Donald Trump: Why the media is mesmerized and Republicans are nervous
Every morning around the country, Republican leaders wake up wondering, 鈥淲hat will Donald Trump do today?鈥�
He鈥檚 roiled the 2016 presidential campaign and its 16 other declared candidates, sucking the air out of the political room with his controversial comments and forcing the others to respond rather than devote time to their own messaging.
Some dismiss Mr. Trump鈥檚 outbursts and critical observations as antics 鈥� all sparkle and flash, minus substance 鈥� to be expected from the billionaire developer and star of his own reality TV show who鈥檚 never held elective office.
鈥淭rump isn鈥檛 and wasn鈥檛 going to get the conservative vote,鈥� Joseph McQuaid, publisher of the Union Leader newspaper in New Hampshire, to The New York Times. 鈥淐onservative Republicans are worried about their party, but it鈥檚 still their party. Trump isn鈥檛 philosophically a conservative, and that will come out.鈥�
鈥淭rump鈥檚 base is more the people who used to have season tickets to the Roman Colosseum,鈥� Mr. McQuaid wrote. 鈥淣ot sure that they vote in great numbers, but they like blood sport.鈥�
Other conservatives aren鈥檛 so dismissive.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not over. And it鈥檚 likely to end badly,鈥� warns Stephen Hayes, senior writer at The Weekly Standard.
Of Trump鈥檚 controversial comment about Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly, widely seen as crude and misogynistic, 鈥淚t鈥檚 a comment that might end any other presidential campaign. Trump is different, in part because this isn鈥檛 a campaign. It鈥檚 an extended media-driven ego ride.鈥�
Pushing the GOP鈥檚 so-called 鈥渨ar on women鈥� may be a good political ploy for Democrats, but the gender gap in party identification and voting trends is quite real. And Trump鈥檚 history of insulting remarks and troubling episodes with women were sure to be recapped following his dismissive 鈥減olitical correctness鈥� answer to Ms. Kelly鈥檚 question during last week鈥檚 debate 鈥� especially since he鈥檚 the party鈥檚 presidential front-runner at the moment. (He鈥檚 nearly 12 percentage points ahead of second-place Jeb Bush.)
"It taps into a perception that's been around for decades now that the challenges that different groups of women face are not front and center for the GOP and that Democrats will take these concerns more seriously," Princeton University political historian Julian Zelizer told the Monitor鈥檚 Gail Russell Chaddock. "Republicans need a response to that."
On the Sunday TV news shows, Trump said his comment about Kelly鈥檚 critical line of questioning 鈥� 鈥淵ou could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever.鈥� 鈥� was misunderstood.
"I cherish women. I want to help women. I鈥檓 going to be able to do things for women that no other candidate would be able to do, and it鈥檚 very important to me," Trump told CNN's Jake Tapper.
As a result of Trump鈥檚 comment about Kelly, Erick Erickson of RedState.com disinvited Trump from the conservative gathering in Atlanta Saturday.
鈥淭here are just real lines of decency a person running for President should not cross,鈥� . 鈥淚t is unfortunate to have to disinvite him. But I just don鈥檛 want someone on stage who gets a hostile question from a lady and his first inclination is to imply it was hormonal. It just was wrong.鈥�
Part of the problem for the GOP: Trump is a registered Republican, but there鈥檚 never been any indication of party loyalty.
Drawing on New York City Board of Elections records,聽 reported that he initially registered as a Republican (in 1987), reenrolled as a member of the Independence Party (1999), became a Democrat (2001), switched back to the GOP (2009), changed his registration to read 鈥淚 do not wish to enroll in a party鈥� (2011), before registering once again as a Republican (2012).
In the GOP debate on Fox News the other night, he refused to rule out running as an independent or third-party candidate.
While Trump may be roiling the GOP, his own campaign has been shaken as well by the latest flap. Top political advisor Roger Stone quit 鈥� or was fired, if you accept Trump鈥檚 version of events.
In a letter to Trump, Mr. Stone wrote: 鈥淵our initial and still underlying message is a solid conservative message. It catapulted you instantly into a commanding lead in the race鈥�. Unfortunately, the current controversies involving personalities and provocative media fights have reached such a high volume that it has distracted attention from your platform and overwhelmed your core message. With this current direction of the candidacy, I no longer can remain involved in your campaign.鈥�
Where do things go from here?
Trump is his own kind of politician, a rhetorical pugilist unlikely to fold or back down in the face of criticism, a man for whom the normal definition of (and typical response to) a perceived 鈥済affe鈥� does not apply. (Note: In 2013, he was inducted into the World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Fame.)聽One does not sense that he really cares if he wins the Republican nomination, that making his points 鈥� say, about immigration 鈥� is enough to satisfy him.
鈥淲hile I suspect that the Trump hype is driven by curiosity more than admiration, there is no doubt some segment of the population is properly understood now as 鈥楾rump supporters.鈥� That segment is small and will be shrinking in the coming weeks, but it won鈥檛 disappear,鈥� writes Stephen Hayes of the conservative Weekly Standard. 鈥淚t鈥檚 foolish to pretend to know how it all ends. But one thing is certain: It won鈥檛 end well.鈥�
