This election could not possibly get any stranger. Well, at least that is what I thought before I found out Donald Trump might drop out of the presidential race. On Wednesday, ABC announced that Donald Trump may drop out of the 2016 presidential election. Supposedly, Republican Party officials are frustrated, furious, and confused about what is going on in Donald Trump’s camp.
What Could Be The Strangest Event In Recent History
This could be one of the most absurd events in recent memory if it actually happens. A testimony from ABC News Chief White House Correspondent John Karl states that:
“First of all, I am told RNC chairman Reince Priebus is furious, that he has had multiple discussions with Trump telling him he needs to drastically change course. But here’s the news, I am told senior officials at the party are actively exploring what would happen if Trump dropped out, how to replace him on the ballot.”
This alone does not point towards an early exit by Trump. What does, however, is when questioned specifically about how likely Trump is to drop out Mr. Karl specified:
“He is so unpredictable right now, they are so unable to control his message, that they just don’t know and clearly think it is a possibility, which is why they’re looking at these rules.”
It seems as if the Trump campaign is falling apart in front of our eyes. Trump’s camp denies this, as stated in an interview on Fox News with Trump’s campaign chairman Paul Manafort:
“The candidate is in control of his campaign. That’s number one, and I’m in control of doing the things he wants me to do in the campaign,”
Whether this report is true or not, it is certainly not looking good for his less than ideal image.
Election Dropout Rules
The article by ABC news provided a copy of the bylaws for RNC in regard to filling a presidential nominee vacancy.
RULE NO. 9 Filling Vacancies in Nominations
(a) The Republican National Committee is hereby authorized and empowered to fill any and all vacancies which may occur by reason of death, declination, or otherwise of the Republican candidate for President of the United States or the Republican candidate for Vice President of the United States, as nominated by the national convention, or the Republican National Committee may reconvene the national convention for the purpose of filling any such vacancies.
(b) In voting under this rule, the Republican National Committee members representing any state shall be entitled to cast the same number of votes as said state was entitled to cast at the national convention.
(c) In the event that the members of the Republican National Committee from any state shall not be in agreement in the casting of votes hereunder, the votes of such state shall be divided equally, including fractional votes, among the members of the Republican National Committee present or voting by proxy.
(d) No candidate shall be chosen to fill any such vacancy except upon receiving a majority of the votes entitled to be cast in the election.
Why Trump would drop out the presidential election when he is so close to achieving what he set out to do is unknown. What we do know is that nobody, not even his closest allies, knows what he is thinking.
Featured image screengrab from video.
