With less than three months to go before the U.S presidential election, and with Donald Trump’s campaign beginning to show signs of weakness, the Republican candidate has decided to opt for a change of tack. In the last 10 days, Trump has managed to offend the armed forces by mocking the parents of a Muslim soldier killed in Iraq, fellow Republican big shots by refusing to endorse House Speaker Paul Ryan in the primary for re-election in his home state of Wisconsin, and Arizona Sen. John McCain, former Republican presidential candidate in 2008, during the primary for re-election in Arizona. Trump also questioned the validity of the elections, warning the vote could be rigged, and demonstrated a sharp U-turn in politics with Russian President Vladimir Putin, seemingly backing the Kremlin’s arguments concerning the Russian annexation of Crimea. On Friday, however, he changed his approach toward Ryan and McCain, finally offering them his endorsement.
Trump’s mistakes are nothing new, but rarely have they been so frequent and so controversial within such a short space of time. Recent polls show a comfortable lead for Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton, and yet Clinton would be wise to remain wary. Trump’s approach remains undeniably attractive for large groups of voters who are dissatisfied with current politics—both Republican and Democrat—and that is not likely to take its toll on someone who isn’t afraid to backtrack on past slip-ups. While certain people may see this as ridiculous or even shamefully racist, for Trump’s followers it represents a decisive challenge to the current political status quo.
Trump connects better with Republican voters than traditional party leaders, hence his clear victory in the primaries and his recent record-breaking fundraising efforts thanks to a multitude of small donations. Trump will be hard pressed to suffer many more weeks as disastrous as the last. Clinton better not lower her guard.
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