By Sal Bommarito
Donald Trump had a crappy week. He managed to offend, alienate or piss off a huge number of Americans, minorities and foreign countries. Included are women, Europeans, conservatives, liberals, Republicans, Ted Cruz and his wife, women again, Japanese, South Koreans and others.
The fallout from these blunders is that Trump is no longer a shoe-in to win the Republican nomination. On Tuesday, Wisconsin voters are poised to back Cruz over Trump by a decisive margin. This momentum could dramatically change the dynamics of future primaries as we approach the Republican Convention. Trump needs to win just over 50% of the remaining delegates to lock up the nomination. This is becoming more of a problem every time Trump opens his mouth. Seriously, we all knew this would happen.
Here is a bullet point list of offensive and inane comments made by the man vying to become our president:
- Trump suggested that women who seek illegal abortions should be prosecuted. After making this comment Trump walked-back the statement by saying he meant doctors who perform illegal procedures should face legal action. It was a stupid response to an inane hypothetical (thank you Chris Matthews) given that abortions are legal
- Trump said he would not rule out the use of nuclear force in Europe in response to a threat, presumably from Russia. This may be appropriate in the hearts and minds of hawks, but to openly admit it while world leaders were meeting to discuss ways to end nuclear proliferation was idiotic and unpresidential.
- On a similar note, Trump indicated that Japan and South Korea should develop nuclear capabilities as a deterrent to China and North Korea. Encouraging more nuclear development is not consistent with longstanding American policy to decrease the number of weapons of mass destruction throughout the world. And, it increases the chances that a nuclear confrontation could occur accidentally.
- Staying with Japan and South Korea, Trump wants these countries and others that the U.S. protects at its expense to bolster their security. By doing so, the U.S. would not have to subsidize the defense of other countries. This is an important issue, but it should be dealt with confidentially and without the addition of WMDs.
- Trump, along with Cruz and Kasich, have indicated or implied they may not the support the ultimate Republican candidate (all three candidates promised to do so at an early debate). For Cruz and Kasich this means the nomination of Trump. For Trump this means that he will run as an independent or encourage his supporters to shun the Republican nominee if he is “treated unfairly.” The definition of this contingency means that Trump loses for any reason.
- Trump has viciously attacked the physical appearance of Cruz’s wife. A Cruz affiliated PAC posted nude pictures of Melania Trump that appeared in a men’s magazine. Cruz said he did not sanction this act. Dragging the wives into this already crude contest is nothing less than dishonorable.
- Trump continues to defend his campaign manager after he was accused of assaulting a female reporter. Trump has attacked the reporter personally, when he should have sanctioned or fired his employee
I hope that Republicans who still must vote in the primaries understand why a vote for anyone makes more sense than a vote for Trump. What else can the man do to prove he is not worthy to be president? Most talking heads are convinced that Trump will embarrass America if he wins the White House; recent comments justify this perspective.
There is virtually no chance that a candidate other than Trump can obtain 1,237 delegates before the convention. The only way to thwart Trump is to force a brokered convention and nominate another person after the first ballot.
It should be noted that many Republicans have a problem with Trump along with a huge percentage of women, African Americans and Hispanics. This means that Clinton will trash Trump in the general election.
A vote for Trump in the primaries is a vote for Hillary Clinton, the second worst choice to become president.