# Donald Trump's 2016 General Election Campaign **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 4, 2016, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901 "2016-05-04T02:37:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/1 "2016-05-04T02:37:34Z")
Now that Trump has the Republican Presidential nomination locked up are there any thoughts on his Presidential campaign? I see two quite different possibilities: 1. He can adopt most of the traditional Republican policies except for his trademark anti-Moslem and anti-trade philosophies to unify Republican support for him. 2. He can move toward the center. ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/2 "2016-05-04T02:48:21Z")
He’s already moving towards the center, he’s even making some call outs to try and attract disillusioned Bernie voters who want an anti-establishment candidate. This actually makes some sense, Trump is against massive corporate power grabs like the TPP / TTIP and against overseas military adventures. There is some percentage of Bernie voters that would choose him as a protest vote against “more of the same”. He will obviously lose some of his fanatical right wing followers along the way, but what are they going to do? Vote for Clinton? ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/3 "2016-05-04T02:49:58Z")
If I would have seen this thread a year ago I’d probably reported you for trolling. We live in interesting times. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/4 "2016-05-04T02:52:24Z")
> [@RandMcnally](#): > > If I would have seen this thread a year ago I’d probably reported you for trolling. > > We live in interesting times. And remember kids, “may you live in interesting times” is not a blessing, but a curse. ---
**Author:** ![Uqbar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/a587f6/32.png) [@Uqbar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uqbar)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/5 "2016-05-04T03:03:42Z")
I’ve remarked before that Trump’s campaign tactics have very closely resembled (in my non-expert opinion) the behaviors of a primate in the wild. Holy crap, now I found a reference for it, from an actual [primatologist](http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2016/03/a-primatologist-explains-the-gentler-trump.html) > [@](#): > > Trump’s “model of political posturing has echoes of what I saw in the wild in six years in Tanzania studying the Gombe chimpanzees.”…part of the reason the rest of the GOP field, well, scrambled up trees was that Trump had engaged in such shocking violations of political norms they didn’t quite know how to respond. Boehm wrote last month that Trump reminded him of Mike, an ambitious male who had come up with an “innovative” way to scare the crap out of his competitors for top chimp… ``` The primatologist in the article goes on to say the chimps have two alpha behavior modes, and suggests Trump will shift to a more nice-guy alpha, at least for as long as the threats to his alpha-dom die down. I suspect we'll get much more of his craziness as he goes directly against Hillary. Remember, when he's fighting for dominance his default is ape-ville bat-shit-crazy, so you may not get much more than lip service to the Republican establishment in that mode. ``` ---
**Author:** ![truthSeeker2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7cd45c/32.png) [@truthSeeker2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/truthSeeker2)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/6 "2016-05-04T07:05:52Z")
> [@](#): > > A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely U.S. Voters finds Trump with 41% support to Clinton’s 39%. Fifteen percent (15%) prefer some other candidate, and five percent (5%) are undecided. > : > : > The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on April 27-28, 2016 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. > **[Trump 41%, Clinton 39%](https://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2016/trump_41_clinton_39)** > > Last week, Rasmussen Reports gave voters the option of staying home on Election Day if Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are the big party nominees, and six percent (6%) said that’s what they intend to do for now. Clinton and Trump were tied with 38%... ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/7 "2016-05-04T07:38:47Z")
What swing states can Trump win in the general? Nevada? Ohio? Florida? Virginia? North Carolina? (I still have a hard time accepting NC as a swing state, I suppose I’d give Trump NC) ---
**Author:** ![DJ\_Motorbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90ced4/32.png) [@DJ\_Motorbike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DJ_Motorbike)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/8 "2016-05-04T09:12:58Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > What swing states can Trump win in the general? > Nevada? > Ohio? > Florida? > Virginia? > North Carolina? (I still have a hard time accepting NC as a swing state, I suppose I’d give Trump NC) I’d add Wisconsin to that. Walker’s political machine was against Trump during the primary. Walker and his establishment won’t campaign against Trump during the general. Since the Wisconsin primary Trump has said positive things about Walker and has named him as a possible running mate. Walker will endorse Trump. Wisconsin will turn red for the first time since Reagan. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/9 "2016-05-04T10:39:56Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > What swing states can Trump win in the general? > Nevada? > Ohio? > Florida? > Virginia? > North Carolina? (I still have a hard time accepting NC as a swing state, I suppose I’d give Trump NC) No, Yes, No, Maybe, Yes. The good news is that Trump will get even poorer Hispanic support than most Republicans. Therefore the Democrats easily win the normally swing states of Florida, Nevada, Colorado. The risk is that angry blue-collar white voters will turn out in droves and vote for Trump. In addition to heavily-white Iowa, Ohio and New Hampshire, a small shift turns Wisconsin and Pennsylvania into swing states (though many on this Board complain when these are labeled “swing”). If Trump gets all these and Virginia he gets 277 EV and the Oval Office. (He gets enough EV if he loses Iowa or New Hampshire, though he can’t afford to lose both.) _ **Very** _ unlikely perhaps … but keep your fingers crossed. Rumors of e-mail indictment? Terror malarkey? The betting sites put Trump Presidency at 30% right now. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/10 "2016-05-04T16:06:33Z")
The dust is still settling… Cruz is out and it looks like Kasich might be done eating his way across the country and [will be suspending his campaign later today](https://twitter.com/Phil_Mattingly/status/727881480463126528). Anyway, bottom line is that Donald J. Trump is now the presumptive Republican nominee for president. With the primary behind him, I figured we should go ahead and get a fresh General Election thread going. So how do you think this will play out? Will there be any policy debates to speak of or will it just be an insult-fest for the next six months. Who does he pick as VP? Does he agree to participate in 1-on-1 debates? Will he hurt down-ticket races as much as people are saying? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/11 "2016-05-04T16:11:08Z")
As far as who he’ll pick for VP goes, right now it’s a matter of who is willing to accept the job. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/12 "2016-05-04T16:17:06Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > As far as who he’ll pick for VP goes, right now it’s a matter of who is willing to accept the job. I think you’ll find that to be a pretty lengthy list. Power is power and now that there are no other Republicans running against him, people can come out of the woodwork to line up behind Trump. I won’t be surprised to see some high-profile establishment endorsements being rolled out before the end of today. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/13 "2016-05-04T16:20:38Z")
I don’t see how it isn’t Chris Christie. [ul]He’s a lapdog.[/ul] [ul]He has nothing left to lose. [/ul] [ul]Even if he wore a dress and set his hair on fire, there’s no possible chance he’d ever upstage The Donald.[/ul] [ul]He brings executive political experience to the ticket.[/ul] [ul]He has the same New York/Jersey attitude Donald has.[/ul] ---
**Author:** ![purplehearingaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@purplehearingaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehearingaid)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/14 "2016-05-04T16:22:12Z")
Kasich dropped out too so only Trump is left ! SHIT ! Some newspapers are saying the GOP is dead , the whole country will goes down the tube if Trump win in Nov ! ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/15 "2016-05-04T16:24:04Z")
I will submit this idea for Hillary’s consideration: Don’t even debate him. Just say something like: Hey, we’re gonna shut this down for now, and pick it back up near November. Hang loose. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/16 "2016-05-04T16:27:18Z")
> [@GrandWino](#): > > Who does he pick as VP? Oh, he can’t do **that!** It would be an admission of mortality! ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/17 "2016-05-04T16:27:38Z")
Who’s going to buy that ticket on the Titanic and be Trump’s running mate? I say get about 20 guys in a room and draw straws. Short straw has to do it, no fair committing suicide to avoid the job. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/18 "2016-05-04T16:28:54Z")
I’d like to know who the following plan to vote for: Mitt Romney John McCain Bob Dole Despite not being a huge fan of all of those guys, I could have lived with them as President. I wonder if any of them will admit they are voting for Hilary Clinton this time. Or reveal they are voting third part. Or abstaining. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/19 "2016-05-04T16:31:21Z")
I’ve said for a while that Kasich would be a perfect running mate but I think Trump would have to promise to be a one termer to get him on board. Isaid this in the Hillary General thread but it’s more appropriate here: Personally, I don’t think Trump is just going to keep hammering on the same old scandals, at least he shouldn’t. Free trade issues is a good lever for him so he can hammer at her flip flopping on TPP and the Columbian trade deal. He should highlight every suspicious international donor to the Clinton fund. Another lever is foreign military involvement. There’s plenty of grist for the mill in Clinton’s hawkishness or at least her believing America is the world’s police. He could also seek to downplay how different they are on border security i.e. they both want a secure southern border but Clinton just doesn’t want as big a wall. I think if Trump is innovative like this and just let’s people remember the old scandals on their own, he might give her a scare. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/20 "2016-05-04T16:34:50Z")
> [@GrandWino](#): > > I think you’ll find that to be a pretty lengthy list. Power is power and now that there are no other Republicans running against him, people can come out of the woodwork to line up behind Trump. I won’t be surprised to see some high-profile establishment endorsements being rolled out before the end of today. A lot of people see the position as stepping on a landmine-little chance of winning, and a great chance of being shunned by the GOP Proper. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901.md?page=2)