Republican position regarding GOP nominee Donald Trump creates confusion

I am having some difficulty comprehending the position of Republican candidates regarding their presidential nominee, Donald Trump.

As I understand the nominating process, the majority of voting Republicans have said, in effect, that Donald Trump best represents the beliefs and values of the Republican Party. Now, some Republican candidates are trying to distance themselves from Mr. Trump (e.g. Justin Fareed, et. al.). Are they saying that Mr. Trump doesn’t represent Republican values or that their nominating process is invalid or that the nomination was “rigged”?

If the chosen representative of the Republican Party doesn’t represent the Republican Party, then who does, and how was that representative chosen, and what are those beliefs and values? I don’t think that I am alone in confusion over this situation, so possibly some representative of the Republican Party could enlighten me, and others as well.

This story was originally published October 29, 2016 at 7:34 PM with the headline "Republican position regarding GOP nominee Donald Trump creates confusion."