Trump is a liability the GOP cannot afford

The rise of Donald Trump will lead to the eventual fall of Donald Trump. Trump’s celebrity status isn’t the only reason he has been popular in the Republican field. It’s his tell-it like-it-is nature — more often than not, inarticulately stated — that led to his remarkable stronghold in the polls. Do I have a problem with Trump saying there is a need for a religious freedom law in this country? No, I agree with him. Do I have a problem with him saying illegal immigration should be addressed right now? No, I agree with him and so does the Republican base, along with many other Americans. What I have a problem with is his inability to be questioned without it resulting in a personal attack on anyone who disagrees with him. In the first 2016 GOP presidential debate, Fox News moderator Megyn Kelly asked Trump a reasonable question about things he has said about women in the past:

{mosads}”Your Twitter account has several disparaging comments about women’s looks. You once told a contestant on ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ it would be a pretty picture to see her on her knees. Does that sound to you like the temperament of a man we should elect as president, and how will you answer the charge from Hillary Clinton, who was likely to be the Democratic nominee, that you are part of the war on women?”

In Trump fashion, he lambasted Kelly by saying, “What I say is what I say. And honestly, Megyn, if you don’t like it, I’m sorry. I’ve been very nice to you, although I could probably maybe not be, based on the way you have treated me. But I wouldn’t do that.”

The day after the debate, I appeared on the “The Kelly File” to give my post-debate analysis. I said to Kelly that I believed that Trump is unfit to lead as our president, especially if he doesn’t have the gravitas to respond to the question she posed without it resulting in a personal attack. During my appearance on her show, Trump was making another outrageous comment about her on CNN, saying, “There was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her — wherever.” These uncouth statements are what we have come to expect from this leading presidential contender. Why do we continue to support this man running for President?

I will admit that Trump brought a level of excitement that the GOP hasn’t seen in years. In fact, the recent Fox News debate drew 24 million viewers, the largest viewing audience of any cable non-sporting event in history. Everyone knows it is all thanks to Trump. But does the GOP value the attention that instantly detracts from the real issues Americans care about, or will they be more focused on having the Republican Party remain a trending topic on Twitter and Facebook? Will Republican voters allow Trump to continue holding steady, thereby ensuring their defeat in 2016?

I am an African-American Republican. I have been a Republican for many years. I’m consistently asked, “Why would you support a party that allows candidates to go around saying silly things and not condemn the candidates for it?” My response, especially before Trump got in, was that the GOP has changed a great deal. In fact, after the 2012 presidential election, the Republican National Committee hired a number of African-American outreach staffers, dispatched them into African-American communities across the country and has been making sustainable gains. As a federal lobbyist and Republican strategist, I witness the Senate Republicans’ efforts on Capitol Hill regularly, such as sponsoring legislation that impacts all Americans, but especially African-Americans, on issues like body camera funding being sponsored by Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), mandatory minimum sentencing reform by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and lastly, prison reform by Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas). The GOP shouldn’t allow all of the progress it has made to be inclusive and effectively be destroyed by an imperious individual who has proven to only care about himself.

Caldwell is a federal lobbyist and Republican strategist with Caldwell Strategic Consulting. Follow him on Twitter @GiannoCaldwell.