WASHINGTON – Donald Trump doesn’t appear to be going away anytime soon, so his rivals are scrambling to figure out how best to handle the blowback from every new bout of bluster drowning out their campaigns:
Lead the charge, if you’re the sole woman in the Republicans’ White House race and trying to crack the top tier for the next debate, by questioning Trump’s ability to withstand the pressure of the presidency.
Belittle Trump’s claim to be a truth-teller by arguing that self-promotion is the billionaire’s guiding philosophy.
Warn that Trump’s provocative comments about women endanger the party’s standing with a group that makes up the majority of voters.
Or simply plead for the incessant Trump questioning to cease so that other candidates can get on with the business of why they’re running.
These are some of the varied approaches of the other 16 Republican candidates fighting for attention and breathing room in a primary field eclipsed by Trump.
On Sunday, he was back, splashed across the weekend news shows, dismissing the latest firestorm to consume his campaign and explaining how he cherishes women and would be their strongest advocate if elected. “I’m leading by double digits, so maybe I shouldn’t change,” he boasted.
The latest controversy started Thursday night when Fox News debate moderator Megyn Kelly recounted Trump’s history of incendiary comments toward women. Angry over what he considered unfair treatment at the debate, Trump told CNN on Friday night that Kelly had “blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever.”
The remark cost Trump a prime-time speaking slot at the RedState Gathering, the Atlanta conference where several other presidential candidates spoke to about 1,000 conservative activists.
But Trump refused to back down, insisting Sunday that only “a deviant” would interpret his comment beyond a harmless barb.
“I apologize when I’m wrong, but I haven’t been wrong. I said nothing wrong,” said Trump, who spoke to four Sunday news shows, skipping only Fox News, the network with which he is feuding.
The flap is just the latest from Trump’s unconventional, insurgent campaign, which has excited many anti-establishment conservatives while confounding party leaders already facing the prospects of a bruising fight among 17 candidates.
Some have responded by sharpening their critiques, questioning Trump’s electability, his conservative credentials, policy ideas and personality.
Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, the only woman running for the GOP nomination, appeared most adept at seizing on the comments as she strives to break into the top 10.
“I think women of all kinds are really sort of horrified by this,” she said, arguing that there was a difference between being politically incorrect and insulting.
She also questioned Trump’s suitability for office, suggesting the businessman may be unprepared for the pressure that comes with being president.
“I think you cannot have a president who is thin-skinned. If you think a question is tough, imagine the pressure of actually being in the Oval Office,” she said.
