Eliza Collins

USA TODAY

Reince Priebus is giving Donald Trump a T for “trying.”

The chairman of the Republican National Committee was asked by Politico’s Mike Allen during a Playbook breakfast Friday about a strange form of Hispanic outreach yesterday from his party’s presumptive nominee.

Trump tweeted a photo of himself eating a taco bowl, adding: “I love Hispanics!”

Allen read the tweet and then looked to Priebus to respond.

“Uh, he’s trying,” Priebus says to audience laughter. “Honestly, he’s trying and I’ll tell you what, and I honestly think he understands that building and unifying and growing the party is the only way we’re gonna win.”

For his part, Trump saw no issue with the tweet in an interview with Fox & Friends on Friday. Trump pointed to the high number of retweets.

"I had 59,000 retweets, 59,000 in a short period," he said. "That's like almost got to be some kind of a record. People loved it. And you know what? I'm gonna do great with the Hispanics."

President Obama was even asked about Trump's tweet at a Friday news conference, but he didn't take the bait. "I have no thoughts on Mr. Trump's tweets," adding "you can just file that one."

Paul Manafort, a top adviser to Trump, appeared on MSNBC Friday afternoon and continued to defend the tweet. He said he didn't think it was stereotyping and believed it was all in the spirit of the Cinco de Mayo holiday.

"I don't think he was stereotyping an ethnic group at all," Manafort said. "I thought he thought it was all in the spirit of the holiday.”