After locking up the Republican Party’s presidential nomination, Trump promised, and GOP elites believed, he would act “more presidential.” He would now tone down the hateful rhetoric used to vanquish his 16 primary opponents. He would stop his brutal attacks against Hispanics, blacks and women. He would somehow unite the party.
The most powerful elected Republican, House Speaker Paul Ryan, bought the line, as did many powerful members of the donor class.
The new softer, gentler Trump never emerged, however. He has stuck to the same maliciousness used during the primary campaign.
In a new ABC News/ Washington Post poll, Trump’s previously high unfavorable ratings shot up to a new staggering level: 70% of Americans have an unfavorable view of the Republican nominee.
The poll, conducted June 8-12 among 1,000 adults, showed 77% of women held an unfavorable view of the purported “billionaire.”
Trump also had devastatingly high unfavorable ratings among African-Americans (94%) and Latinos (89%).
With numbers like those, Trump stands no chance of winning the presidency.
Why would Trump continue his divisive ways? Why wouldn’t he take the advice of his party’s elders and pivot into a more appealing general election candidate?
The answer is obvious. He does not want to be president. Or more preciously, he knows he cannot be elected president.
I believe what Trump is doing, now that he’s hijacked the Republican Party, is using it as a vehicle to lay the groundwork for a new political party he will head. The party will be made up of mostly white, angry, blue-collar voters. The White Nationalist Party might be a suitable name.
Trump is not adopting a more measured tone as the GOP presidential nominee because he does not want to alienate his ardent followers who will stick with him no matter what. They like their man just the way he is: irreverent, obnoxious, bigoted, politically incorrect and dictatorial.
It is hard to believe but the purported Republican presidential nominee has been able to seriously play Republicans for the suckers they are.
Photo | businessinsider.com
John, No surprise at all. Drumpf has given these TeaPublicans a voice. Whether they split off or not will be the death of the GOP as we use to know it. I would expect some of the more moderate Republicans would join the Dems, but the majority actually will be left with no party and will just be independents or libertarians. Drumpf will of course take credit for the destruction of the GOP.
I can envision Trump as the leader of a new party, the White Party, after his devastating loss. The GOP will go back to its old self… conservative, billionare-friendly, right wing party. But not bigoted as much as Trump’s new party.
Makes perfect sense to me. The other possibility is that Trump keeps acting the way he does because he is a pure egotistical, mentally deranged idiot.
Yes, he could just be an irrational egotist.