The Washington Free Beacon’s Liz Harrington discussed Donald Trump’s prospect for being the Republican nominee Monday, and noted that the possibility of Trump’s nomination will come down to the results of the Indiana primary.
"There's a sense of inevitability here. ... Trump is going to probably sweep these states on Tuesday," Harrington said. "It will really come down to Indiana in May to see if Trump can get as close as he can to that 1,237."
Harrington said that since the other Republican candidates have not won the requisite votes, Trump’s nomination appears inevitable.
"All the other candidates in this race have basically been disqualified by the voters because they cannot win their party's nomination outright," Harrington said, and pointed out that Ted Cruz’s chances to be the nominee have been slashed by Trump’s ability to craft a negative narrative.
"Ted Cruz ... was mathematically canceled out to getting the nomination and his only shot is at a second ballot in the contested convention," Harrington said. "He really doesn't have a case, and that plays into Trump’s hand saying Ted Cruz is trying to steal it away from him."
Harrington predicted that if Trump is the nominee, he will leverage this ability against Hillary Clinton.
"At the end of the day, once he starts focusing on Hillary Clinton, he's going to be trying to brand her just how he's successfully branded all of his challengers in the Republican primary fight," Harrington said.
She said that Trump should not change his bombastic tone because it is his style, and it boosts his outsider image.
"He is seen as an outsider, the only one that can shake things up, and so that's definitely really helping him," Harrington said. "On the point of him acting presidential, I don't think he can change who he is, and I don't think he necessarily should, because honestly, his style is not being politically correct. It's what his supporters love about him and it's gotten him this far."