After a disastrous weekend, and a rough few days of polling, it appears Republicans are panicking over Donald Trump’s chances at beating Hillary Clinton — and may even be preparing to replace him on the ticket.
Over the past 48 hours, sources close to the Republican campaign say, influential GOP leaders have struggled with Trump’s behavior — first, getting into a public spat with a Gold Star family and then refusing to endorse Rep. Paul Ryan and Sen. John McCain in their primaries.
Even RNC head Reince Priebus, who has been a staunch Trump defender since the New York real estate mogul locked up the Republican nomination, was said to be ‘apoplectic‘ over Trump’s refusal to back party leaders (though Trump seems to have never promised to be a team player for Republicans).
Wednesday afternoon, Priebus called in the big guns — Newt Gingrich and Rudy Giuliani — in hopes that big name supporters with political experience could help pull Trump back from the brink. Sources close to the RNC say that Priebus wants the team to help the Trump camp do a “dramatic reset” on his campaign and target Trump’s efforts toward defeating Hillary Clinton, rather than DNC speakers.
But righting the Trump Train may not be so easy. Priebus needs the campaign’s permission to stage an intervention, but the campaign may not be able to give it, as they themselves are reportedly in complete disarray.
longtime ally of Paul Manafort, Trump's campaign manager: "Manafort not challenging Trump anymore. Mailing it in. Staff suicidal."
— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) August 3, 2016
And Priebus’s plan is, according to NBC News, still in its “early stages,” which means Trump could be in control of his campaign for several more weeks before Republicans are able to assist.
There are other plans, too. According to ABC‘s John Karl, a few senior Republicans are planning for what could happen if Trump drops out, or if the GOP is forced to boot him from the ticket to save what’s left of the Republican Party.
Unfortunately for the GOP, a new ticket this late presents its own problems. Trump would have to leave the ticket voluntarily, something he seems unlikely to do, because the RNC rules don’t allow the party to unilaterally replace a candidate. If Trump were to exit, the RNC would likely be left with Mike Pence, and the remnants of Trump’s tattered campaign, which might be hard to improve before November. And, Trump’s name is already on the ballot in some states, where at-home voting begins early.
And that’s not even considering the legal fallout. The Electoral College has its own set of rules binding state electors to vote for specific candidates. Electors in places like South Carolina belong to a party, and many are required to declare who they would vote for in the general election. To change now, electors would have to challenge their state rules, and that could result in years of litigation.
So although the Republican Party is now enveloped in an existential crisis, it’s likely they’ve already sealed their own fate. It’s Trump — or bust.
