Trump Kicks the Hornet's Nest (Again)

Donald Trump is no stranger to controversial statements. He's never been afraid to speak his mind and this has been especially true during his 2016 presidential campaign. To be expected, Democrats have used Trump's comments to paint him as a bigot, racist, sexist, etc. But the most recent statement by the GOP's leading candidate even has fellow Republicans ducking to take cover.

Yesterday, Trump called for a ban on all Muslims entering the United States until our representatives can figure out what's going on. The comments were fueled by the recent terrorist attack in San Bernadino along with the pressure to bring Syrian refugees into the US. Regardless of his rationale, Trump has really stirred up a shit storm with this one.

While many Republicans have voiced support for an expanded vetting process for any immigrants, many of them now are distancing themselves from Trump's latest idea. House Speaker Paul Ryan pointed out that "freedom of religion is a fundamental constitutional principal". He also said that "this is not what this party stands for and more importantly, it's not what this country stands for". Jeb Bush described Trump as "unhinged". And even former VP Dick Cheney chimed in by saying that it "goes against everything we stand for and believe in."

During yesterday's White House press briefing, press secretary Josh Earnest said that Trump's latest comments "disqualify" him from serving as President. (I find this kind of funny since many Republicans have said that same thing about Obama)

One of the more surprising criticisms of Trump came from French prime minister, Manuel Valls, who tweeted, "Mr. Trump, like others, stokes hatred. Our only enemy is radical Islam." Keep in mind, 130 people were recently killed in Paris during a terrorist attack by radical Muslims.

And in a bit of twisted irony, over 100,000 people in the United Kingdom have a signed a petition to keep Trump out of their country. The British parliament will now have to consider it for debate. Can you imagine an American presidential candidate being barred from Britain?

In any event, Republican hopefuls are now being pressured to turn their back on Trump if he should ultimately become the nominee. While it makes political sense to distance themselves right now, it would present an interesting scenario down the road....a Republican nominee that none of the other Republican leaders support. Don't hold your breath on that one.

So, here's the big question....Is Trump's latest remark going to derail his presidential campaign? It really doesn't appear so. Trump still has a double-digit lead over second-place Ted Cruz in the most recent polls. And more specific to the topic at hand, a current Bloomberg poll shows that roughly two-thirds of Republican voters support Trump's proposal.

So, while the Republican candidates search for ways to strategically distance themselves from Trump, they've got to be very careful. Trump has made rumblings about running as a third party candidate if he is somehow forced out of the Republican race. If this were to happen, it would all but guarantee Hillary the presidency. So, essentially, Trump has morphed himself into a double-edged sword. Maybe, he's not such a political novice after all.....


kw