WSJ: Trump Has Until Labor Day to Change

If not, Republicans should cut ties, focus on Congress
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 15, 2016 9:23 AM CDT
WSJ: Trump Has Until Labor Day to Change
Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn.   (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The conservative editorial page of the Wall Street Journal is close to giving up on Donald Trump as a viable presidential nominee. In an editorial, the newspaper argues that if Trump can't "change his act by Labor Day," the GOP should cut ties and focus on races in the House and Senate instead. The critiques are familiar: The editors want Trump to be more disciplined and more focused on policy than personal fights. They'd like him to spend even 30 minutes a day reading briefing papers instead of watching the cable talk shows. And they'd like him to make the race be more about Hillary Clinton than Donald Trump.

"Is that so hard? Apparently so," says the editorial. From a Republican perspective, the worst thing about the 2016 election is that it's a race the GOP should win given a host of factors. (It cites one renowned formula by political scientist Alan Abramowitz that gives a mainstream GOP candidate a 66% chance of winning.) Trump, however, is losing traction even in states that are supposed to be safely red, and he's quickly running out of time to pivot from a "shoot-from-the-lip" candidate to a worthy one. "He needs to stop blaming everyone else and decide if he wants to behave like someone who wants to be President—or turn the nomination over to Mike Pence." Click for the full editorial. (More Donald Trump 2016 stories.)

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