National Review, a leading voice for conservatism, dedicated its issue last week to the opposition against Republican presidential front runner Donald Trump. David Frum joined WNPR's Colin McEnroe Show to talk about why, and to explain the origins of the revolt.
Frum is senior editor at The Atlantic. He said plenty of people in the Republican Party don't like Trump -- including the highly-educated, the affluent, and those who are religious.
But there's still plenty of appeal for Trump. His focus on things like education, global economy, and immigration generate a lot of support from some Republicans, Frum said. Trump's consistency throughout the last decade has set him apart from other politicians.
“He's somebody who gets things done; somebody who cares about teams; somebody who looks out for everybody; and somebody who will take the tough decisions that, on the other TVs they see, on the other news programs, no one seems to be making,” Frum said.
Republican voters have three options in the upcoming election, as Frum sees it. One is to vote for the second runner-up. Another is to vote collectively for a third choice candidate. A third choice is to "make peace" with Trump. "We've seen in the past week some important Iowa politicians going to Trump events, and seeming to show some interest in working with him," said Frum.
None of these options seem likely, though, Frum said, since Republicans are also divided over the other candidates.
Frum suggested politicians could be more strategic in how they handle Trump. They could determine a unified stance on the immigration system, he said, citing the time in the 1970s the GOP joined pro-life members to support their campaign. Republicans could also shift their focus to address the needs of the American middle class, but Frum said he thinks that's less likely to happen.
Trump's campaign announced this week he will not participate in the debate Thursday night on Fox News.
Florida Governor and fellow Republican presidential hopeful Jeb Bush said front runner Donald Trump was not a “serious” candidate.
Likely Republican voters may disagree with Bush though. In a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll, Trump had a 16-point lead over his closest opponent, Ted Cruz. Bush trailed Trump by 32 percent.
Heather Brandon and Tucker Ives contributed to this post. Karelyn Kuczenski is an intern at WNPR.
