# Trump's Republican primary campaign **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 3, 2015, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828 "2015-09-03T18:00:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 155
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2016, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/3085 "2016-04-03T06:30:48Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > If Trump loses, I expect him eventually to claim that he wasn’t really serious. Not because I think it’s true, but because he’s that type of person. Fully agree. ---
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2016, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/3086 "2016-04-03T06:41:36Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > That’s an even smaller margin for Hillary than I thought. > > Even if the GOP delegates are released from their obligation after the first ballot, I presume most if not all of the Trump delegates are true believers who will stick with him for a long, long time - and quite possibly follow him if the nomination is “stolen” from him and he bolts and runs as a third-party candidate. Although I kind of think Trump started his campaign as a lark, by now he can probably almost taste the nomination, his ego is on the line, he’s getting huge free publicity, and I suspect he’ll keep going, one way or another, through November. My theory is he always wanted to become president but never thought people would be receptive to him. To his amazement, all his rivals crumbled and he is now the front runner. So he was testing the waters last year and never thought he would make it far. He has been underestimated and his political obituary written many times, including now following this bad week. No one is more surprised by the rise of Trump than Donald John Trump. ---
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2016, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/3087 "2016-04-03T06:49:55Z")
I disagree that he wants to lose and save face by having the nomination taken away. He is the front runner and no way would him being denied the no I nation be face saving for Tru,p. He has come this far and he is tasting the nomination. Plus if he were to drop out, it would make him look like a loser who folded due to GOP establishment. Why would he drop out for he will win more states. Make no mistake, Cruz will not go on a winning streak after Wisconsin. The fact that he is taking back his statemnents, admitting that he has been WRONG which is unprecedented for his personality, and now announcing that his wife will be campaigning, perhaps to assure women. This shows Trump is in the long haul. Oh and now saying abortion laws are set, show he is serious about this. ---
**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:** [April 3, 2016, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/3088 "2016-04-03T07:04:08Z")
[off-topic] > [@RTFirefly](#): > > Because women are empty-headed vessels lacking _ **agency** _, who wouldn’t dream of having abortions until persuaded by … [my emphasis] This use of _ **agency** _ is implied by Merriam-Webster (“2 : the capacity, condition, or state of acting or of exerting power”) but I don’t recall hearing it used with this connotation (personal force) until this and one similar use at SDMB a few months ago. Is it a newish usage? Or was I just oblivious to it for several decades? ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2016, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/3089 "2016-04-03T07:04:28Z")
> [@Nema98](#): > > He has been underestimated and his political obituary written many times, including now following this bad week. _“Never, ever, ever underestimate Trump. No one should do that. I tried, others have tried.”_ ~Harry Reid [Cite](http://www.politico.com/story/2016/03/harry-reid-trump-221156) Once again I’m reminded of something Ivana Trump said during her divorce proceedings against Trump (during which she was represented by several successful high-powered attorneys): _“You can’t win. He will always find a way to outsmart you.”_ I’m no longer a supporter of Trump for the presidency as I once was. But that doesn’t mean I don’t think he may very well win it. He’s smart, shrewd, clever, well-connected and a very, very hard worker. And he plays to win. I remember reading he was laying groundwork for the Arizona primary last spring, at least a couple months before he announced he was running. I’m afraid anyone who thinks he was never in this to win it is deluding themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2016, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/3090 "2016-04-03T09:06:20Z")
He’s not going to wave a magic wand and erase Dems’, the Republican establishment’s, or women’s dislike for him (though Dems, granted, were predisposed anyway). Those bells can’t be unrung, no matter what he says or does. The _best_ he’ll be able to do is to lose in the general. There will be no President Trump, and thank whatever gods there be for that. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2016, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/3091 "2016-04-03T09:26:52Z")
Considering that he just endorsed a pro-choice stance yesterday and had to be “corrected” by his campaign manager… He’s in full Ben Carson mode now. Trump has managed to alienate pro lifers and pro choicers. That’s some trick. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2016, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/3092 "2016-04-03T11:32:55Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Considering that he just endorsed a pro-choice stance yesterday and had to be “corrected” by his campaign manager… He’s in full Ben Carson mode now. > > Trump has managed to alienate pro lifers and pro choicers. That’s some trick. And this is why I think Trump will collapse hard in the next 30-45 days. It’s becoming increasingly clear that this ‘campaign’ of his is nothing more than an epic trolling of the American electorate. I can only wonder how someone like Chris Christie must feel now. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2016, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/3093 "2016-04-03T11:37:20Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > _“Never, ever, ever underestimate Trump. No one should do that. I tried, others have tried.”_ > > ~Harry Reid > > [Cite](http://www.politico.com/story/2016/03/harry-reid-trump-221156) > > Once again I’m reminded of something Ivana Trump said during her divorce proceedings against Trump (during which she was represented by several successful high-powered attorneys): _“You can’t win. He will always find a way to outsmart you.”_ > > I’m no longer a supporter of Trump for the presidency as I once was. But that doesn’t mean I don’t think he may very well win it. He’s smart, shrewd, clever, well-connected and a very, very hard worker. And he plays to win. I remember reading he was laying groundwork for the Arizona primary last spring, at least a couple months before he announced he was running. I’m afraid anyone who thinks he was never in this to win it is deluding themselves. Oh, he was in it to ‘win’ it alright. But his definition of winning isn’t the same as yours, or ours. He “won” by being arguably the greatest self-promotion machine of all time, by waging the most cost-effective political campaign of all time. He will find a way to turn his political schtick into some sort of future reality TV or media marketing venture. But he will not be president. He never wanted to be. Someone with Trump’s character wouldn’t have the patience to deal with 535 members of congress who could do whatever they hell they please, including overriding his vetoes. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2016, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/3094 "2016-04-03T11:50:06Z")
> [@Nema98](#): > > I disagree that he wants to lose and save face by having the nomination taken away. He is the front runner and no way would him being denied the no I nation be face saving for Tru,p. He has come this far and he is tasting the nomination. Plus if he were to drop out, it would make him look like a loser who folded due to GOP establishment. Why would he drop out for he will win more states. Make no mistake, Cruz will not go on a winning streak after Wisconsin. > > The fact that he is taking back his statemnents, admitting that he has been WRONG which is unprecedented for his personality, and now announcing that his wife will be campaigning, perhaps to assure women. This shows Trump is in the long haul. Oh and now saying abortion laws are set, show he is serious about this. If he can spoil the party for Ted Cruz and the GOP, I’m all for the Donald. I might have to back away from some of my bolder predictions about a ‘collapse’ nationally – Trump is still formidable in the Northeast. However, where I once saw strength out West, he does seem to be collapsing out there. I think we’re headed to a brokered convention, with the GOP basically having to hold its nose in support of Ted Cruz. The big question then becomes whether Donald runs as a third party guy, or whether he bows out. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2016, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/3095 "2016-04-03T11:57:18Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > [off-topic] > > This use of _ **agency** _ is implied by Merriam-Webster (“2 : the capacity, condition, or state of acting or of exerting power”) but I don’t recall hearing it used with this connotation (personal force) until this and one similar use at SDMB a few months ago. > > Is it a newish usage? Or was I just oblivious to it for several decades? Used in that sense it’s pretty much a term of art just for lawyers & philosophers. But it’s a commonly-used term by both those groups. You’re reading a lot here written by folks who are either actual or armchair lawyers & philosophers. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2016, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/3096 "2016-04-03T16:06:29Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > And this is why I think Trump will collapse hard in the next 30-45 days. It’s becoming increasingly clear that this ‘campaign’ of his is nothing more than an epic trolling of the American electorate. I can only wonder how someone like Chris Christie must feel now. I expect Christie to whine “No fair. The Donald promised I could be Vice President.” ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2016, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/3097 "2016-04-03T16:52:18Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Used in that sense it’s pretty much a term of art just for lawyers & philosophers. But it’s a commonly-used term by both those groups. … And in psychology, especially developmental psychology, often in the same context as the term “locus of control.” ---
**Author:** ![Peanut\_Gallery](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/838e76/32.png) [@Peanut\_Gallery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanut_Gallery)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2016, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/3098 "2016-04-03T16:56:09Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > I’m no longer a supporter of Trump for the presidency as I once was. I am curious what made you stop supporting him. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2016, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/3099 "2016-04-03T20:23:54Z")
> [@Peanut\_Gallery](#): > > I am curious what made you stop supporting him. The realization that he wasn’t a genuine candidate, let alone a genuine conservative? ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2016, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/3100 "2016-04-03T20:53:27Z")
> [@Johnny\_Ace](#): > > He’s not going to wave a magic wand and erase Dems’, the Republican establishment’s, or women’s dislike for him (though Dems, granted, were predisposed anyway). Those bells can’t be unrung, no matter what he says or does. The _best_ he’ll be able to do is to lose in the general. > > There will be no President Trump, and thank whatever gods there be for that. Agreed. Yes, he clearly has a lock on a solid chunk of the Republican electorate but he’s shown no ability to move beyond this chunk. I find it far more likely at this point that he loses the nomination and then decides that the Republican party has been “very unfair to me” and then runs as a third party candidate virtually guaranteeing Hillary wins. Hell, if that happens since his support isn’t really regionally based he could easily take 20-40% of the Republican support in almost every state and give Hillary a close to 50 state sweep. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2016, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/3101 "2016-04-03T20:54:28Z")
> [@jasg](#): > > I expect Christie to whine “No fair. The Donald promised I could be Vice President.” At which point Ben Carson will say, “What, he promised me as well!” BTW, I’m only half-joking. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2016, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/3102 "2016-04-03T21:08:55Z")
P.M. Carpenter thinks he may drop out, Perot style. I sure hope not. In any case, some of the quotes in here, and Carpenter’s arch commentary about them, are [comedy gold:](http://www.pmcarpenter.com/2016/04/might-trump-drop-out.html) > [@](#): > > It’s really quite remarkable, this compulsion he has for freely exposing the miasmic depths of a profoundly disordered mind. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2016, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/3103 "2016-04-03T22:05:58Z")
Trump is now whining because [Kasich won’t drop out](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/04/03/trump-calls-on-kasich-to-drop-out-of-gop-primary-says-he-voiced-displeasure-to-rnc-chair/): > [@](#): > > “All he’s doing is just, he goes from place to place, and loses, and he keeps running. Well, why doesn’t Marco Rubio do that? Why doesn’t Jeb Bush do that? Why didn’t all of them do that?” Trump told reporters on Sunday. “Now if he wants to go and have his name put in nomination in the convention, he can do that. He doesn’t have to run and take my votes.” > > “Because he’s taking my votes. He’s not taking Cruz’s votes. He’s taking my votes,” Trump said. > > … > > “It’s very unfair because he’s taking our votes. Anybody could have stayed in. You could have had [Jim] Gilmore stay in. I mean, to be honest with you, Gilmore could have just stayed in,” Trump said. “A guy like [George] Pataki could have just stayed in, he had zero. So it’s very unfair that Kasich stays in, is my opinion.” ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2016, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/3104 "2016-04-03T22:14:41Z")
> [@Peanut\_Gallery](#): > > I am curious what made you stop supporting him. The John Oliver bit, primarily, which was sent to me by someone I have a lot of respect for, and although it contained a lot of the same sort of factually inaccurate things often seen around here, it still contained enough of merit to be troublesome. There’s also the fact that I don’t have the vaguest notion of how he’d govern once in office. I’d expected him to be acting more ‘presidential’ by now and also to be offering specifics on his team, his plans and his policies, but instead it’s just the same old bluster. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828.md?page=154) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828.md?page=156)