Who had the worst week in Washington? Donald Trump

WASHINGTON - What happens to a candidate whose central message to voters is that he's winning by a lot, once he's no longer winning by a lot?

That's the question for Donald Trump, the reality-star real estate investor, who watched this past week as his once-soaring poll numbers began to take a turn for the worse in the wake of the second Republican presidential debate.

Yes, Trump still tops the 15-candidate field in the slew of national polls that have come out since the debate. But his lead has softened significantly in the past two weeks or so. According to the Real Clear Politics average of all polling in the race, Trump was averaging more than 30 percent of the overall vote a fortnight ago but has now sunk below 25 percent.

A lead is a lead. But there's other evidence out there that the unmatched interest in Trump is waning somewhat. Witness Trump's speech Wednesday to the South Carolina African American Chamber of Commerce. Despite his insistence that it was a packed house of enthusiastic supporters, photos from the event suggest it, well, wasn't.

And then there was the pledge to boycott Fox News Channel, the news source for conservatives, because of allegedly unfair treatment. And the feud with National Review editor Rich Lowry. And the attack on Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.), a GOP rival, as "sweaty."

Add it all up, and you get a picture of a candidate whose death grip on the Republican race seems to be slipping some.

Donald Trump, for looking like you might have peaked, you had the worst week in Washington. Congrats, or something.


2 min read

Published

Updated

By Chris Cillizza

Source: The Washington Post



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