There’s been talk around the water cooler that Donald Trump is either on the verge of getting booted by the Republican party as the GOP presidential nominee, or that he may leave on his own accord. All of these ideas are simply rumors at this time. Yet there’s definitely an undercurrent of Republican insiders’ distaste for the real estate mogul. They’re going as far as to label him by his favorite term, a “loser.”
According to the Politico Caucus — a panel made up of activists, operatives and strategists in 11 swing states — 70 percent of the members want Trump to quit the race and be replaced with someone who is closer to the standard definition of the Republican party nominee. Many, including a Florida party member, believe he is impacting other Republican races negatively:
“The effect Trump is having on down-ballot races has the potential to be devastating in November. His negative image among Hispanics, women and independents is something that could be devastating to Republicans. Trump’s divisive rhetoric to the Hispanic community at large has the potential to be devastating for years to come.”
But many of those polled from the caucus believe Trump will not exit the race, since he hasn’t given any indication of doing so. This still doesn’t mean they are not fans of his, and an Ohio Republican understands the severity of the situation:
“Here is the quandary I find myself in. While I would love for Trump to drop out and anyone else to take the mantle, that kind of talk will only harden his supporters. We cannot let them think we stole this from them. There has never been a better example of ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t.’”
Trump bowing out could be disastrous for the GOP. He would put up a fight till the end, his supporters would protest, and the party would have less than three months to get an established candidate set up and running. This is certainly a double-edged sword type of situation — if he loses or drops out, and Clinton wins. But if Trump wins the presidency, he could embarrass establishment Republicans for another four to eight years.
(Via Politico)