It’s become ever so evident that, in his mind, nothing is the fault of Republican nominee Donald Trump. So guess whose fault it will be when Trump loses the presidential election? That’s right — not his own.
In fact, Team Trump is gearing up to blame their inevitable defeat on one man, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Janesville, citing Ryan’s “betrayal” in abandoning Trump when it became all too clear that the Republican nominee thought he could get away with sexual assault.
There’s not much left to blame his inevitable loss on. This makes Ryan his best option, but he is undermining himself at every turn.
Walker’s support of Trump could cost him governorship in 2018
He’s tried to blame it on Democrats falsifying poll numbers, tweeting out, “Major story that the Dems are making up phony polls in order to suppress the the Trump. We are going to WIN!”
The Marquette Poll, Wisconsin’s most trusted poll for gathering election projections and perceptions of candidates, suggests Trump is losing Wisconsin to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by a seven point margin — 44 percent to 37 percent — according to their most recent polling. When an independent, scientifically conducted poll says Trump is losing, I believe it.
On a national level, Real Clear Politics analyzes the major national political polls and synthesizes them. Their latest available polling data, taken from Oct. 13 to 23, shows Clinton with a 5.5 percent lead over Trump.
Still, Ryan is a good target to blame. Trump has been hurting in the polls ever since Ryan split from him — though this can be readily and easily explained by Trump’s own actions. But I’m assuming Trump thinks all of this is helping his campaign. Trump’s campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, realizes they’re hurting, allowing her to position the campaign into total blame-Ryan mode once the election concludes in defeat. As she said on Meet the Press, “We are behind.”
Trump, however, seems oblivious to his manager’s plotting, tweeting out, “We are winning and the press is refusing to report it. Don’t let them fool you — get out and vote! #DrainTheSwamp on November 8th!”
We are winning and the press is refusing to report it. Don't let them fool you- get out and vote! #DrainTheSwamp on November 8th!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 24, 2016
To see how Trump is shooting himself in the foot in terms of finding a scapegoat for his presidential loss, look to his other excuse — a rigged election.
This has been a constant theme perpetuated by Trump. When he had time to address whether or not he’d accept the outcome of the presidential election in the third debate, he said, “We’ll see.”
Far from being a rallying cry, this is Trump’s worst excuse for losing the presidency for obvious reasons. A News21 analysis looked into the 2,068 alleged cases of voter fraud reported, and found that while fraud has occurred, it is miniscule compared to the nearly 146 million registered voters in the span of the study.
Anyone with internet access will be able to look at voter fraud numbers and conclude that voter fraud did not play a definitive role in this election. This highlights why Ryan is the perfect scapegoat for Trump. Like voter fraud, Ryan’s effect is not qualitative. We cannot see how Ryan’s break has brought down Trump’s poll numbers.
Trump can spin Ryan’s disloyalty in any fashion he wishes, so it is imperative for him to stop contradicting himself and consolidate his blame for his eventual presidential loss on Ryan.
Aaron Reilly ([email protected]) is a sophomore majoring in social work and economics.
