Get ready, America, it’s about to get messy—er, messier.
After House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) and dozens of other high-profile Republican officeholders publicly abandoned the Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump appears to have declared war on his own party.
It is so nice that the shackles have been taken off me and I can now fight for America the way I want to.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 11, 2016
With the exception of cheating Bernie out of the nom the Dems have always proven to be far more loyal to each other than the Republicans!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 11, 2016
That ominous declaration of freedom followed tweets in which Trump called Ryan “weak” and lamented the “zero support” he’s now receiving from GOP leadership.
Despite winning the second debate in a landslide (every poll), it is hard to do well when Paul Ryan and others give zero support!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 11, 2016
Our very weak and ineffective leader, Paul Ryan, had a bad conference call where his members went wild at his disloyalty.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 11, 2016
(Editor’s note: Trump did not win the second debate in every poll.)
Trump assumed his fighting stance against Democratic rival Hillary Clinton ahead of Sunday night’s presidential debate, which was overshadowed by leaked audio from a 2005 recording of Access Hollywood in which Trump boasts of his ability to sexually assault women with impunity because he’s “a star.”
While Trump already trailed Clinton by around 3.5 points before the tape’s release, an increasing number of likely voters have turned their back on the businessman and former reality TV star in the days since the Washington Post first published the tape. In the two polls conducted in the days after the tape’s release, Clinton launched into a double-digit lead over Trump.
Given the volatility of the 2016 election, however, Trump is not going down without a fight. The question is: Who’s his opponent?
Disloyal R’s are far more difficult than Crooked Hillary. They come at you from all sides. They don’t know how to win – I will teach them!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 11, 2016