The Presumptive Nominee?
Everyone got Trumped on Tuesday.
Donald Trump drew one step closer to sewing up the Republican nomination by winning stronger-than-expected majorities in all five states that voted Tuesday. His wins in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island present two sides of a coin. On one side, none of those five state (except perhaps Pennsylvania) is in play for Republicans in November. On the other side, Trump’s saving grace has been his crossover appeal, meaning he may in fact remake the election map — though even that may not work out in his favor when he’s trailing Hillary Clinton in places like Utah and Mississippi. Trump declared in his victory speech, "I’m a unifier. I unify people. We’re going to have such unity. … We’re going to win and we’re going to beat Hillary Clinton.“
Strong opposition to Trump remains among conservatives, however, which is perhaps due to factors like Trump reportedly never voting in a Republican primary. Or maybe it’s statements like the one he made in 2004: "In many cases, I probably identify more as a Democrat.” But at least we know Trump’s New York values play well in certain sectors of the Northeast, while Ted Cruz’s conservatism decidedly does not.
After a predictably dismal finish, Cruz asked, “Can Republicans stop the media’s chosen Republican candidate?”
It’s looking less likely. As National Review’s Rich Lowry observed, “Trump’s [Tuesday] numbers are what you would expect of a frontrunner who is beginning to put a race away.” All eyes will now turn to winner-take-all Indiana, which may be Cruz’s Alamo. California looms large, as well. Trump still must win a majority of the remaining delegates to reach 1,237, so the race isn’t over.
Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton likewise moved closer to securing the Democrat nomination, with wins in four of Tuesday’s five states. She too claimed, “We will unify our party to win this election.”
The most frustrating thing right now is that the Republican who by all appearances will fare worst against Clinton is none other than Trump. She should be indicted with felonious handling of classified information, but as of a judge’s decision Tuesday, Trump will be the defendant in a suit alleging he defrauded people through Trump University. And they’ve got a good case. Which one do you think the Leftmedia will give more play? And which will swing more votes — procedural arguments about email, or defrauding poor people?
