By Alan Duke
Donald Trump raising his hand to Bret Baier's question at the start of the Fox News debate about running an independent campaign could be compared to a newlywed warning a spouse they'll file for divorce if mistreated.
While Trump won't rule out an independent run for president if he fails to get the Republican nomination, the billionaire says he would only go maverick if the GOP doesn't give him a fair shot.
The decision by the conservative RedState organizers to disinvite Trump to their Atlanta gathering, where 10 other GOP rivals were welcomed to the stage, could be the start of the disrespect Trump warned could trigger his divorce from the Republican Party.
The sudden resignation of Trump political adviser Roger Stone could be another sign that Republican operatives are waging a dump Trump movement.
See Lead Stories' Trendolizer real-time ranking of all candidates' social media ranking.
RedState chief Eric Erickson said Trump has crossed the line with his blunt talk, convincing him to revoke Trump's invitation to his forum. "He is not a professional politician and is known for being a blunt talker," Erickson wrote on his blog. "He connects with so much of the anger in the Republican base and is not afraid to be outspoken on a lot of issues. But there are even lines blunt talkers and unprofessional politicians should not cross."
It was Trump's attacks on Fox News Host Megyn Kelly, including the infamous "blood" comment, that Erickson blames for the conservative group's diss of The Donald.
Ericsson also tweeted "I hated to disinvite you and hope you might realize that common decency is not political correctness or weakness."
I hated to disinvite you and hope you might realize that common decency is not political correctness or weakness. https://t.co/YkZ3sRfEnD
-- Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) August 8, 2015
Trump replied to Erickson, tweeting "I miss you all, and thanks for all of your support. Political correctness is killing our country."
.@redstate I miss you all, and thanks for all of your support. Political correctness is killing our country. "weakness."
-- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 8, 2015
Trump -- who has proven to be "Teflon Don" with his ability to deflect criticism that might kill any other candidacy -- is defending his "blunt talk" by attacking the culture of "political correctness" that he argues is dragging the country down.
So many "politically correct" fools in our country. We have to all get back to work and stop wasting time and energy on nonsense!
-- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 8, 2015
As for the departure of Stone, a campaign official quoted by CNN insisted it was a firing: "Mr. Trump fired Roger Stone last night. We have a tremendously successful campaign and Roger wanted to use the campaign for his own personal publicity. He has had a number of articles about him recently and Mr. Trump wants to keep the focus of the campaign on how to Make America Great Again."
But a resignation letter obtained by CNN and others suggests Stone quit before he was fired.
"Unfortunately, the current controversies involving personalities and provocative media fights have reached such a high volume that it has distracted attention from your platform and overwhelmed your core message. With this current direction of the candidacy, I no longer can remain involved in your campaign," the resignation letter says.
For Stone to blame "provocative media fights" for his decison to abandon Trump's campaign is odd considering Stone's reputation as "a self-admitted hit man for the GOP" and his "popping up to play a bit part in the most notorious negative campaigns in recent history."
Stone takes credit for helping George W. Bush win the controversial Miami-Dade ballot battle that ended with the Republican ticket's controversial election to the White House in 2000. He told the Daily Beast in 2008 that he was paying back a political debt to Bush strategist Jim Baker when he rushed to help in Florida, even after having advised Trump on a possible presidential run in 2000.
"In this business, if you don't pay your debts you're finished," Stone said. Just as he answered Baker's call for help then, did Stone get a similar request for help to derail Trump?
The question now is how long will Trump wait before he dumps the Republican Party.
Trump, who claims credit for making the Fox News presidential debate the most-watched ever with 24 million viewers, is also dominating social media interest as measured by Lead Stories' Trendolizer. Click here to see the latest real-time rankings of all candidates.
The Trendolizer is constantly scouring social networks for the hottest trending content about Trump and the presidential race. Scroll down to see the latest.
