Trump may drop out of race

By Bradley Chapline, Las Vegas

Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2016 | 2 a.m.

I strongly believe Donald Trump is likely making plans to strategically withdraw his Republican nomination for president. Trump is already giving clear indications of such by saying publicly, “I’m afraid this general election is going to be rigged in favor of Hillary Clinton.”

And America should be assured that as vindictive as Donald Trump is, he would announce his resignation as the Republican nominee at the worst possible moment for our election process.

So my prediction is that Donald Trump will formally withdraw his Republican nomination for president on the evening of Nov. 7 — the day before the general election.

This has never happened in U.S. history. I can just picture Trump’s devious smile. Would there be mass political chaos, celebrations or both?

Trump is now sure he has no chance to win the general election against Clinton. And there is also no doubt that Trump intends to punish both America and the Republican Party for, as he sees it, politically “stabbing him in the back.”

After Trump learned that the Koch brothers, well-known fat-cat Republicans donors, would withhold an $800 million pledge from his campaign, Trump’s chances at winning the presidency plummeted to 31 percent. Clinton’s chances of winning the general election skyrocketed to 69 percent.

If Republican National Chairman Reince Priebus is smart, he will have the governor of Ohio, John Kasich, waiting in the wings, fully processed and prepared on short notice to fill the void left by Trump dropping out.

Oddly enough, in this scenario, with Kasich immediately taking the controls of the Republican Party nomination, the party actually would have a much better chance to win the general election against Clinton.

So, for the millions of Americans like me who cannot stand the thought of another Republican in the Oval Office, what are we to think now? Do we hope Trump resigns? Or do we put forth our best hopes that Trump just might stay on all the way through the general election?