Donald Trump has won the Washington primary – setting the stage for him to wrap up the Republican nomination on June 7th. The Donald won at least 40 delegates overnight, giving him 1,229 of the 1,237 delegates he needs to win. His opponents may have dropped out the race but the win is still important as a sign of his consolidating support within his party. With Ted Cruz’s name still on the ballot paper, despite his main rival having officially withdrawn, it was a chance for Republicans in Washington to voice their opposition to Trump. But that’s not what happened. Instead, Trump picked up 70 per cent of the vote and Cruz got just 10 per cent. It seems less and less likely that Trump can now be opposed and the billionaire businessman knows it.
As ever with Trump, the quickest way of finding out his thoughts is to see his Twitter account. And Trump has been busy promoting his ‘TrumpTrain’ hashtag. For a man who likes naming things after himself, it might sound like another business proposition. But in fact the Trump Train is focused on demonstrating that the Donald is unstoppable. He is galvanising his supporters into echoing that viewpoint. And he’s also using it to pile pressure on the Republican establishment itself to demonstrate just how difficult, if not impossible, it will be to halt the Trump train.
But there are still some whose anger at Trump won’t die down. That feeling was out on display in Albuquerque, where anti-Trump demonstrators clashed with police. The Donald was also repeatedly interrupted during his speech there – an opportunity which he used to mock those shouting him down as still wearing nappies. The flashpoint in New Mexico shows that whilst the Trump train is rolling on, there are some who refuse to get out of the way. All eyes will soon shift to the Republican national convention in Ohio, which is taking place in July. It’ll certainly be one of the most exciting political party gatherings in recent times. But with Kasich now joining Cruz and Rubio in urging their delegates to remain bound to them and not side with Trump, it seems that the potential for trouble is growing.
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