What happens if Donald Trump calls it quits and exits the 2016 presidential race?
That’s a burning question on the minds of many, according to Google Trends.
As Trump’s numbers continue to sag and turmoil plagues his campaign, the internet-search giant recorded a spike in interest in the search term earlier this month.
The right-leaning Wall Street Journal editorial board tossed more fuel on the fire this week when it published a scathing op-ed calling on Trump to mature his campaign style or hand the nomination to his running mate, Mike Pence.
So what would happen in the extremely unlikely scenario of Trump quitting the race? We took a look.
Can Trump give Pence the nomination?
If Trump did choose to exit, a messy transition would ensue.
"I don't think he's going to step aside," Alex Keyssar, a political historian at Harvard University, told Business Insider.
But the fact that people are even suggesting that Trump should, Keyssar said, has never happened before at the presidential level.
"This is the first time any such discussion has really occurred," he said.
If Trump did decide to drop out, Pence would not automatically receive the Republican nomination, Ballotpedia's Charles Aull, an expert on the presidential race and its many rules, told Business Insider.
The GOP would have to go through a formal process.
How could the GOP replace Trump?
The Republican National Committee's rules say it can fill any candidate vacancies that occur because of "death, declination, or otherwise" by either reconvening all 2,472 delegates to vote at another convention, or by letting its 168-member body decide via majority vote.
In the latter scenario, each member would get a certain number of votes based on how populous the state they represent is.
Aull said this is much more likely, because reconvening another convention would be a logistical nightmare.
Who would replace him?
If this happened, Aull said, choosing Pence would be the least controversial option (as opposed to former presidential nominees Gov. John Kasich or Sen. Ted Cruz), because he was already approved by Trump and chosen at the convention.
This choice could give some Republicans a sense of relief, Keyssar said, encouraging some voters who don't want to vote for the candidates from either party a reason to cast their ballots on Election Day instead of staying home.
What happens if Donald Trump calls it quits and exits the 2016 presidential race?That’s a burning question on the minds of many, according to Google Trends.As Trump’s numbers continue to sag and turmoil plagues his campaign, the internet-search giant recorded a spike in interest in the search term earlier this month.The right-leaning Wall Street Journal editorial board tossed more fuel on the fire this week when it published a scathing op-ed calling on Trump to mature his campaign style or hand the nomination to his running mate, Mike Pence.So what would happen in the extremely unlikely scenario of Trump quitting the race? We took a look.Can Trump give Pence the nomination?If Trump did choose to exit, a messy transition would ensue."I don't think he's going to step aside," Alex Keyssar, a political historian at Harvard University, told Business Insider.But the fact that people are even suggesting that Trump should, Keyssar said, has never happened before at the presidential level."This is the first time any such discussion has really occurred," he said.If Trump did decide to drop out, Pence would not automatically receive the Republican nomination, Ballotpedia's Charles Aull, an expert on the presidential race and its many rules, told Business Insider.The GOP would have to go through a formal process.How could the GOP replace Trump?The Republican National Committee's rules say it can fill any candidate vacancies that occur because of "death, declination, or otherwise" by either reconvening all 2,472 delegates to vote at another convention, or by letting its 168-member body decide via majority vote.In the latter scenario, each member would get a certain number of votes based on how populous the state they represent is.Aull said this is much more likely, because reconvening another convention would be a logistical nightmare.Who would replace him?If this happened, Aull said, choosing Pence would be the least controversial option (as opposed to former presidential nominees Gov. John Kasich or Sen. Ted Cruz), because he was already approved by Trump and chosen at the convention.This choice could give some Republicans a sense of relief, Keyssar said, encouraging some voters who don't want to vote for the candidates from either party a reason to cast their ballots on Election Day instead of staying home.
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