Stop Trump movement

The Stop Trump movement, also called the anti-Trump movement and the Never Trump movement,[1] is the informal name for the concerted effort on the part of some Republicans and other prominent conservatives to prevent front-runner Donald Trump from obtaining the Republican Party nomination, and, following his presumptive nomination, the presidency, for the 2016 United States presidential election.

The movement gained momentum following Trump's wins in the March 15, 2016, Super Tuesday primaries, including his victory over U.S. Senator Marco Rubio in Florida.[2][3][4][5] After U.S. Senator Ted Cruz dropped out of the race following Trump's primary victory in Indiana in May 2016, Trump became the presumptive nominee, while internal opposition to Trump remained as the process pivoted towards a general election.[6]

Erickson meeting

On March 17, 2016, notable conservatives under the leadership of Erick Erickson met at the Army and Navy Club in Washington D.C. to discuss strategies for preventing Trump from securing the nomination at the Republican National Convention in July. Among the strategies discussed were a "unity ticket",[7] a possible third-party candidate and a contested convention, especially if Trump does not gain the 1,237 delegates necessary to secure the nomination.[8]

The meeting was organized by Erick Erickson, Bill Wichterman, and Bob Fischer. Around two dozen people attended.[9][10] Consensus was reached that Trump's nomination could be prevented, and that efforts would be made to seek a unity ticket, possibly comprising U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and Ohio Governor John Kasich.[9]

An alternative strategy would involve a third-party candidate gaining enough electoral votes to deny any one candidate a majority, sending the top three candidates to the U.S. House of Representatives, under the Twelfth Amendment.[11] Former senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and retired general James Mattis have been identified as possible candidates.[12]

Efforts

By political organizations

Our Principles, a political action committee (PAC) and Club for Growth have also been involved in trying to prevent Trump's nomination. Our Principles PAC has spent more than $13 million on advertising attacking Trump.[13][14]

By individuals

At a luncheon in February 2016 attended by Republican governors and donors, Karl Rove discussed the danger of Trump securing the Republican nomination in July, and that it may be possible to stop him, but that there wasn't much time left.[15][16]

Early in March 2016, Mitt Romney directed some of his advisors to look at ways to stop Trump from obtaining the nomination at the Republican National Convention (RNC). Romney also spoke publicly urging voters to vote for the Republican candidate most likely to prevent Trump from acquiring delegates in state primaries.[17] A few weeks later, Romney announced that he would vote for Ted Cruz in the Utah GOP caucuses. On his Facebook page, he posted "Today, there is a contest between Trumpism and Republicanism. Through the calculated statements of its leader, Trumpism has become associated with racism, misogyny, bigotry, xenophobia, vulgarity and, most recently, threats and violence. I am repulsed by each and every one of these."[18][19][20]

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham shifted from opposing both Ted Cruz and Donald Trump, to eventually supporting Cruz as a better alternative to Trump. Commenting about Trump, Graham said "I don't think he's a Republican, I don't think he's a conservative, I think his campaign's built on xenophobia, race-baiting and religious bigotry. I think he'd be a disaster for our party and as Senator Cruz would not be my first choice, I think he is a Republican conservative who I could support."[21][22] In May, after Trump became the presumptive nominee, Graham announced he would not be supporting Trump in the general election, stating "[I] cannot, in good conscience, support Donald Trump because I do not believe he is a reliable Republican conservative nor has he displayed the judgment and temperament to serve as Commander in Chief."[23]

Other Republicans who have refused to support Trump:

Elected and Cabinet-level officials (current and former)
Government officials (current and former)
Republican Party figures
Journalists and commentators

Reactions

Reactions to the Stop Trump movement have been mixed, with other prominent Republicans making statements in support of preventing Trump from receiving the Republican nomination.

Following his withdrawal as a candidate for President, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio expressed hope that Trump's nomination could be stopped, adding that his nomination "would fracture the party and be damaging to the conservative movement."[41]

Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus dismissed the potential impact of Mitt Romney's efforts to block Trump at the convention.[17]

Sam Clovis, a national co-chairman for Trump's campaign, said that he would leave the Republican Party if it "comes into that convention and jimmies with the rules and takes away the will of the people".[21]

Ned Ryun, founder of conservative group American Majority, has expressed concern about a contested convention, should Trump have the most delegates, but fail to reach the 1,237 necessary to be assured the nomination. Ryun speculated that a contested convention would result in Trump running as a third-party candidate, making it unlikely that Republicans would win the presidency in the November general election, adding that it would "blow up the party, at least in the short term".[42][43]

New Jersey governor Chris Christie had expressed his opinion that the efforts to stop Trump will ultimately fail. Relatively shortly after his endorsement of Trump, he criticized the people who condemned his endorsement, including the Stop Trump movement, stating that his critics had yet to support any of the remaining GOP candidates. He said, "I think if you're a public figure, you have the obligation to speak out, and be 'for' something, not just 'against' something. ... When those folks in the 'Stop Trump' movement actually decide to be for something, then people can make an evaluation ... if they want to be for one of the remaining candidates, do what I did: Be for one of the remaining candidates."[44]

Trump has said that if he were to be deprived of the nomination because of falling just short of the 1,237 delegates required, that there could be "problems like you’ve never seen before. I think bad things would happen" and "I think you’d have riots".[5][45][46] Trump has made prior comments suggesting that he might run as an independent candidate if he were not to get the Republican nomination.[17]

Roger Stone, a political consultant who served as an advisor for Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, and who remains a "Trump confidante",[47][48] put together a group called "Stop the Steal", and threatened "Days of Rage" if Republican party leaders try to deny the nomination to Trump at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.[49][50] Mr. Stone also threatened to disclose to the public the hotel room numbers of delegates who oppose Trump.[50]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Cassidy, John (March 3, 2016). "The Problem with the "Never Trump" Movement". The New Yorker. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  2. ↑ Cooper, Matthew (March 15, 2016). "Why the Stop Trump Movement is Doomed". Newsweek. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  3. ↑ Grim, Ryan and Velencia, Janie (March 15, 2016). "The Stop Trump Movement Got New Life In Ohio". Huffington Post. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  4. ↑ Hohmann, James (March 16, 2016). "The Daily 202: The Stop Trump movement’s last realistic hope is now a contested convention in Cleveland". Washington Post. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  5. 1 2 Grier, Peter (March 17, 2016). "A contested GOP convention? History offers some unusual clues". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  6. ↑ Bradner, Eric. "5 takeaways from the Indiana primary". CNN. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  7. ↑ Goldmacher, Shane; Glueck, Katie; and McCaskill, Nolan (March 17, 2016). "Conservatives call for ‘unity ticket’ to stop Trump". Politico. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  8. ↑ Costa, Robert (March 17, 2017). "GOP operatives, conservative leaders meet to thwart Trump". Washington Post. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  9. 1 2 Isenstadt, Alex (March 18, 2016). "Anti-Trump forces contemplate the end". Politico. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
  10. ↑ Goldmacher, Shane (March 15, 2016). "Top conservatives gather to plot third-party run against Trump". Politico. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Republican Leaders Map a Strategy to Derail Donald Trump". The New York Times. 20 March 2016.
  12. ↑ "The GOP’s Nuclear Option to Stop Donald Trump: A Third-Party Candidate". The Daily Beast.
  13. ↑ Gold, Matea (March 16, 2016). "Stop Trump campaign plans to push forward in hopes of denying him the nomination". Washington Post. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  14. ↑ Caldwell, Leigh Ann (March 17, 2016). "The Stop Trump Movement Limps Forward". NBC News. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  15. ↑ Burns, Alexander; Haberman, Maggie; and Martin, Jonathan (February 27, 2016). "Inside the Republican Party's Desperate Mission to Stop Donald Trump". New York Times. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
  16. ↑ Collins, Eliza (February 25, 2016). "Rove: Time's running out to stop Trump". Politico. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
  17. 1 2 3 Gangel, Jamie and Bradner, Eric (March 3, 2016). "First on CNN: Team Romney explores blocking Trump at RNC". CNN. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
  18. ↑ Taylor, Jessica (March 18, 2016). "Mitt Romney Will Vote For Ted Cruz In Hopes Of Stopping Trump". NPR. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
  19. ↑ "Aiming to stop Trump, Romney says he'll vote for Cruz in Utah caucuses". Chicago Tribune. March 18, 2016. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
  20. ↑ Halper, Daniel (March 18, 2016). "Romney: 'I Will Vote for Senator Ted Cruz'". The Weekly Standard. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
  21. 1 2 Collinson, Stephen (March 18, 2016). "Is the GOP's stop Trump campaign too late?". CNN. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
  22. ↑ Phillips, Amber (March 2, 2016). "Why even Lindsey Graham might be a Ted Cruz voter now". Washington Post. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
  23. ↑ Bash, Dana. "Lindsey Graham won't vote for Trump or Clinton in 2016". CNN. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  24. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 Britzky, Haley; Barr, Luke; Dunn, Andrew (29 April 2016). "Republicans who vow to never back Trump". The Hill. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  25. ↑ Miller, Joshua; O'Sullivan, Jim (2 March 2016). "Charlie Baker won't vote for Donald Trump in November". Boston Globe. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  26. ↑ de Vries, Kar. "Jeb Bush says he won't vote for Trump in November". CNN. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  27. ↑ Coleman, Norm (3 March 2016). "Norm Coleman: I will never vote for Donald Trump". StarTribune. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  28. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "These 9 Republicans Say They Won't Vote for Donald Trump, Even Against Clinton". Fortune. March 1, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  29. ↑ "Florida Rep. Curbelo Says If Trump Wins, He'll Back A 3rd Party Candidate". Here & Now (90.0 WBUR). 15 March 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  30. ↑ French, Lauren (18 March 2016). "Endangered House Republicans: Trump who?". Politico. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  31. ↑ Mark, Weiner (9 March 2016). "Rep. Richard Hanna: I won't vote for Donald Trump, even if he's GOP nominee". Syracuse.com. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  32. ↑ Epstein, Reid (29 February 2016). "Republican Divide About Trump Grows". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  33. ↑ Eric Bradner (May 4, 2016). "Paul Ryan: 'I'm just not ready' to back Donald Trump". Retrieved May 6, 2016.
  34. ↑ "GOP Senator Says He Won't Vote For Donald Trump". Huffington Post. February 29, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  35. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Stein, Sam (3 May 2016). "Turns Out Some Republicans Would Rather Disown Their Party Than Vote For Donald Trump". Huffington Post. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  36. ↑ "Open Letter on Trump from GOP National Security Leaders". War on the Rocks.
  37. ↑ Rupar, Aaron (3 May 2016). "Now That Trump Is The Nominee, These Republicans Say They're Voting For Hillary". Think Progress. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  38. ↑ Kaufman, Scott Eric (29 April 2016). "David Brooks: The GOP doesn't realize "this is a Joe McCarthy moment" - history will judge them for where they stood". Salon. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  39. ↑ Hains, Tim (2 May 2016). "Andrew Sullivan: "Reality TV Asshole" and "Terrifying Neofascist" Donald Trump "Leaving The Rest Of Us In The Dust"". RealClearPolitics. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  40. ↑ Hellmann, Jessie (30 April 2016). "George Will: GOP must stop Trump even if he wins nomination". The Hill. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  41. ↑ Borger, Gloria and LoBianco, Tom (March 17, 2017). "Conservatives pin hopes on convention fight to stop Donald Trump". CNN. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  42. ↑ Mindock, Clark (March 16, 2016). "Brokered Convention: Paul Ryan Could Kill The Republican Party If Nominated For President Over Trump". International Business Times. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
  43. ↑ Isenstadt, Alex (March 18, 2016). "Anti-Trump forces contemplate the end". Politico. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
  44. ↑ "Christie: Republican 'Stop Trump' movement will fail". NJ.com. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
  45. ↑ Pace, Julie and Peoples, Steve (March 16, 2016). "Trump: Time to rally around me _ or expect voter riots". Associated Press. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  46. ↑ Sargent, Greg (March 16, 2016). "Donald Trump just threatened more violence. Only this time, it’s directed at the GOP.". Washington Post. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
  47. ↑ Philip Rucker & Robert Costa, While the GOP worries about convention chaos, Trump pushes for 'showbiz' feel, Washington Post (April 17, 2016).
  48. ↑ Jenna Johnson, Again: Nothing is off limits for Donald Trump, including spouses, Washington Post (March 23, 2016).
  49. ↑ Jim DeFede, Roger Stone: Inside the World of a Political Hitman, CBS Miami (April 17, 2016).
  50. 1 2 While the GOP worries about convention chaos, Trump pushes for 'showbiz' feel, Washington Post (April 17, 2016).
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, May 07, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.