The news coverage today, for anyone else on a low-information diet, is mostly centered around what the RNC rules are for replacing Trump on the ballot, if he drops out of the race as a result of recent revelations.
Trump was "uninvited" from a public event with Speaker Paul Ryan today, and Mike Pence was supposed to replace him. Then Pence decided he couldn't represent Trump anymore, and said he "cannot defend" Trumps comments. Melania called them offensive and unacceptable. A whole host of republicans have officially withdrawn support, including (for the first time) Republicans who have long congressional careers in front of them. They're actively calling for him to drop out, so the RNC can nominate Pence in his place. He's refusing, of course.
A quick excerpt from:
http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/08/politics/donald-trump-gop-chaos/index.htmlRepublicans steadily began cutting Trump loose Saturday.
New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte, locked in a tight re-election race, helped trigger an avalanche of top GOP figures away from Trump.
"I'm a mom and an American first, and I cannot and will not support a candidate for president who brags about degrading and assaulting women," Ayotte said in a statement, adding she would write Pence's name in on her ballot.
Nevada GOP Senate candidate Joe Heck, competing in another competitive race, said he could no longer support Trump, though would not vote for Clinton. "I believe our only option is to formally ask Mr. Trump to step down and allow Republicans the opportunity to elect someone who will provide us with the strong leadership so desperately needed and one that Americans deserve," Heck said, appearing with former GOP nominee Mitt Romney Saturday.
Republican Rep. Scott Garrett, who is also in a tight election in his New Jersey district, said Trump's comments were "inexcusable."
"I believe that Mike Pence would be the best nominee for the Republican Party to defeat Hillary Clinton."
Rep. Bradley Byrne, a Republican from Arizona, said Trump's comments were "disgraceful and appalling."
"It is now clear Donald Trump is not fit to be President of the United States and cannot defeat Hillary Clinton," he said. "I believe he should step aside and allow Governor Pence to lead the Republican ticket."
It sure looks like this election is over, all of the sudden. I think Monday's debate will be his last chance to make the case that he's still a viable candidate. At this point, I'm pretty sure the GOP could nominate a turtle and get more votes, as long as that turtle was a Republican and pro-life. Trump is a terrible messenger for the policies that ~40% of the country supports.
Of course, there's apparently a raucous crowd of supporters outside Trump Tower right now cheering him on, so what do I know?