The reviews are in, and they’re not pretty for Donald Trump and the GOP.
After a fleeting post-convention bump, the Republican nominee’s polling numbers have taken a nosedive in the final stretch of the presidential race. Following a week of disastrous headlines, Democrat Hillary Clinton is ahead 47.3% to 40.5% in the latest RealClearPolitics polling average.
Much of the reversal can be traced right back to Trump’s self-destructive feud with the parents of a Muslim-American soldier killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq. A number of prominent Republicans have said Trump had no business diving into the fray with the Khan family, whether it’s challenging the father’s “right” to question Trump’s knowledge of the Constitution at the Democratic National Convention or suggesting that the mother wasn’t allowed to speak because she is Muslim.
Criticism from Trump's own party came swiftly, including in a lengthy statement from 2008 presidential candidate John McCain, whom Trump previously derided for having been taken captive in the Vietnam War. McCain and other party leaders — including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis. — are seeking to distance themselves from Trump amid growing concerns that his rhetoric will cause Republicans to lose the Senate in November, but they still publicly support the nominee.
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