The GOP's Donald Trump-inspired meltdown, in GIFs
So it has come to this.
Donald Trump is alone atop the heap of GOP candidates that have been eaten up by this election cycle. On Tuesday, Ted Cruz suspended his campaign and on Wednesday John Kasich followed suit.
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Now, Republicans across the country are either freaking out or trying to find some semblance of calm after nothing has gone according to plan over the past 11 months.
So how are the various groups of the GOP taking the news? Well, mileage may vary.
Reince Priebus
The man in charge of the Republican National Committee seems to be taking things in stride, tweeting that Trump was the presumptive nominee before Kasich even dropped out. He also retweeted a GOP tweet, thanking former candidates for a hard fought campaign and saying the party was better off after the highly contentious primary contests that, at one point, devolved into discussions about penis size.
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George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, John McCain and Mitt Romney
The last two Republican presidents (also the only two living Republican ex-presidents) and the last two men to hold the GOP nomination for the position are all skipping the GOP convention. The Georges announced on Wednesday they won't be attending (not a shock for the elder Bush, given his health) nor would they be endorsing Trump (also not a shock given Trump ethered the younger Bush with his "Bush did 9/11" line during a debate).
As for McCain and Romney? Also not a surprise as Trump burned those bridges, first by calling into question the valor of McCain (a Vietnam War POW) and then by sparring with Romney when Romney took the vocal lead of the anti-Trump movement.
Chris Christie
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is totally fine, guys. He's not being held hostage. Not at all. He is very willingly supporting Trump, so please stop with the jokes. He's not praying for the VP slot and he's not going to let your jokes drive a wedge between he and his good friend, Donald.
Jeb Bush
Trump's favorite punching bag is probably kicking back right now, sipping an iced tea, and muttering, "But that's none of my business."
#NeverTrump
The folks behind the "#NeverTrump" movement have taken this week's developments hard, pledging they won't back Trump but not really saying who they will back once things get to Cleveland in July for the convention. They're wildcards for sure, but some GOP leadership officials are begrudgingly getting behind Trump and it remains to be seen how much power -- if any -- the movement will actually have.
Paul Ryan
Paul Ryan has said he won't endorse Trump (for now) which probably means he's content to be leader of the House and bide his time, waiting to rise when the time is right and his followers are ready to battle, be that 2016 or 2020.
Whoever Trump picks as his VP
There's plenty of speculation out there as to who this will be, but some high-profile GOP figures, including South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Rick Scott, are already saying, "No, thanks."
Donald Trump
Like Donald really cares what any of the haters think.
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Topics Donald Trump Elections
Marcus Gilmer is Mashable's Assistant Real-Times News Editor on the West Coast, reporting on breaking news from his location in San Francisco. An Alabama native, Marcus earned his BA from Birmingham-Southern College and his MFA in Communications from the University of New Orleans. Marcus has previously worked for Chicagoist, The A.V. Club, the Chicago Sun-Times and the San Francisco Chronicle.
