Following the outrage generated by The Redel Traub Report's exclusive reporting on the so-called NewsMax Trump debate, Trump today announced that he has pulled out of the debate. Only two of the GOP candidates, Gingrich and Santorum, had agreed to take part in the spectacle, and the RNC chairman the strangely named Rhence Preibus had urged Presidential hopefuls not to attend. Trump has maintained that he may still run as an independent, a stance he doubled down live on Fox News' "Your World with Neil Cavuto." Trump alleged that the only thing keeping him from running were equal time laws, that would be less of an issue following the finale of The Apprentice, which Trump helpfully pointed out was May 20th.
To wit, “It is very important to me that the right Republican candidate be chosen to defeat the failed and very destructive Obama Administration, but if that Republican, in my opinion, is not the right candidate, I am not willing to give up my right to run as an Independent candidate,” Trump said. “Therefore, so that there is no conflict of interest within the Republican Party, I have decided not to be the moderator of the Newsmax debate.” This news comes in conjunction with reports that his latest book "Time to Get Tough," a political manifesto of sorts has sold out on Amazon. In all seriousness, Trump does have some traits that could make him appealing to the American electorate. Americans seem to respond to unrelenting optimism, even in the face of an atmosphere that seems grim. FDR, JFK, Ronald Reagan, and George W. Bush all had this trait, and it seemed to serve them all very well. As Newt Gingrich's frontrunner status seems more and more secure, I would not be surprised if many on the right float a 3rd Party bid, and Trump, with his large fortune, seems like a natural candidate. What remains unclear to me is whether the average American views Trump with the bemused disrespect that I, and apparently the Republican elite that opted out of the debate, seem to. Do people view Trump as a credible political candidate or a clown?
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