan -- should always be honoured. Period," said the statement.
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