Joshua Green: “The GOP has finally muscled its maverick front-runner, Donald Trump, into submission. A Trump adviser said on Thursday the billionaire has agreed to sign the Republican “loyalty pledge” he famously refused at the first debate in Cleveland last month, apparently ruling out a scenario that utterly terrified the GOP establishment: that Trump would launch a third-party bid and almost certainly deny Republicans the White House. With the stroke of a pen, Trump will put these fears to rest—and immeasurably weaken his own standing. He’s probably signing his political death warrant.”
“First, it shatters the independent image that is the key to Trump’s appeal, the idea that he isn’t beholden to anyone or anything, and will make a ‘great’ president precisely because of this… Second, rather than quiet the attacks against him, this gives the GOP license to amplify them tremendously without fear of repercussion down the road… Third, by signing the Republican pledge, Trump invites everyone to judge him by that standard. But it’s not a standard that favors him.”
Greg Sargent thinks Trump snookered the GOP establishment once again.
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