Jon Karl, chief White House correspondent for ABC News, dropped a major bombshell this morning by suggesting that Donald Trump may be on the verge of quitting the race to be President of the USA.
Talking to George Stephanopoulos on the Good Morning TV news program, Karl said:
“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.”
Karl, who rightly called this latest development ‘unprecedented,’ also said:
“I am told RNC [Republican National Committee] chairman Reince Priebus is furious, that he has had multiple discussions with Trump telling him he needs to drastically change course.”
Karl added that the scramble to find a replacement would be a monumental task, especially as Party rules state that Trump would have to leave of his own accord and can not be fired. He briefly outlined the required procedure:
“He would have to go out voluntarily, then it would be the 168 members of the RNC, through a complicated process, that would pick a new candidate. It would have to happen by early September.”
So a process that can normally take years would have to be completed in about a month. There can be no doubt Reince Preibus and his fellow members will be aware that this represents the most almighty headache. They must now be weighing up whether or not it will be an even bigger headache to persist with Trump. Karl said:
“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.”
A number of close observers have commented that Trump looks harassed and has become increasingly erratic in recent days, while the mood among his aides has been described as “suicidal.”
Even by the chaotic standards of his campaign so far, this has been a shockingly bad week for Trump. Here are just some of the sorest points:
- He insulted a Muslim American war hero, then dragged out a prolonged, unnecessary confrontation with the man’s family.
- He gleefully pocketed a Purple Heart medal from a veteran, then joked that they are easy to earn.
- He refused to back the re-election of John McCain and Paul Ryan to the higher echelons of the GOP.
- He lost a battle to stop a fraud and racketeering case from going to court over his Trump University scheme.
- He ejected a baby from a rally for crying during one of his speeches.
- And President Obama delivered his bluntest personal statement yet by declaring Trump “unfit” to serve as president.
Adding to the annoyance of the GOP grandees, Trump’s opponent Hillary Clinton has not had a great week either and is only a handful of points ahead of him in opinion polls. As Jon Karl wryly observed:
“One top official told me if Trump had gone on vacation for the past two weeks, he would be in the lead.”
As it stands, he may be contemplating a vacation sooner than he had planned.
Watch Jon Karl’s stunning interview here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDwski32PF0
Featured image: Gage Skidmore/flickr.com/Creative Commons.
