The conservative-leaning Wall Street Journal has put out a stinging editorial telling Donald Trump to either get a grip or get out of the 2016 race.
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After naming names of the supporters who enabled Trump, the op-ed continues to say that Republicans who lack confidence in his effort will have no choice but to focus on down-ballot races to keep control of the Congress. And therein lies the real reason the editorial could spell big trouble for Trump’s campaign.
The editorial is significant because the Journal is one of the most respected conservative voices on the media landscape and holds sway with Wall Street and beyond.
Labor Day, which falls on September 5 this year, marks the end of USA summer vacations and traditionally launches the final phase of the long US election season.
The Journal’s reprobation comes as many top Republicans are urging the Republican National Committee to cut off financial support for Trump’s flailing campaign and focus instead on vulnerable House and Senate candidates.
“As for Mr. Trump”, the paper said, “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”, referring to the mogul’s running mate.
The report came as Trump prepared to give a foreign policy speech on Monday. The Boston Globe opinion section ran a fake front-page cover imagining what life would be like under a Trump administration, predicting an economic downturn and harsh libel laws.
Adding to Trump’s woes this week was a report in The New York Times that the name of his campaign manager, Paul Manafort, was on secret ledgers showing cash payments of more than $12 million from a Ukrainian political party with close ties to Russian Federation.
Artem Sytnik, the head of Ukraine’s anti-corruption bureau, confirmed in a briefing with reporters that Manafort’s name appeared on a ledger and that more than $12 million had been allocated as an expenditure, referencing Manafort.
Trump lashed out at the media Sunday, saying he would be leading Clinton by 20 points if it weren’t for the “dishonest” media reporting.
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Mobley said the polls he reviewed – including the Reuters/Ipsos tracking poll and Rasmussen’s recent survey of 1,000 likely voters – show a tightening race between Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
