Why Donald Trump Isn’t Leaving the Race

If you only read one thing: The GOP’s frustrations with Donald Trump are boiling into public view, as lawmakers, donors, and operatives struggle to account for the nominee’s insults and bombast. With Clinton opening up a large lead in the polls after her successful convention—erasing and surpassing whatever bump Trump got from his own—the rumor mill is full of “maybe he’ll drop out or be replaced” talk. Here’s why you shouldn’t put any stock in it. First off, Trump has gotten this far despite his controversial statements and attacks, and from the candidate’s perspective, this too shall pass. The election is in November, not August, and the three debates this fall will give the natural performer the chance to turn things around. Second, there is no mechanism to remove Trump as nominee in GOP rules—he’d have to withdraw, and see #1 for why he won’t. And even if he did withdraw, the GOP would be even worse off, fighting for ballot access in almost every state for whichever sorry replacement they can muster just months before the election. Finally, the GOP has long ago wagered the losing with Trump is better than standing up to him, which is why the #NeverTrump movement at the convention was doomed before it began. The Establishment, for the sake of party unity, strapped itself to the Trump rollercoaster and there’s no way off until the end of the ride.

Hillary Clinton’s ads are clearly starting to get under Donald Trump’s skin. At rallies on Wednesday, Trump saw fit to give point-by-point rebuttals to the claims and visuals in at least two Clinton campaign ads, including a powerful spot featuring children watching some of Trump’s most offensive comments. So Trump spent 10 minutes re-litigating his criticism of Megyn Kelly, his apparent mocking of a reporter with a disability and arguing he didn’t swing a golf club during his visit to Scotland after the Brexit vote. Forget his unconvincing defense, Trump’s fixation was yet another indication of his inability to allow attacks to go unanswered—a vulnerability set to be exploited by the Clinton campaign to force him off message over the next 96 days.

The extent of Trump’s dependence on the Republican National Committee for even basic support was made clear Wednesday as his campaign announced its July fundraising haul of $82 million. With $64 million coming from small-dollar donations, mostly online, the GOP has finally cracked the code of what has been a traditional Democratic strong point. But most of that money was raised by the RNC through a joint fundraising committee.

Clinton mocks Trump over foreign-made products. A Koch Brother is backing Trump. And Newt Gingrich is critical of Trump.

Here are your must reads:

Trump’s Shrinking Electoral Map
There are growing signs that Colorado, a key Western swing state, is no longer in play [Politico]

Huelskamp’s Defeat in Kansas Notches Win for GOP Leaders, Business Groups
The loss is widely seen as the Republican Party establishment’s first successful strike against Tea Party lawmakers [Wall Street Journal]

Pence Tries to Win Over Conservatives Despite Trump Gaffes
A tough sell [Associated Press]

Fueled by Small Donations, Donald Trump Makes Up Major Financial Ground
Republicans finally find a small-dollar candidate [New York Times]

The Trump-Ryan-Priebus affair: It’s getting personal
The Wisconsin mafia is tested [Yahoo]

Sound Off

“She should get an award from them as the founder of ISIS.” — Donald Trump on Hillary Clinton

“We’re like a third-world nation.” — Donald Trump on the U.S. space program at a rally in Daytona, Florida Wednesday

Bits and Bites

Even Newt Gingrich Says Donald Trump Has Been ‘Very Self-Destructive’ [TIME]

President Obama Commutes Sentences for 214 Federal Prisoners [TIME]

Mike Pence ‘Strongly’ Endorses Paul Ryan in Primary Race [TIME]

Here’s What Donald Trump Has Said About Nuclear Weapons [TIME]

Voices From Donald Trump’s Rallies, Uncensored [New York Times]

Bill Koch throwing Cape Cod fundraiser for Trump [New York Post]

Republican Donors Panic As Trump Melts Down [BuzzFeed]

Donald Trump just downgraded Hillary Clinton from ‘the devil’ to the ‘founder of ISIS’ [Washington Post]

Republican releases ad promising to ‘stand up’ to Trump [Politico]

Hillary Clinton Again Knocks Donald Trump Over Foreign-Made Products [Wall Street Journal]

In off-record conference call, top Clinton aide says Trump is ‘tripping on himself’ [Yahoo]