A man who knows the GOP Establishment from the inside confirmed Monday the Republican elites are out to trip up Trump and warned the GOP nominee to avoid their duplicitous traps.

“I firmly believe a lot of these folks do not want to see the man elected,” former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele said Monday on “The Laura Ingraham Show.” “I know for a fact because I’ve been in conversations with people who say, ‘Well, we can lose this one and get it back in four years.'”

“If Donald Trump plays less to the traps that are set for him, he can lock this thing down.”

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Steele, who was the former lieutenant governor of Maryland and also the RNC chair from 2009 to 2011, is familiar with these GOP elites and their hesitancy with Trump. As RNC chair he brushed shoulders with the party’s top donors, power-brokers, and consultants — the same people who have the most to lose from an anti-status quo Trump presidency.

Steele’s comments came on the heels of a fresh round of faux outrage from Establishment figures in the party.

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“I cannot emphasize enough how deeply I disagree with Mr. Trump’s statement,” Sen. John McCain said Monday of Trump’s escalating back and forth with Democratic National Convention speaker Khizr Khan. “I hope Americans understand that the remarks do not represent the views of our Republican Party, its officers, or candidates.”

Khizr Khan, who son was killed in action in Iraq in 2004, spoke at the DNC last week and heavily criticized Trump for his comments concerning Muslim immigration. Trump fell for the Establishment bait and poised the question of “Why Khan’s wife was present for the speech but didn’t speak?” The incident let the media and the Clinton campaign assert Trump didn’t care about the sacrifice of the son and for GOP elites to distance themselves from their party’s nominee — whom they are hoping fails.

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The list of who exactly among the ranks of GOP elites are hoping for a Trump collapse were not hard to find Monday — they were quick to condemn Trump’s gaffe.

“While our party has bestowed upon him the nomination, it is not accompanied by unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us,” McCain said, according to The Hill.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell also jumped at the chance to distance himself from Trump.

“All Americans should value the patriotic service of the patriots who volunteer to selflessly defend us in the armed services. And as I have long made clear, I agree with the Khans and families across the country that a travel ban on all members of a religion is simply contrary to American values,” McConnell wrote in a statement.

Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, and Susan Collins of Maine all followed suit, along with Ohio Gov. John Kasich and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

These Republican “talking heads” are a major roadblock to Trump’s success, according to Steele.

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“Both the Democrats and our political Establishment are conflating these issues around Donald Trump to further a negative narrative,” Steels said.

He cautioned that going forward Trump needs to watch for political traps set by the elites and sidestep them to keep the heat on Clinton.

“If Donald Trump plays less to the traps that are set for him, he can lock this thing down,” Steele said, “Donald Trump is an asymmetrical candidate who will push back and will push back hard.”

Steele said the bipartisan effort to doom Trump from the Establishment means the grassroots needs to do more than ever to get his potent message of change out — above the fray.

“What we need to do is help him, support him, and try to avoid those obvious tracks. And push that message that I think is a very powerful message on freedom and economic opportunity because that’s what the country is looking for right now,” Steele said.