Jonathan Chait: “It is not politically significant that Donald Trump would claim to be running for president, that he would say something flamboyantly ignorant, or that he would ‘surge’ to ‘second place’ in polls by using his name recognition to get into double digits in a splintered field. What is significant and genuinely disturbing, not to mention poisonous to the Republican Party’s electoral interests, is the fact that conservative thought leaders feel compelled to defend Trump’s nativist ramblings. And not just bottom-feeding outlets like the Daily Caller and Breitbart, either. National Review editor Rich Lowry writes in Politico that Trump ‘has a point.'”

“Serta, the largest U.S. mattress manufacturer, will end its business relationship with Donald Trump after he made disparaging comments about Mexican immigrants,” Bloomberg reports.

“The company, which sells Trump Home-branded mattresses, will not renew its licensing agreement with the billionaire presidential candidate when it expires at the end of the year, according to an e-mailed statement.”

Gawker has a “comprehensive list” of everyone trying to sever ties with Trump.

“For Democrats, Donald Trump amounts to a kind of divine intervention. With the Republican Party on an urgent mission to woo Latino voters, one of its leading presidential candidates has been enmeshed for two weeks in a nasty feud over his inflammatory comments about Mexican immigrants,” the Washington Post reports.

“The comments — and many more since — have prompted an uproar among Latino groups and acrimonious breakups between Trump and various corporate partners. His outlandish rhetoric and skill at occupying the national spotlight are also proving to be dangerously toxic for the GOP brand, which remains in the rehabilitation stage after losing the 2012 presidential race.”

New York Times: “Democrats relish the situation.”

Following a storm of protest, Macy’s has decided to drop its Donald Trump merchandise, according to WWD.

From a statement: “In light of statements made by Donald Trump, which are inconsistent with Macy’s values, we have decided to discontinue our business relationship with Mr. Trump and will phase out the Trump men’s wear collection, which has been sold at Macy’s since 2004.”

Business Insider says Trump has called on Americans to boycott Macy’s.

“Our country is honestly going to hell. The illegals are pouring into the country… It’s far worse than anybody knows.”

— Donald Trump, quoted by National Journal.

Donald Trump “is making good on his threats following Univision’s decision to sever ties with him over his remarks about immigrants. The mogul and presidential candidate filed a $500-million lawsuit against Univision on Tuesday, claiming the Hispanic media organization violated its contract with him and his Miss Universe Organization,” according to the Hollywood Reporter.

“NBC is weak, and like everybody else is trying to be politically correct— that is why our country is in serious trouble.”

— Donald Trump, quoted by The Week, after NBC severed its business relationship with him.

Donald Trump says “if he gets elected president, he would have to change his hair style because he wouldn’t have time to maintain it,” the Des Moines Register reports.

Said Trump: “I would probably comb my hair back. Why? Because this thing is too hard to comb. I wouldn’t have time, because if I were in the White House, I’d be working my ass off.”

Donald Trump says that he supports “traditional marriage” but that gay people who might question whether his three marriages qualify as traditional “have a very good point,” Bloomberg reports.

Said Trump: “But, you know, I’ve been a very hardworking person. I’ve had—actually, I have a great marriage, I have a great wife now. My two wives were very good, and I don’t blame them. But I was working maybe, like you, 22 hours a day.”

Asked again what he would say to a married gay person questioning him on the issue, Trump said, “I really don’t say anything. I’m just, I’m just, I’m for traditional marriage.”

“So I’m at a wedding at one of my clubs, and I always try to go by and say what a beautiful bride, and they’re happy as they pay me $600 or $700 a head, and after about two minutes I’m bored stiff.”

— Donald Trump, quoted by Bloomberg.

Politico: “He has virtually zero chance of winning the presidential nomination. But insiders worry that the loud-mouthed mogul is more than just a minor comedic nuisance on cable news; they fret that he’s a loose cannon whose rants about Mexicans and scorched-earth attacks on his rivals will damage the eventual nominee and hurt a party struggling to connect with women and minorities and desperate to win.”

“Those risks were amplified this week after a trio of polls showed him likely to earn a coveted invitation to the party’s debates, which ironically were restructured with the very goal of avoiding the circus-like atmosphere of 2012. Having Trump introduce the 2016 field to a national audience was not exactly the Big Tent the party’s bigwigs had in mind.”

A new Fox News poll finds Jeb Bush leading the Republican presidential field with 15%, followed by Donald Trump at 11%, Ben Carson at 10%, Rand Paul at 9%, Scott Walker at 9%, Marco Rubio at 8% and Mike Huckabee at 6%.

Caveat: “The bad news for Trump is that only 29% of GOP primary voters consider him a serious candidate.  More than twice that many — 64% — think he’s a side show.”

The Washington Post quotes Trump: “I can’t believe Bush is in first place. This guy can’t negotiate his way out of a paper bag. So I’m in second place to Bush. I hate it.”