Is Trump imploding too soon?

[Poiuyt]

Some Republican leaders are starting to retract endorsements for Trump or are at least denouncing what he has said or what he stands for. I've never seen so many politicians and/or conservative pundits openly criticizing their candidate for president.

Do you think that the calls for Trump to change will have any effect? Will he soften his tone enough to bluff his way into the presidency? After all, most Americans haven't started paying attention yet. Or will Republicans become so disgusted with him that they find a way to make someone else the nominee?

I'm a little worried that this is happening too early, and that Republicans will be able to make adjustments. Trump has never been one to swallow his ego and apologize for his statements or actions, and I sincerely doubt that any Republican "Anyone but Trump" movement could be successful at this stage of the game. But I would still have liked to see this implosion occur a little later.

[geek tragedy]

1. nah, they're stuck with him nt

[villager]

2. Actually, I think anything that makes for a more vicious GOP convention is for the good. nt

[liberal N proud]

3. I really want him to make it to the Convention

Then they are F U C K E D!

[MosheFeingold]

44. There are a lot of calls

For the delegates to "vote their conscience" (whatever that means to a modern Republican).

I would be only moderately surprised if there is a delegate revolt and Trump is not the nominee.

If they were smart, they'd pick Rand Paul. He's a smart, likeable, guy. Funny. Quirky. Appeals to millennials.

But they are stupid and will pick either Cruz (because he controls the base) or Scott Walker (because he is part of the Republican establishment).

[3catwoman3]

51. Wouldn't one have to...

...have a conscience in order to vote it?

[tanyev]

4. I think "too soon" would have been while there were still credible alternatives in the race.

Any way the chips fall from here on out is going to be pretty ugly.


For the GOP.

[Bucky]

27. I think you miss the OP's point. "Too soon" means too soon for us to win, not for him to recover

I wouldn't want to be the house, or the White House in this case, on the assumption that Trump is incapable of self correcting. Counting on your opponent's fatal flaws is pretty dumb strategy. I certainly hope that it's not Clinton's.

[tanyev]

48. I think you miss my point.

The damage to the GOP is already done. Say they find a way to maneuver around Trump and replace him with--who? One of the losers who couldn't stir up enough excitement to win the nomination the first time around? Paul Ryan? Mitt Romney?

Even if someone is found who the few remaining sane Republicans could feel good voting for, then they'd have to deal with a pissed off Trump and all his pissed off supporters. That would be an exciting GOP convention for sure.

And yes, I do think Trump is incapable of consistently presenting himself in a manner that reasonable people would describe as presidential.

[emulatorloo]

5. He has no impulse control. Implosion is only beginning, I think.

[Doctor Jack]

21. Exactly

The media keeps saying "Trump will start to rein himself in and he is going to begin to look more presidential". No! 1000x no, its not going to happen! The guy is batshit insane and completely unhinged. Anyone that thinks Trump is suddenly going to do a 180 and start acting like a normal human doesn't understand that he can't control the crazy. Maybe he has moved on from the racist rants about this judge (thats a big maybe) but something else will come along in a week or so and the whole process will start over again. He's going to call someone a "colored person" or say that women belong in the kitchen or have a screaming tirade against filipinos or throw a rock at a reporter. If anyone thinks "ok now he is going to start to get organized and calm down" they haven't been paying any attention. We are just in a short lull before the next stream of diarrhea begins to flow out of his mouth.

[Bucky]

33. Even psychotic patients have been shown to respond to external corrective stimuli

Trump's an egomaniac, but clearly not "batshit insane". He's got narcissist complex, but has clearly made strategic corrections in the past. Banking on him not being able to do this now with such a big carrot is irresponsible thinking. This election will be close. Clinton has gone after him and his first response to her was lame. That doesn't mean he won't improve, hone his attacks, or double down on his slandering her with everything from Vince Foster to Benghazi to the emails to the Goldman Sachs speeches.

I see too much on DU where we're slipping from "can do" into "can't fail" territory. That's dangerous.

[3catwoman3]

53. When he mocked the...

...physically disabled reporter, he showed that he has no filter, no censor, no self-control. He has done and said many things that show how unsuited he is to be POTUS, but that was particularly reprehensible. Kindergartners know better.

[Doctor Jack]

54. Exactly. I know 5 year olds that are more polite and professional than trump

And more worldly too. Without exaggeration or hyperbole, I have several patients that are 5 or 6 years old and I honestly have had more mature and mutually respectful conversations with them than I could ever have with Trump. I could see meeting trump and him demanding that I get him an apple juice or some shit.

[3catwoman3]

56. I'm a pediatric nurse practitioner, and have...

...seen thousands of 5 year olds in my about-to-be 40 year career. Most of them are delightful. Trump is like a 2 yr old who is overdue for his nap.

[Doctor Jack]

57. Hats off to you

40 years in nursing? You may be the person I respect the most on this board now. My mom, sister, two aunts, and a grandmother who are nurses. Toughest job I have ever encountered. Good on you

[3catwoman3]

58. Why, thank you!

I got my bachelor's in nursing way back in 1973, and quickly discovered that bedside nursing was not where I wanted to stay, so after 18 months, I pursued the nurse practitioner path. It was a good decision.

My now 94 yr old mom retired from school nursing in her early 80s. Her mom was a nurse as well - ran away from home at 15 and enrolled in nursing school.

[PJMcK]

6. Your concern has merit

Donald Trump is outside of the RNC's control and he probably doesn't care what Republicans are saying about his racist remarks. Frankly, I think Mr. Trump is so deluded by his hubris that he doesn't understand that what he's said is racist. Like you, my fear is if he crashes too early, the Republicans might be able to field another more competitive candidate.

All along I've thought that Team Clinton has been doing their opposition research on Mr. Trump and I'm certain it's an arsenal of staggering proportions. Donald Trump is a disgusting slob of a human being who cheats his business partners, cheats on his wives and girlfriends and lies to everyone who'll listen to him. The skeletons in his closet are enormous and I hope Secretary Clinton's campaign will have a steady barrage of attacks against Mr. Trump. I think they've held their fire because they know it's too early. We'll see.

[RobinA]

20. You Say He's

a racist like that's a bad thing, electorally speaking. And he's not deluded. He's been richly rewarded for being the racist jackass he is. Why would he stop? He'll change his tune when/if it occurs to him that he has to and not before. So far it's served him well.

[leftynyc]

26. It served his needs perfectly

with the mouth breathing imbeciles that vote in republican primaries. That's not how to win a general election and it appears nobody has been able to convince him of that yet.

[PJMcK]

30. You're a skeptic!

Are you suggesting that Donald Trump's overt racism will ultimately garner him additional votes? If that were true, why would Republicans be freaking out about his comments? They seem to be very worried about the effects of his words. But part of me shares your snarky cynicism (wink).

His delusion is not related to my charge of his racism. He's deluded because he is not in touch with the real world. Yes, he's got a lot of money, but he'd have a lot more if he hadn't failed as much as he has. But he can't acknowledge that he failed; it's always someone else's fault or the rules were unfair to him. Actually, an analysis of his history by one of the business publications has shown that if he merely took the money his father gave him and invested it in mutual funds, he'd have made more money than he has with all of his "great plans." That's the unrealistic thinking of a delusional personality.

When you suggest that he'll change his tune when it's expedient, I say he's already done that numerous times:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1017376186

As far as his actions serving him well, all I can say is he's damaging his brand with his racism and misogyny. Numerous companies won't do business with him any more and even his golf courses are losing tournaments and events because they can't get sponsorships. In sum, I don't think this will end well for Mr. Trump and I couldn't be happier to be watching the show.

[Bucky]

35. A tailoring that to a better messaging will be to his benefit.

I hate to watch so many Dems rely on the stupidity of our opponent. This still looks like 1988 to me.

[Poiuyt]

50. You're right, and that's scary

He's gotten to where he is because he's a racist bigot, not in spite of.

[TwilightZone]

7. I think they're stuck with him.

Ironically, they made changes to SDs in 2015 that actually make it harder to get rid of him.

[kentauros]

8. You often see local candidates running unopposed.

Has that ever happened in a Presidential election? Because, maybe it could

[RoccoR5955]

15. Yeah.

Read your history. George Washington was unopposed!

[kentauros]

22. That -was- the only one who came to mind.

Just wondering if there had been any others

[Doctor Jack]

23. So did James Monroe in 1820

And in 1824, only the democrats ran candidates (4 of them). No other party fielded a presidential candidate that year.

[ghostsinthemachine]

9. Yes he is.

Shame, I wanted him to get the nomination and then destroy him. But he jumped the gun and is destroying himself earlier. So now we will have a clean Rep candidate, one who hasn't been through the campaign to deal with.Had it been after the convention, there would be much time to get a candidate and his (being a Republican it would be a he) message out or much time to do opposition research on him..

[cyberswede]

11. ...and pretty much anyone will look reasonable, comapred to Trump. nt

[firebrand80]

10. He's had many chances to "change"

and hasn't done it yet.

I guess it's theoretically possible, but he hasn't given any evidence to suggest he will.

Even if he does, he's put too much out there to use in attack ads that will make sure people don't forget.

[NewJeffCT]

29. Agreed

Trump has a good brain after all, and knows he's smarter than everybody.

[tblue37]

55. I think a lot depends on whether the media,especially TV and radio, cover up for

him or exposes him. The media helped him a lot, and they helped destroy all the other GOP candidates. He was, as Les Moonves crowed, great for their bottom line.

Now, though, they are beginning to expose him, and if they keep it up, they could destroy him.

[tallahasseedem]

12. I hope not...

I wouldn't put it past the RNC to put up a new candidate during the convention. HOWEVER, given that the "base" did elect Trump, this could backfire.

Nevertheless, I hope not.

[sufrommich]

19. "could backfire"? His goons will riot if he's denied

the nomination. The GOP is stuck between a rock and a hard place.

[Arkansas Granny]

13. He might be able to bluff his way into the Republican candidacy, but Hillary will mop the floor with

him. Just imagine what that first debate will be like. Hillary taking questions and keeping her cool and Donald having his usual tantrums on stage. It will be a sight to behold.

[Doctor Jack]

24. He always looks like a sweaty mess during the debates

His face is red and drenched in sweat, his "hair" is sticking up all over the place, his suits are always ill-fitting and his ties are too long. He is a disgusting specimen to look at.

[bemildred]

14. Good question. nt

[Proud Liberal Dem]

16. The Republicans were barely able to stage-manage Palin in 2008

I have no clue whatsoever what they plan to do with Trump this year but the idea that they can groom him into a "model candidate" seems far fetched to me.

[NewJeffCT]

34. good point

and, maybe we can get Palin and Trump out on the campaign trail together more often.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

37. Would not be surprised

To see him pick her as VP. If any two people deserve each other it's them.

[NewJeffCT]

41. I did hear somebody in the Trump campaign say

that Trump would not pick a woman or a minority as VP because it would be seen as pandering. Of course, that was last week, so it could have changed a few times between then and now, and could change a few more times by the time the RNC comes around.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

47. I could see him doing it

Just to try to inoculate himself from charges of sexism (albeit unsuccessfully). Palin is past her expiration date for most of the GOP. But, of course, Trump is full of bad ideas.

[Logical]

17. I predict he will not be the nominee. They want him out. Nt

[sufrommich]

18. Trumps natural state is implosion. It's not like his massive

ego is going to behave itself for any more than brief periods of time. This will be normal for his campaign, either until he loses or the GOP stages a coup at the convention.

[Doctor Jack]

25. He's been the presumptive nominee for a few weeks

and he is already at his breaking point. And he hasn't been running against anyone during that time! The election isn't for 5 more months. I'm sure he will be catatonic by labor day.

[sufrommich]

36. I don't doubt that the GOP knows that too. He's a textbook case

of an easily riled and hyper defensive narcissist. I'd be willing to bet that the Hillary campaign has some psychologists working on the most potent ways to get under his skin too. The GOP are screwed.

[Doctor Jack]

38. Just wait until this team joins as a united force against Trump

[sufrommich]

39. It's going to be awesome.

[AuntPatsy]

28. It's possible, the coup rumor is not a rumor

[jberryhill]

31. He's imploded ten times now already. I'm sure he's got more where that came from

The guy bragged about the size of his dick in a presidential debate, and accused a moderator of menstrual issues.

Do you really think, like the crazy GOP leadership, that "Oh, he'll stop doing that and settle down"?

[Bucky]

42. Remember how he made nice with Megan Kelly?

For all his implosions, he's still on track for November. Sure the odds are in our favor. Sure Clinton has come out swinging and has plenty of ammo to hit him with. The fact is, neither Trump nor the RNC has really unloaded on Clinton with the full smear--partly because they've been busy on each other and partly because she is who they've been wanting to run against. I'm certain the rest of 2016 won't look like this past week. They will hit Hillary hard on a dozen issues that you and I think are silly as shit but still manage to turn out the voting crazies and depress the potential swing voters. Clinton still needs to win over us Bernistas (I'm in, but too many of my 20-something friends still see her as just as corrupt). Keep a puke bucket by your computer desk. This is going to be a really ugly 5 months.

[jberryhill]

45. It's going to be a looooong couple of months of inane hogshit for sure

[underpants]

32. Everyone is paying attention. Everyone is talking about him and have been for months

It's hard not too. He's on TV constantly.

[Bucky]

40. "soften his tone enough to bluff his way into the presidency"

I think that's plausible. That's certainly the smart strategy, if you mean calibrate his inflammatory language more carefully. Certainly that's the challenge of whoever the RNC is sending to his camp--sell the idea to Trump that he quit alienating swing voters without triggering his inner spoiled toddler. At some point, Trump will be close enough to the goal that he might start to listen to reason. And then, yes, he will change his tone ever so slightly.

The idea, expressed by most DUers in this thread, that Trump is mentally incapable of adjusting to circumstances reveals a dangerous over confidence on our side.

[jberryhill]

46. They married him, hoping he would change

To change one's personality - to genuinely change who you are - takes an awful lot of work, and you have to want to do it.

He's "mentally capable" of doing a lot of things, but this runs at a more core level than simple intellect or even mere desire.

[GaYellowDawg]

60. He's probably not mentally incapable.

But he is almost certainly emotionally incapable. His behavior has been reinforced by everyone around him for a very long time. He really is like a spoiled child. He will not fundamentally change. And if he gets annihilated in the general election, he will blame it on anyone, everyone, but himself. I mean, can't you just hear him saying, "I ran the greatest campaign. I was the best Republican candidate ever! But all the lies and the rigged system cost America the chance to be great again!"

Tiger just can't change his stripes.

[doc03]

43. Don't think it is over the media will revive him they need a horse race

for ratings.

[former9thward]

49. There is zero evidence he is imploding.

This is a year where endorsements don't mean anything.

[spanone]

52. he can't change the ass that he is....

[GaYellowDawg]

59. Thing is, he's already on record.

He's said a LOT of incredibly stupid stuff and has doubled down on it. Plus the man can't help himself. No matter what his handlers tell him, at some point, Trump's gonna Trump. And it will happen often because he is so narcissistic that he'll think he's doing incredibly well.

[Rex]

61. Not at all the sideshow is just warming up.

We haven't seen anything yet, just wait Trump is going to go Full Dictator by November.