WASHINGTON—The “dump Trump” movement is gaining followers among delegates to next month’s Republican National Convention, an effort that could tarnish Donald Trump’s coronation even if it ultimately fails.
Several hundred Republican delegates are organizing to oppose Trump at the convention. That’s not enough delegates to topple Trump. But it’s more than enough to create turmoil at an event that is typically used to bring a political party together in support of a presidential candidate.
“If Trump is the nominee, we truly believe it’s the end of our party,” said Kendal Unruh, a Colorado delegate who is leading the effort to dump Trump. “We’re trying to save the party.”
There could be floor fights over convention rules and the party’s platform. And instead of a coronation, the roll call to nominate Trump could be an opportunity for delegates to voice their displeasure on national television.
“What’s worse for the Republican Party — this is the calculation — one week of absolute chaos and all sorts of recriminations or four and a half months of this looming, rolling catastrophe?” conservative Milwaukee radio host Charlie Sykes said on his Tuesday show.
Some delegates are appalled that their party would endorse a candidate who has publicly insulted women and a reporter with disabilities. Many were alarmed by his incendiary remarks following the Orlando massacre, and some were distressed by his assertion this month that a Mexican-American judge couldn’t fairly preside over a Trump civil case.
