The Republicans Need Donald Trump
Desperate Republican officials are clinging to the idea that somehow, by a miracle, the Republican Party can detach itself from Donald Trump. This is ridiculous. The damage has been done. Republican Party officials must confront the beast they have created and embrace Trump if they have any desire to ensure the survival of the party through this election cycle. Trump may be the death of the Republican Party, but at this point, he is the Republican Party. In order for the Republican Party to not die completely on the national stage and to avoid the splintering of the party into Trump supporters and haters, the GOP must present a united front. Both factions of the Republican Party need the other to support the candidates they want to see elected.
This isn’t a situation in which there is another option for the Republican Party to explore. Ted Cruz is gone, John Kasich is gone, Marco Rubio is long out, as is the rest of the motley crew. Any possible alternative has died. Trump is on track to win the nomination without any contestation. The idea of some mystery candidate such as Paul Ryan swooping in to save the day is a pipe dream. It will not happen, and at this stage in the election, it cannot happen. By the rules of the party and its convention, it cannot and will not happen. In addition, if the party were to amend some rules or take measures to depose Trump as the nominee despite his clearly great support, his voter base would revolt. They would splinter off and leave the Republican party. Even though they are likely causing the death of the GOP, Trump’s voter base is necessary to defeat the Democrats. The time to rid the GOP of the Donald and to support a more palatable candidate is over. That battle has been fought and lost.
While the “never Hillary” camp certainly exists within the Democratic Party, Clinton still firmly holds the support of the party establishment and those who back Sanders are likely to support her in a general election, especially when faced with the alternative of Trump. The Republican Party is unlikely to garner enough support for Trump to beat Clinton in a general election, the GOP is sure to lose if any of their potential votes are diverted away from the party’s nominees. Trump may be an awful candidate, but he’s better than two or more candidates splitting the vote. We saw how damaging a field with a great number of candidates can be during the primary election, where the split establishment vote gave Trump enough momentum to steamroll his way to the nomination. The Republican Party cannot afford to sacrifice any votes when the party’s nominee is a figure as polarizing as Trump. To get every vote it can, it must be united. After all, why should a voter trust Trump to lead the nation if his own party doesn’t trust him.
The biggest question to answer when considering a candidate is the following: can he or she win? Republican voters answered this question during the primary process. Now, it’s time for the establishment to back its party’s candidate. Trump has shown that he can win. Despite whatever qualms members of the party may hold, Trump is their nominee. That bridge has long been crossed. If the Republicans want any chance at winning, they must put up a united front now and shift focus away from Trump’s vulgarity and onto Clinton. The GOP has a goldmine in an opposition candidate like Clinton. Few people have proven to be as hateable as she. Trump may be the nominee, but the race is not over. The Republican Party must stop wasting time crying over spilled milk and instead face the reality and use what they have to charge on to the finish line. Victory is possible for the Republicans but not without the support of the full party.