The Wall Street Journal, the widely read national newspaper known for its consistently conservative editorial board, has surprised the nation by suggesting that Donald Trump drop out of the presidential race. They stated in a recent editorial that the Republican Party should abandon Trump as the nominee due to the damage he is causing in the party and his poor performance in recent polls. Instead of focusing efforts on electing Trump, the Republican Party should focus on “down-ballot” elections – Gubernatorial, House, and Senate races – to ensure the party maintains its hold in Congress.
The editorial goes on to sat that Trump is “hopeless,” and “decide if he wants to behave like someone who wants to be president or turn the nomination over to Mike Pence.” While having Pence on the ballot as the presidential nominee may help repair some of the damage Trump has done to the party, there are still concerns that the hate and vitriol that has been a main part of the Trump campaign has done irreparable damage to the Republican Party. Republican members of Congress who have endorsed Trump are facing backlash due to his rhetoric and divisiveness.
There are overall concerns by Republicans that the WSJ voices, which is that Donald Trump is not running a traditional campaign. The fact that there is no organization to his campaign, a set message, or declaration of policy is concerning. While the Trump campaign believes that large vocal crowds at his rallies and a constant presence on Twitter and other social media platforms can make up for the lack of advertising and presence in toss-up states, those methods are failing.
The article closes by agreeing with most Democratic and Republican sentiment of “Mr. Trump has alienated his party and is not running a competent campaign.” The nation will see in November if his incompetent campaign was successful or if he has done irreparable damage to the Republican Party with his xenophobic racism, lack of knowledge, and constant scandal.