Presidential candidate Donald Trump took a big hit in Wisconsin, and now his resilience is questionable. He was hurt in nearly every demographic category. While not a major blow, this loss does stump his momentum. Maybe his loss is a result of his inability to behave in a presidential manner, or more simply, to behave in a proper manner. Concerns about Trump’s campaign organization are not erroneous, even as he has attributed it to his disagreement with a party that treats him unfairly. His slip-ups (think: his tangled stance on abortion and issues with his campaign manager) are not easily looked over. However, his lead remains daunting.
According to CNN, Donald Trump has 746 delegates of the 1,237 delegates needed to win the nomination. This means Trump would have to win the remaining 61 percent of delegates.
There is nothing simple about Mr. Trump. He fluctuates. His ideas seem formidable but are nothing more than precarious.
He leaves his supporters cheerful then questioning his abilities, his opponents shocked yet worried. But what has transpired as of late is his dwindling success, and the best part is that it is all his fault. Not a feat of Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, or ambitious anti-Trump groups or supporters having tremendous epiphanies about his credibility. It is due to Donald Trump’s inadequate, inappropriate discipline.
Fast forward to New York, and all at once we have the possibility of Donald Trump regaining success. At a recent rally in Rochester, N.Y., Trump worked to defend his home state by accusing Ted Cruz of possessing “hatred” for the state, and expressing that Cruz would do nothing for New York if he were elected.
This comes after Cruz reinstated his criticism of “New York values” this week. Trump stated that Cruz would “give nothing to New York” and “would never help New York.”
Having lived in New York my whole life, I know that it holds a special quality of nationalism, but also pride. New York City and the surrounding counties, like where Donald Trump is from, carry a sense of love for America and for family values. At a rally in Long Island, when Trump condemned Cruz, saying “Remember when he started lecturing me on ‘New York values’ like we’re no good?” New York is a place where values lie in family and American pride, but also in thin crust pizza and the Yankees. To insult New York values, or to insinuate that such values are bad, or worse than the value any other state has, has cut New Yorkers deeply. Trump, perhaps for the first time in a while, chose nearly perfect wording in addressing New York with “Like we’re no good.”
With New York not usually being a big deciding factor, as a lot has usually been established by April, Trump’s words felt shockingly comforting, refreshing, even genuine. In a change of events, New York’s vote matters. New York values matter.
According to a Fox News Poll, contrary to Wisconsin, where conservatives loved Cruz as he garnered a primary season high of 65 percent support. In the Empire State, 61 percent of them prefer Trump, and only 19 percent of conservatives choose Cruz.
Trump approached this presidential campaign with the intent to win, but it seems now that he is almost single-handedly breaking the Republican party. This being said, Trump is dominating with 54 percent among likely GOP primary voters and is anticipating a big win. This possibility is leaving people questioning just as much as they were before. His supporters will turn hopeful, his enemies fearful. It frightens me to think that my home state could help Trump attain success that he just lost in the state I now reside in. I can only hope that New Yorkers are making well-informed decisions. But does Donald Trump really have what it takes to locate discipline and professionalism in the disarray that is his campaign?
Olivia is a freshman. How do you feel about Donald Trump? Let us know what you think. Email us at opinion@dailycardinal.com.
