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RUSH: Now, there are other factors, too, in presidential races that are impossible to account for. You never know how somebody’s gonna come off to others on TV, for example, which is a big deal.

You don’t know what’s gonna happen in debates. I don’t know if there’s gonna be a dark horse. Nobody knows what’s really gonna become of Trump, how long Trump’s gonna hang in. The media’s obsessed with Trump right now. They’re obsessed. They’re convinced that Trump’s destroying the Republican Party — which they want, by the way. They would love nothing better than for that to happen.

You’ve got some Republican establishment types now getting very, very worried that all these assaults on Trump are gonna lead to him going third party. And if he goes third party, you can say hello to Hildebeast, because that’s what’s gonna happen. If any of these guys goes third party, it’s hello Hildebeast. But here’s one thing, folks. Those of you who are for the Trumpster, this is something I need you to hear me say. I need you to actually hear this.

We’re told that in a standard, ordinary, everyday campaign, it’s fair game for all the Republicans to go for the grand prize. And, in the process of a primary, it is impossible not to attack your opponents. You have to. You have to beat your opponents. Sometimes the attacks, even within the party, get pretty vicious. But they’re never so vicious that, when it’s all over, they can’t unify. It’s a very fine line. It’s a very close line everybody has to watch. You can’t go so overboard in criticizing anybody that, if they get the nomination, you can’t walk it back with credibility.

Well, I’m here to tell you that is happening with Trump.


You’ve got people on Fox, you have Republican Party establishment types, you’ve got Republican consultants who are out there now saying things about Trump that will be impossible to walk back. Meaning they’re going so overboard in their criticism of Trump right now that if Trump happens to stay in this, and if Trump wins this, these people are not going to be able to just automatically rally, which is what everybody says after the nominee is chosen.

“We rally around the nominee! We unify and we go forward.” Some of these people have said such over-the-top things that it’s gonna be very hard for them to walk it back. Not saying that people wouldn’t try to. (interruption) Examples? (interruption) Well, uh… I don’t know. I’m reluctant to mention names here ’cause it’s not my point to focus on individuals. But let’s just pick a name. Let’s just say… I don’t know.

Well, since he doesn’t do it, let’s just use Bret Baier. Since he never does this anyway, everybody knows I’m not talking about him. I’m just using him as an example. Let’s say Bret Baier for 10 nights in a row on Fox just goes after Trump in ways that make it obvious that he would never support Trump. “Trump’s a danger here. Trump’s this, Trump’s that,” whatever it is he says. And then Trump wins.

How does Bret Baier all of a sudden unite behind Trump? Don’t anybody call Bret Baier and say I’m accusing him of this. I’m using the most objective guy I can here as an example so as not to tie anybody to it. But it’s really a fine line everybody has to walk within the party during a primary. That is why, when these things all go up — I’ll give you a better example. You remember when Huckabee got together with McCain and basically pulled the rug out from Romney in 2008. This happened in West Virginia.

Romney was on the way and then all of a sudden Huckabee decided to get out and throw all of his delegates at the time, happened in West Virginia, I think, to McCain, which put McCain over the top. At that point Romney could have just launched on those two guys, and he could have told everybody what a bunch of reprobates he thought they were. But he didn’t. He didn’t go personal. He didn’t go overboard. He didn’t go over the top, because he knew he was gonna seek the nomination again, and he couldn’t say things in the heat of that moment that it would be impossible to walk back at a later date, such as, “Mr. Romney, you said that John McCain would be the absolute worst thing that ever happened to this country if he got elected. How can you support him now?” That’s something they won’t do.


Well, they are doing it with Trump is my point. A lot of Republicans are doing it to the point that they can’t walk it back. And if Trump is ultimately serious about this, that just gives him maybe even more desire, energy to go third party. If Trump is aware that all of these other Republicans, or enough of them, are saying such outrageous things that they can’t walk ’em back and eventually support him if he becomes the nominee, if they’re making it clear they won’t support him if he becomes the nominee, which is the same thing as saying outrageous things you can’t walk back, then that just further might push somebody to third party.

So, look, again, just for clarification, I used Bret Baier as an example precisely because he’s not the kind of guy doing any of this. It was just as an illustration.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Nathan, Tampa, Florida. Hey, Nathan, great to have you on the program.

CALLER: Hi, Rush. Good to talk to you. Thanks for taking my call.

RUSH: You bet.


CALLER: I heard you just say something about the Republicans not having a chance to — or not being careful about what they say, so they don’t have to walk it back later. And I kind of like what Trump’s doing right now, I like that he’s telling the truth. But he’s also telling the truth about the other candidates. He’s saying what he thinks and it would be hard for him to walk back if somebody else is the nominee. So I’m wondering what scenario do you want right now? Do you want all the other Republicans not to say what they think about Trump and at the same time Trump can say these things —

RUSH: Oh, no. I haven’t — no, no. It’s a good question because it’s a logical conclusion. Okay, if I’m warning people about saying things you can’t walk back, then I must have some idea of what I want to happen. No. I’m just making observances right now and quasi-predictions. Of course you’re probably talking about, well, among others, Jeb Bush, when you talk about things Trump is saying that he would have a tough time walking back.

Don’t forget, Trump is Trump. I think Trump, if he wants to, will be able to explain anything later on that he says about Jeb (imitating Trump), “Because Jeb called me, Jeb told me I was right, Jeb and I finally agree, Jeb’s a great guy.” That’s vintage Trump to do it that way. Trump I don’t think would have a problem walking back anything he said. That’s really the major concern. The major concern is if one of these conservatives gets the nomination will the Republican Party rally around him?

You know, it’s not just Trump, folks, that some of these so-called conservative media types are saying things are gonna be difficult to walk back. It’s not just about Trump. Will the RINOs who want another McCain, let’s be honest, they want another McCain, they want another Bob Dole, if they don’t get that, will they support a conservative if one happens to be the nominee?

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