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Republicans launch fresh bid to block Donald Trump
WASHINGTON: Republicans leery of their presumptive nominee, Donald Trump, are not giving up. An attempt, called the most organised yet, is underway to stop him at
WASHINGTON: Republicans leery of their presumptive nominee, Donald Trump, are not giving up. An attempt, called the most organised yet, is underway to stop him at the party convention in July.
The plan is to unbind delegates through a change of rules and let them follow their “conscience” and vote for who they preferred, and not for candidates who won their respective states.
The Washington Post, which first reported this move, called it “the most organised effort so far” to stop Trump and said it was led by “dozens of delegates” who will attend the convention in Cleveland, Ohio. Unlike previous attempts, such as the “Never Trump” movement by pundits and media figures, delegates can change party rules and do things needed to stop Trump.
The new push follows escalating concerns about Trump over his racist comments about a judge, anti-Muslim remarks and his support for gun reforms that go against the party.
“This literally is an ‘Anybody but Trump’ movement,” a delegate told the Post. Another one said he wakes up “every day struggling to accept that he’s going to be our candidate ”. Many leading Republicans, including some governors, are not supporting Trump.
And a senior George W Bush administration Republican has said he, in fact, is voting for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
Speaker Paul Ryan, a reluctant Trump backer who will chair the convention, said in a TV interview on Friday he would like delegates to follow their conscience.
