The Chosen One: Will an Indie Third Party Candidate Unseat Donald Trump?

The rise of Donald Trump and his infamously abrasive persona didn’t just ripple throughout the Republican Party: it created a political riptide.

Trump’s ascension past 16 other Republican presidential candidates and continued success despite numerous defamations (some even from his own party) has no doubt shocked not just Democrats but Republicans: evidently enough to have some considering a third party option.

On 10pm on Sunday, The Weekly Standard’s editor Bill Kristol announced via twitter that “heads up: there will be an independent candidate…with a real chance.” There was no further clarification, but none was needed: it was enough to spur Trump to call Kristol a “dummy” and launch what the Daily Mail called a “preemptive strike,” decrying the “spoiler Indie candidate” set up by “lightweights” with the potential to divide the Republican party. “The Republican party has to be smart & strong if it wants to win in November” Trump tweeted in response, following up with his insult to Kristol and a threatening, “If dummy Bill Kristol actually does get a spoiler to run as an independent, say good bye to the Supreme Court!”

Despite Trump’s ability to defy Republicans who doubt his commitment to party values, his team apparently takes the threat of a third party candidate seriously. Ben Carson, former candidate and now member of the Trump camp compared the current situation to Ross Perot’s entrance and George H.W. Bush’s subsequent loss to Bill Clinton in 1992.

“Wouldn’t it be ironic,” he asked, “if the same thing happened this time?”

Featured Image via Flickr/Gage Skidmore