Trump says no plan to change temperament

Republican US presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks to the Trask Coliseum at University of North Carolina in Wilmington, North Carolina, US, August 9, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

WASHINGTON - US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said on Tuesday he had no plan to change his temperament as the bellicose New Yorker 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," said Trump in an interview with Fox Business Network. "I've 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."

Rupture between Trump and the Republican leadership resurfaced after Trump derisively answered criticism from Khizr Khan, the father of the solider killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq.

During the Democratic National Convention held late 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 U.S. 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 honored. Period," said the statement.

In a gesture of defiance, Trump initially refused to endorse Ryan and Senator John McCain, another leading GOP lawmaker and vocal critic of Trump, for their reelection bid for congressional seats.

Trump endorsed both men on Saturday, one of several steps to get his campaign back on track after recent polls showed that the edge of Clinton over him had been widened.

According to the RealClearPolitics national polling index, Clinton now leads Trump by 7.5 percent nationally, while at the end of July, the two stood even at 44.3 percent of support.