Donald Trump and the revenge of the radical center

On the hard lessons the GOP must learn from l'affaire Trump

Donald Trump caused a curious reaction from many republicans.
(Image credit: REUTERS/Jim Young)

The GOP may soon recover from the Donald Trump scare. Despite his maddeningly persistent lead in the polls, Trump isn't building the normal campaign operations that are usually needed to win. He won't get key endorsements. His voters may be the ones least likely to be active. It's unclear how much, if any, of his fortune he's willing to spend on advertising himself.

Nonetheless, Trump's continued presence in the race is a danger to other viable candidates. Trump's campaign may discredit the party in the eyes of many voters who are disgusted with Trump's presence in the GOP, or other voters who are disgusted with the treatment of Trump's supporters by the party apparatus.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Michael Brendan Dougherty

Michael Brendan Dougherty is senior correspondent at TheWeek.com. He is the founder and editor of The Slurve, a newsletter about baseball. His work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, ESPN Magazine, Slate and The American Conservative.